Entering the Fray

Second Viola done just above the heel flap

Socks are the theme for my knitting in 2016, and when I decide to take on something I like to study it.  That means I have been looking at lots of sock patterns, and I do mean lots.  Ravelry has over 41,000 such patterns and of that number over 12,000 patterns are free.  To be clear I am far from looking at all of these patterns, but it was very easy to fill hours perusing the different options.  The review caused me to find out a few details, some of which I knew nothing about and that then lead to further research.

So far I have found three different ways of knitting socks, from the top down, from the toe up or knit flat requiring a seam running across the bottom and back.  When I started looking into discussions about the two major ways to knit, top down or toe up, it became clear knitters seem to have a strong preference for one or the other.  It seems to be one can start quite a long discussion asking which is a preferred way to construct a sock.  For example the topic has come up nearly 75 times in the last four years on Knitting Paradise, a knitting forum.  There some argue the top down approach makes it easier to create an elastic ribbing at the top of the sock, while others complain how challenging it is to get a nice top of the sock using the toe up method because it is a difficult to create an elastic cast off.   Others complain how complicated it is to pick up stitches along the heel flap of the top down and how this can be skipped with toe up.  Some knitters hate having to do the Kitchener stitch to close up the toe of top down socks and others complain how the Figure 8 or provisional cast-ons are difficult at the beginning of toe up socks.  As I read the discussion I figured I had to do my own tests to see which of the styles best suits me.

To this point I´ve only knit top down socks and need to look into knitting toe up socks.  This all happened last week as Craftsy decided to put their online classes on sale for $19.99 each.  For now I am working my way thru Donna Druchunas´ Knit Original Toe-Up Socks class.  It is teaching me three different ways to knit the toe and another three to knit the heel.  Once I have completed all the lessons I will start my own toe up socks.

Yup, these are indeed maternal twins.

As all this was going on, I have started the second Viola.  Above is a photo of it along with the first to show the success I had finding the perfect spot in the variegated yarn to start the second sock so that this pair is in fact maternal twins.

Having just scratched the surface, it is clear I will easily fill the year learning and knitting socks and have already entered the fray.