Godot? No. Heels? YES!

Look how much I’ve gotten done on my Sockapalooza pal’s socks!

I wanted to take pictures when I’d finished the toes, but I couldn’t seem to put the needles down long enough to take a picture!

Ok… let’s first talk about the yarn:
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton – Lacquer Red

My first experience was not fun. I started out with US size 2 needles and let me tell ya … it’s was splitsville. Omigosh! I very quickly reached my frustration threshold. Finally, I told myself ‘Hey. This is supposed to be fun.’ And I was disappointed. I really wanted to make my pal some red socks. So I ripped it out and put it away. But for some reason… later that same day (it wasn’t a conscious decision), I picked up the yarn and my US size 3 and miraculously, much less splitting and I started having fun. It’s interesting how, when something goes wrong, a person blames his/herself (or the yarn) rather than thinking of other possible culprits (in this case, the size 2s).

I can’t say that I absolutely love working with this yarn, but I like do the soft fabric it creates. Since I’ve never knit with cotton before, it’s definitely a learning experience, which seems to happen often in the world of knitting. I was a little nervous about using a fiber I hadn’t used before and whether or not it would show off the pattern well.

And speaking of the pattern: (nice segue, hm? )
I had a hard time choosing the pattern. Not from lack of choices, but rather, lack of confidence. I may have been knitting for a year, but trying something new still ’cause some trepidation. I almost chose a very basic purl/knit stitch pattern … but I was drawn to ‘Crosshatch Lace’ from ‘More Sensational Knitted Socks‘ and no matter what other stitch patterns I looked at, I kept going back to that one. But after calculating how many stitches I need for my gauge, the ‘Crosshatch Lace’ had too few so I noticed ‘Scrolls’ from the same book. It’s very similar to ‘Crosshatch Lace’. Finally, I took a deep breath and dove into the ‘Scrolls’ pattern… and ya know what? I love it it. I actually giggled at seeing the pattern after completing the 14 rows of the pattern. (don’t laugh too hard at me … this is only the 2nd ever stitch pattern I’ve tried on socks!)

What’s next?
The heels. The short-row heels (Sherman style). *insert small groan* The heel is the bain of my existence. Only sheer stubbornness and determination keep me trying but I know I’ll finally do it to my satisfaction one day. That day hasn’t happened yet … but I’m very close.

Finally, let’s mention the toe:
For some reason, I seemed to have forgotten the figure-eight cast-on toe because after three tries, it still wasn’t working … so I tried the Eastern cast-on from the Summer IK issue (I vehemently dislike their new layout, btw) and as it’s very similar to the figure-eight, I caught onto it quickly … but I still don’t love it, so when I cast on for my 2nd Amethyst sock, I went back the figure-eight toe and, because of my attempts at the Eastern cast-on, the figure-eight toe came out better than previously. Isn’t this a pretty toe?

and oops … I almost forgot to show you the finished Amethyst sock!

Isn’t it purty? 8)

And if you’ve made it this far on my post, thank you!

Also, Marce, at the The Brownberry Chronicles, has started a very interesting knitting discussion. Stop by and see what it’s about!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. … except for this little teaser…

(bigger image)

Take care and I hope you enjoy your weekend!