Toe Up Traditional Socks by Veronique Avery - FO

Pattern: Toe Up Traditional Socks

Designer: Veronique Avery

Source: Knitting 24/7

Yarn: Donegal Sock Yarn

Needles: 2.75 mm dpn's

Start: October 9, 2010  Finished January 30, 2011

Modifications: None

This pattern caught me eye because it offers a gusset and reinforced heel but worked from the toe up. I already had a skein divided in half by weight waiting for the right toe up opportunity so I put the two together, cast on with a provisional crochet edge, knit 15 rows and set the thing aside for three months or so.

Two weeks ago I was felled by a wicked cold that featured a low grade fever lasting 3 days. While fevers feel awful they are the body's way of killing unwanted viral and bacterial "guests" so I let it run its course rather than quelling it with acetaminophen hoping to earn a speedy recovery.

That plan did not work out - I'm still feeling the effects of the thing but while I was feverish I was also bored. My eyes were burning and my head pounding.  I didn't want to listen to anything or read or watch TV. I had the bright idea though that maybe I could knit on those socks with my eyes closed . That's what I did and that's how they got done.

My tension was loose - probably similar to my grip on consciousness at the time - so they are a bit big. I also created a great double ladder right up the centre of one of the feet ( I should have had the knitting arranged so that spot fell underneath but whatever).

They are not the greatest socks I have ever knit (probably they are the worst). Nonetheless they are wool and so they are warm and have already been worn and enjoyed.

I also like them in that the yarn was a gift from My Beloved after he ventured all on his own into an LYS while away in the Maritimes on business.

Bottom line, they warm my heart and my feet and they made a couple of lousy days a little bit easier to tolerate. All that should be enough to put this project in the "successful knit" category.

Despite that, I doubt I will use this approach again. As Veronique herself writes in the book her primary motivation for knitting toe up is to accommodate big feet and limited yarn. The feet I knit for are all a bit below average in size so that isn't an issue for me. Furthermore I really don't enjoy picking up stitches from a provisional cast on edge.

BTW I didn't choose to pose with these in front of "Mr. Helpful"...he just inserted himself into the shots. He found the three days  and nights of fever very disturbing. He spent most of that time sitting right beside me whining and often staring right at me. I must have been giving off some kind of vibe he was picking up on. Maybe the reappearance of the socks drew him into being engaged as I took the photos. I do wish he could talk so I could ask him! I'd love to know what goes on under that cap of fluff!

BTW thank you for the kind comments on my Hairy Hudson. Poodle grooming is an involved affair. I am taking a run at doing it all myself. Right now at 10 months he is "in" a "Puppy Clip" where the still soft and silky coat is lightly scissored, brushed daily and his face, feet, tail and belly are shaved every couple of weeks. His adult hair is coming in fast and furiously and the Puppy Clip will no longer be appropriate by mid March when he will be a year old so his appearance is kind of like a 60 pound WIP and only when his coat is at its full one year length I'll see just what I've managed to accomplish.

Thank you for dropping by to see "us" today!