Mirkwood Socks: There and Back Again

You could say my first foray into sock-making felt as much like an adventure as the legendary journey of Bilbo Baggins. But I suppose that might be a bit of an exaggeration...

Still, "trepidation" would be a mild term to describe my feelings. When I first started really knitting, I didn't think I'd ever take the time to make my own socks. Why go to so much for effort for something you can buy so cheaply? Plus, they looked complicated! But since then, experience has increased my confidence, and my attitude toward "cheap ready made" clothes has changed. 

So, here we are!

I used Claire Ellen's Mirkwood pattern, which had been in my favorites for quite a long time. It was one of the patterns that made me most excited about trying socks (not least of all because of its association with The Lord of the Rings -- oh, the power of a name!), so it's appropriate that it was my first sock pattern.

Appropriate, but probably foolhardy! Even though I kept the pattern "simple" by omitting the bobbles (I didn't think they'd be comfortable if I ever wore the socks with shoes, plus it was extra complication), there was still a roughly 30-row lace repeat to contend with. I love knitting lace, but I've realized I prefer lace patterns that are somewhat intuitive and relatively easy to memorize. This was neither. I'll admit, the second sock went faster once I was familiar with the stitch patterns. But I had to rip out so many, many stitches due to simple errors. And this was after I'd written out EVERY SINGLE ROW from the chart, because I am not used to reading charts and wasn't about to start now. 

I used an "eye of partridge" heel, which I quite like. Apparently it's supposed to
be more durable and comfortable?

I must admit, though, that I do love the look of the finished lace pattern -- even if I did seriously contemplate ripping my hair out on several occasions while it was underway.

The yarn was some lovely KnitPicks Gloss Fingering in "Doe" that I scored on closeout last year. It was almost half off, so I ended up with a pair of merino-silk socks for less than $8. Sock yarns can be pricey (you need about 400 yards of fingering for a pair), so this was a great way to practice in a lovely yarn without paying a premium.

This was my travel project during our recent move. Knitting a few rows at night in a hotel room over-populated with young children who have been cooped up in a vehicle all day... that was interesting at times! Often I'd make "progress," only to realize that I'd made a mistake early on and had to spend time undoing what I'd just done. Still, it was lovely to have something to work on, especially once we arrived at our new home and had several weeks at our hotel before our housing was ready. I honestly think knitting these socks helped keep me sane during the wait.

My one concern with these socks is that they felt a bit large after blocking. Not terribly, unwearably large, but just a bit bigger than I'd like. Maybe it's due to my lamentable hatred/avoidance of swatching to check my gauge. Maybe it was the thickness of my fingering weight yarn (it seemed "squishier" than other fingering yarns I've used). They're likely to be worn around the house, anyway, and I tend to have ridiculous expectations of projects that I've just finished. I'm contemplating heat drying them ever-so-slightly, but I think I'll wait before I commit to that. For now, I'm just enjoying finishing a project I once thought I'd never start.

I've been to Sock-land and back again, not for the last time. For starters, there was that leftover yarn...


Raveled here.