Okay....I will admit...It wasn't until I had been knitting for several years that I attempted my first pair of socks. I really don't know why. For some reason I had this fear of them. The tiny needles. The heel turn. All the sock knitters that I knew had their preferred method of knitting socks and were adamant that I should, "knit two at a time toe up, magic loop" or "double points, cuff down" or "on two circulars", etc. There were too many options and I was thoroughly confused. Therefore, I just put it off.
Fast forward to January 2011, I was stuck in the lodge on a family ski trip to Monarch Mountain in CO. I had torn the meniscus in my knee skiing earlier that season and was out of commission for the remainder of the winter. Needless to say, I had lots of time to focus on a new project. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try sock knitting. I used Claire Montgomery's "Child's Simple Socks" pattern from the book, "Easy Kids Knits". The pattern was cuff down and called for using size 1 double pointed needles. However, I did not have DPN's that size. So, I improvised and used the magic loop method on a long circular needle. The socks turned out okay, but the magic loop felt fiddly and time consuming (constantly pulling that long cable through my work). I was determined to stick with it, however, and immediately cast on another pair. This time I thought I would try two-at-a-time, toe-up. I liked the idea of being able to just knit until I ran out of yarn - not worrying about running out before getting to the toe. I used the "Sample Sock" pattern from Melissa Morgan-Oake's "Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks" book. The socks knit up quickly, as they called for worsted weight yarn. They turned out fine. But, I still wasn't feeling the magic loop.
More than a year later, I came across Susan B. Anderson's free "Ribbed Socks for Kids" pattern on her blog. I figured it was high time I tried a pair of socks on double points. The socks flew off my needles and were so fun and easy to knit. They fit my son's feet like a dream and he declared them the "Best Socks Evah!!!" It only took me 6 years of knitting and several methods to determine that the old standby...cuff down, DPN is the way to go for me! I love these socks and will likely never knit a different method again. Now I understand what the fuss is all about. Knitting socks rocks! They get tons of use and are so fast and portable to knit. Yay for socks!!! And thanks, Susie, for writing an awesome pattern!
Susan B. Anderson's "Ribbed Socks for Kids" pattern knit in
Luna Grey Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Wool Nylon Sock Yarn in the colorway "Parakeet"
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