Socks

I like to have something to do with my hands while watching TV or listening to NPR. I also tend to take up a hobby or craft for a while, enjoy it, then move on to something new. In the past I've done counted cross stitch, crocheting, origami, and fabric origami boxes. This is in addition to crossword, sudoku and KenKen puzzles. (What is KenKen? Sudoku on steroids. GREAT math and logic. Try it!)



So, right now knitting is my craft of choice. This fall I made hoodie sweaters for the daughter of a friend, Mya, who is almost 1 1/2 and Wren, my great niece, who will turn 1 in a week! They were lots of fun but almost too quick. So, I decided to try my hand at socks. For sure, socks are not quick projects. First, the needles used are really small, so those stitches are really small too. One reason I moved on from counted cross stitch was the difficulty seeing the small stitches. Well, knitting socks means I sometimes still use a magnifying glass or take off my glasses!



They really are a challenge but that is part of the fun. Also, for the first time I can remember, I have a pair of socks that FIT my little feet. I didn't realize one could actually have socks that didn't have at least a half inch extra fabric at the ends of the toes!



Here are my first two successes.

This is the pair I made for myself. They actually fit! However, even though the stitches are small, they are not smooth underfoot. I'm getting used to that. The yarn is washable wool and nylon so I throw them in the washer but like all my wool sock, they air dry.

This is the pair I made for Wren's first birthday. They were fun because they are so small. Little socks are really cute, too. The yarn is 50% washable wool, 25% bamboo, and 25% nylon. I am afraid that one sock is larger than the other just because of tighter tension on the first one knitted as I was working REALLY hard to figure out the instructions.