Soctoberfest Questions

So, I'm a little late with these, but at least here they are:

When did you start making socks? - I started my first pair of socks on Jan. 1, 2004, using some of elann's sock yarn and the pattern in Sally Melville's The Purl Stitch. I started because I had been reading about socks for months on Knitters Review, and I decided I should just give them a try.

What was your first pair? How have they held up? - My first pair is as described above. I gave them to my dad who wore them every week until he died in March, 2004. My dad had small feet, so the socks also fit my mom, so she kept them. They have held up exceedingly well.

Here they are, on my feet.


What would you have done differently? - I would have invested in a better yarn. I don't really dislike the elann yarn, but I now have tried other, softer yarns.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? - I have tried Koigu PPM, Lorna's Laces, Socks that Rock, elann's Sock it to Me, Cherry Tree Hill, Regia, Opal and Knitpicks undyed that I dyed with KoolAid. I really like the Knitpicks yarn both for the feel and the price and because dyeing the yarn was great fun. My favorite socks to wear have been from Lorna's Laces because I like the softness and the thinner yarn.

How do you knit your socks? - I stick with DPN's just because I feel more comfortable with them. I'm not a big fan of circulars except for sweaters.

What kind of heel do you prefer? - I really like the square heel flap, both for making and for wearing. It gives me great satisfaction to do the heel flap and to turn the heel. I have tried short row, but it just doesn't feel right to me.

How many pair have you made? - I stopped counting at 15. I know I have 4 pair, my daughter has 6 pair, my niece has 4 pair, and several other family members/friends have a pair each.

Okay, that finishes this set. I am trying to take a picture of my sock yarn stash, but there is so much, I am having trouble getting it all together. And, embarrassingly enough, I found some yarn that I had forgotten about - I just ordered two skeins of the same thing yesterday!