It's a learning curve, I guess

I know, I'm up too late again. I had to finish an entertaining novel, then decided to check for email and read my favorite blogs.

The first blog I opened gave me great comfort. I learned that the Yarn Harlot, who can knit socks with her eyes closed and has probably made thousands of them, can have the same problems as I, who can count all my completed pairs of socks without using all my fingers.

A couple of weeks ago I made a pair of top-down socks for my little grandson, age two. They took me less than a week of spare minutes, and they turned out well. I made them both at the same time, on one circular needle, except for when I separated them to do the heels.

I was (and still am in spite of everything) feeling newly proficient with my sock skills.

I now know how to turn a heel, thanks to the 'recipe' in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Knitting Rules. I've memorized the Kitchener process, thanks to Susan Pierce Lawrence's instructions. Both are in my head. I no longer need to look at step-by-step illustrated instruction.

I tried the finished socks on the cute little feet.

Too short.

I snipped a couple of stitches, removed the toes, added a few rows, including a couple of stripes in a different color for visual interest (I didn't have another color of the same yarn) and reknitted the toes. Length is okay, but the contrast stripes are not stretchy enough. Too tight. His mom said he likes to put them on his hands and play with them.

I looked at the two neat little sock-toes that I had amputated; it seemed a shame to frog or toss two well-Kitchenered toes, so I picked up stitches and started knitting upwards. Would this the second pair, or the third? It felt like three.

Finished the heels, tried them on his wiggly feet.

Too long.

Frogged the heels plus a few rows, reknit the heels, topped them off with 2x2 ribbing. Sock perfection! (No picture; they look just like the first ones, only longer.)

Tried them on his little pink piggies.

Too tight.

Aaarghhh!