Socktoberfest meme!!!

Let me introduce you to Iris, Julie, Woolgirl, Shannon, Neuroknitter, and Emily. We are friends, knitters, colleagues, and above all else--sock-a-holics. Some of us are new knitters, and some of us have been at it a wee bit longer. Some of us are newer to the joy of socks, some of us longer...but, we all heart socks (and each other) and we're all Socktoberfesting together!! And in the "heart" spirit that guides us here at W.H.Y., we are posting a joint meme! Just follow the colors to know who is "speaking"!! We hope you enjoy our meme!!

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I started making socks in about 2003, I think (not sure of the date). I
learned on my own, with phone calls to my Mom, and by using books. My
first resource was Priscilla Gibson-Roberts book.

This spring. I taught myself by following gail's toe-up pattern and talking a lot with my fellow why'ers

I started making socks a little over 1 year ago. Taught by friends.

fall 2004 was my first foray into sock making. iactually "blame" neuroknitter. when we first startedour friday knitting group at work, she almost always had a pair of socks, in socks that rock, nonetheless,on the needles. she made something that had always seemed so painfully complicated seem so darned easy. then s was at a book publishing fair, and scored a free copy of betsy lee mccarthy's "knit socks!" for me, and the rest, as they say, is history...i used the book "knit socks!"...

Around 1992. I took a class at my LYS with a friend.

My husband bought me a sock book, needles and yarn for our first Christmas together when we were dating.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
First pair was out of Trek yarn - they're waaaaaaay too big, but comfy
for wearing around the house as summer turns to fall. They don't get as
much use as my heavier socks that I like better, so they've held up very
well.

Gail's rockin' toe up socks made with wildfoote from brown sheep company. Haven't worn them so they are still like new

A pair of big (too big) socks for my mom - and yes, they have held up over time. They were very thick!

...and made some big-ole, pretty freaking expensive,pink-green-brown socks out of some debbie bliss yarn. i gave them to s for our anniversary, and he wearsthem quite a bit. they took months to complete - iremember busting through the first one fairly quickly,and then kind of stalling on number two. so, my veryfirst pair of knit socks, and i suffered second socksyndrome. they have held up pretty well - like i said, s wearsthem, but they are a bit big for him, and i have madehim a few pairs since, which are thinner yarn, abetter fit, and all-around more attractive, so they
aren't the first pair he puts on in the morning.

Light blue worsted weight Brown Sheep. The first sock was way too small as my tension was way too tight. I was still getting used to the dpns! The second sock was great…As they were somewhat mismatched in size they were never worn and have held up great…heh-heh!!

My first pair was an abomination. Didn’t even approximate fitting. I ripped it out.

What would you have done differently?
Differently: heavier yarn (I really prefer a more substantial sock to a
lightweight one); smaller needles. I had no idea what I was doing.

Used smaller needles for a tighter knit

Used different yarn - different pattern - short row heel instead of heel flap

nothing, really - contrary to my best efforts, theyactually turned out to be socks, wearable socks, andthat, in my estimation, is a success. sure, i spentway too much (6 balls of 7 dollar yarn), but how was ito know? i didn't really work out yardage or
anything...

Nothing. They were my first pair. I got used to the dpns and have never not had multiple pairs of socks on the needles over all these years!! (Can I use all those negatives in a sentence?)

Thicker yarn!

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
STR, Lorna's Laces, Sundara

STR and sock hop

STR, Sundara, self-striping (Knit Picks)

well, i have knit with a bunch of different sock yarns- koigu (overrated, in my opinion), knit picks merino(kind of soft), opal (kind of scratchy), and i willtell you that without a doubt, socks that rock spoiledme for anything else. that yarn is da bomb. seriously fabulous sock yarn, and not much stacks upwell against it. i do heart me some sock hop,though. i have no clue how it wears, but it isgorgeous to look at and a pleasure to knit with.

Historically: Galway and Cascade 220…mind you, I knit those worsted weight yarns on size 4 dpn for a nice tight fabric, with heels and toes on a 2 dpn!! In 1993 I learned to spin. Somewhere before, during, or after that time, my friend Sandy Sitzman (owner of Woolgatherings) had her handspun from rainbow dyed roving and handknit socks published in the now infamous sock issue of Spin-Off magazine…Sandy’s ‘Happy Sock’ spinning kits turned me on to handspun socks…I have to say, handspun handknit socks are something quite special indeed. Currently, STR, SweetGeorgia, and Sundara are my faves…all those Ss…hmmm.

STR, of course!

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
Currently using magic loop, however, I've done dpns and 2 circ, also. I
tried doing 2 at once on the magic loop, and didn't enjoy it, so I'm
back to one at a time.

I have only knitted my socks using dpns, but would like to try the magic loop

No crochet and magic loop all the way!

i have never tried to crochet socks. in my opinion,crochet is for amugurami and maybe an open-pattern jessica-simpson type of shawl, not for socks. notthat i am completely closed to the idea, it has justnever appealed to me. i think most of us here at we heart yarn areabsolutely, disgustingly addicted to addi turboneedles, and, since my first attempt at using them forknitting, have ONLY knit socks with addis. for a longtime, i was a dyed-in-the-wool double-circ gal, buthave really embraced the magic loop, and am a tadregretful that i invested so much cash-money into twoshorter circs, when i really just want one (or two)
long ones in each size.

For me, crochet and socks don’t belong in the same sentence! I am a 1 needle in each hand kind of gal! I have always knit them on dpns. I experimented with 2 circulars a few years back, but went back to dpns (wooden). Recently, Shannon inspired me to reconsider 2 circs and from there I entered the world of the magic loop via Kaci. One sock, two socks...doesn’t matter; the magic loop is my current preference.

I’m a big 2 circulars or ML proponent.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Up until the last month or so, I've preferred the flap, but I am
working on a combo short row with a mini-gusset that will someday be
refined enough to fit me. (Thanks to my NeuroKnits friends for
inspiration!!)

short-row most definitely

Short row, but i haven't tried the flap. I like the look of the short row too much to switch.

i started out making the traditional cuff-down,heel-flap socks, and they were just fine. the flapfits well, grafting is not as hard as it may appear,and the socks i made that way have worn very well. but then, THEN, i went to the oregon flock and fiberfestival in 2005, not only purchased my very firstsocks that rock (a bunch of it), BUT ALSO discovered atoe-up pattern written by someone who would eventuallybecome my blog-mate (hey, nk!). well, a trueobsession was born. i went to colorado for business,and one afternoon, sat for a few hours with str fireon the mountain, some lantern moon ebony dpns, andnk's pattern, and fell head-over-heels (pun definitelyintended) with toe-up short-row heels. it was amatter of weeks before i discovered the joy oftwo-at-once, double-circs, toe-up, short-row heelsocks, and, with the addition of the jaywalker crazesweeping blog-land, found a new love, an all-consumingpassion.

I used to be a flap person. It took me years of reading Priscilla Gibson-Roberts’ Birkensock pattern before having my friend Jane hold my hand (and needles) through the ordeal of a short row heel. I haven’t looked back since! Thanks Jane!! I will do a heel flap if the overall look of the sock is enhanced in someway, otherwise, I will swap a flap for a short row heel.

I’m in the middle of a heel crisis of conscience at the moment. I like the look of the short row better, and I think it’s more fun to knit. However, flaps seem to fit my foot better, so I may convert.

How many pairs have you made?
Pairs made?? Ummmmmmmmm...10, with 3 on the needles.

I'm on my 3rd pair and have a 4th waiting to be made.

Not sure - since January 2006 I have made 8 pair (I demand a recount...the chads did not release, I think you've done more than 8 WG...dontcha' think??)

in 2006, i have made 17.5 pairs of adult socks, and1.5 pairs of babysocks. (i finished the socksofdoom2.0 last night). prior to that, hmm, let's see, 2 pairs for s, one pair for my papa, a pair for me, apair for my sister, and a pair for wg. OH, and thebane socks. and a pair of jaywalkers. so that makes 26 pairs of socks. i think. plus the babysocks.

TNTC (too numerous to count)! ROTFLOL!!! I have completed over 16 pairs this year alone. On average I would knit at least one to two pairs a month over the last 13-14 years…I’ll let someone else do the math…I’m buckling under the realization that I’ve been knitting socks non-stop for 13 years…yes, you might call me obsessive, but I assure you I’m a well rounded obsessive (hah!) Many of my socks in the early years were gifted to my husband or my friend Linda (who has since learned to knit and to knit socks!!). I still have most of the ones I knit for myself, too… (and they have held up well). I know I have enough STR socks to wear nearly everyday to work for almost a month!!

Only 5.