Sigh...

I've been knitting for multiple years. I promise I have. I've made successful changes to patterns in terms of fitting and stuff. So how did it go so wrong?

My second pair of socks started out well. I picked a simple toe-up pattern, as a foil to my top-down first pair. I went with "Socks on a Plane" by Laura Linneman. I liked the little bit of cabling to keep me interested and I liked the idea of being able to try it on for fit as I went along.

Let's examine it, shall we?

Pros
1. Toe-up. You can indeed try it on as you go, and that's helpful
2. I cast on the second sock immediately upon finishing the first sock.
3. I also carefully examined the first sock and wrote down after how many cables I started the heel gusset, when I started adding some increases in the leg for more room, and when to start the cuff so I could replicate the first as closely as possible.

Cons
First mistake: Yarn. I went with a variegated yarn given to me by my mother-in-law. I've lost the ball band, but it's mostly wool and in a great colorway.



The greens and shades of blue is great. But can you see the cable in this? I can't. It just muddles the self-striping nature of the yarn.

Mistake No. 2: Estimation. I was supposed to start increasing for the heel gusset about an inch or so shorter than I wanted the foot to be. Well, whatever I was thinking when I did that on my first sock, I was off. That's pretty typical when I estimate. The foot of Sock #1 is too short for my foot.

Mistake No. 3: Doubting the pattern. I didn't understand the heel shaping instructions for Sock #1 and I interpreted it rather liberally and creatively. And completely incorrectly, clearly.

It's so ugly.

And proportionally, so off. 

Good God, it's so bad. But I didn't know what it should look like till later, so I just left it and continued blithely on.

Mistake No. 4. I then changed my approach with Sock #2's heel and trusted the written instructions. I was happy to find out my second interpretation worked, though I wasn't thrilled at first about how it looked. 

It grew on me though.

I was happy it worked, and so continued on. I held up the 2 socks to compare them. The foot of Sock #2 was longer than Sock #1, which was good. But after completing the heel of Sock #2 and a few rounds of knitting for the leg, I was decidedly closer to the leg length of Sock #1 than I should have been. I ditched most of my comparison notes and skipped to the cuff.

Mistake No.5: I cast off too tightly. I knit tight. I know this. I have a bad habit of casting off tightly. I know this. Yet I hardly ever correct for this. On this instance, I'll blame worrying about the outcome of this pair of socks that I've spent a lot of time on for my inattention. 

Mistake No. 6: Toes. I somehow managed to delude myself that Kitchener stitch could be done on two cast on edges. After extensive Internet research I have found that there is a way to do it, but when I was anxiously trying to finish these I didn't realize this. Trying to pick up stitches along the cast on edge failed due to anxiety, so I just threaded a tapestry needle and whip stitched the toes closed on both. I have also since learned that "your preferred cast-on method for toe-up socks (ex: Judy's Magic Cast On)" did not mean "just any old cast on you like", but that there are actual techniques meant for this kind of project that would not result in open toes. *face palm. 

Result

Well, they're done, anyway.

Dear God.

The upshot of all of this is that I basically managed to knit two different socks from the exact same pattern. Sock #1 is too small and so is tight and pulls disgracefully around my foot, leaving large gaps to let the wind in and distorting the design further. Sock #2 fits more nicely, especially around the heel, but I had to work very hard to get the cuff over my ankle and instep, as well as almost needing to grab scissors to get the thing off again. Sigh...

TO BE VERY CLEAR:

I like this pattern. I like the light, simple cabling and the toe-up method. I will use this pattern again. I just will learn from my mistakes and do better next time (hopefully).

These particular socks are going (sadly) in the garbage bin. Or I suppose I should frog the yarn and not be wasteful. But I'm so unhappy at these socks that I don't really want to.