Ta-Da - It's a Sock!!!

May I present to you, my faithful readers, my very first knitted sock.....

Hooray!!!

I have to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who were so kind and helpful - you're the best!!!  I would never have gotten past the first 2 inches of dancing with those spider sticks if a couple of you had not pointed out that I was knitting it from the inside - really???  And suggestions for how to hold the needles so that it was a lot easier to work with them.......  And lots of helpful video sites....... invaluable!!!  Again, thanks - I couldn't have done this without you!!!

And I couldn't have done it without my friend, Joanne, either.  I got the sock to the point of the heel flap and then no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to do what I knew it was supposed to be doing.  I watched a few videos, tried a few times to get it started and ended up ripping out every time.  So then I put it in a bag and took it to Red Rooster with me and got Joanne to sit down with me and take me through that heel, row by row.  She figured out that I was completely ignoring 2 sentences - again, really???

But after that, I was okay.  I actually managed to do the second heel with no help at all......

Second sock almost finished!

Yes, my friends, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks LOL!!!

I used the pattern called Tesserae from Ravelry, recommended by Denise at Justquiltin.  I loved the pattern, but I probably should have started with just a simple stockinette until I practiced my rhythm and tension a little more.  There are one or two uneven stitches in there *tongue in cheek!*  And when I got to the gusset, I was so worried about doing that right, that I forgot about the pattern and just kept doing one pattern set over and over again instead of switching every 6 rows.

Guess what?  I decided to leave it that way and call it a design element! :*)

And I have to tell you, I'm as proud as a new mama!!!  I've shown this precious little sock to everyone who will spare me a glance LOL!!!  My husband was downright amazed!

I think it has pooled too :*)  It's really hard to tell with this busy yarn, but the colors are striping around it in diagonal waves rather in horizontal stripes.  I think that means it is pooling - am I right?

I should have entered Judy's pooling contest, but who knew I'd even manage to have a sock completed, much less one that pools, right???  And look at how this second one is going to town, pooling those lovely blues and purples diagonally down that sock - just beautimous!!!!  

I really actually like them that way much better than a boring old stripe.

As I was knitting the first sock, I was afraid it would end up too tight for me to wear.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find that although it fits pretty snug, it's not too tight.  It's close enough though that I'll have to be really careful to wash it in cold water so it doesn't shrink.  I've marked my pattern to add a few stitches when I use it again.

I'm not sure what caused those loose holes there in the gusset.  Maybe my stitches were too loose when I did the decreases?

Of course, I have to show you a picture of me "trying it on" to be sure I got the length right to the toe.  

Is this not hilarious???  Gives new meaning to the phrase "On the Needles" doesn't it?  It looks like I'm being tortured by an acupuncturist!  Or that I am trying to knit my own cast for a broken foot :*)

Oh too funny LOL!!!

I'll leave you with that laugh as I head off to Judy's Patchwork Times 

to see what everyone else has cast on their needles!!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

And remember that freedom is never FREE - 
Let's honor the soldiers who have sacrificed to keep us FREE!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=