Ravelympics 2010!

I did it! I have completely ONE PAIR of socks! Sock knitting has been my nemesis for years. All the socks I have made has been one sock only, and no mates. Maybe it has something to do with the drudgery of making a pair of anything. After I finish the first one, the challenge is gone and I am bored.

My knitting group decided to start a Sock KAL/CAL (knit along or crochet along) for the month of February. I debated for the longest time on what to make. I have a large stash of sock yarn which is embarrassing for me because I don't knit socks. So, the sock yarn selection was not a problem.

I decided to use this new to me sock yarn called Stretch Socks by Patons. And I happen to have picked up the pattern booklet at Michaels when I purchased the yarn. The booklet is called Sweet to Your Feet and there are crochet and knit patterns. I decided to make the basic crochet socks.When I was 60% done with the first sock, I ripped back because it was way too loose. I needed a smaller hook size. In all honestly, I was going to call it quits. The thought of having to remake it made me cringe. But then I got roped into the Ravelympics 2010 by MacKintosh Yarns. Even though our team is not official, our individual entries are. So, I pledged that I would restart the socks during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics and finish them by the end.

I made these 2 at a time. I started with one cuff and then made the other cuff. I kept switching back and forth as I completely each section of the sock. That really helped motivate me because the technique I just used would still be fresh in my head so I can do the other one exactly like it. These were very challenging for me and there were a few errors in the pattern I had to iron out myself. I had to frog back more than once in several occasions.I finished them last night and I was proudly wearing them around the house. They are very comfortable. And I even tried them while wearing my shoes. The sock yarn is very stretchy so it's perfect for crochet socks. Crochet socks sometimes has the reputation of not being very comfortable to wear because the fabric does not have the same stretch as knitted fabric. In this case, the yarn selection was very important.

Pattern: Basic Crochet Socks from the pattern booklet, Sweet to Your Feet.
Hook Size: 2.5mm (I used a Japanese hook and they called it a 4/0.)
Yarn: Stretch Socks by Patons in Olive.
Size: 5/6
Mods and corrections: I will write them down on Ravelry page when I get a chance.

In the middle of working on my socks, I got distracted by the 2010 Potholder Swap. This year, they are running it through a Ravelry Group to make things easier. There is still plenty of time to join, check out the rules at the GROUP.

I don't have time to go into detail about the ones I made right now (Miss Melody has been hollering for me while I am trying to type this.). But I will put them up on Ravelry and all the details of what I did. Each of these potholders has two sides and I made them different on each side to keep things stimulating while I made them. Before I knew it, I made all 5 for the swap. And then I made myself go back to the socks.

The pattern is called Diamond Dishcloth (Ravelry link) and I made 2 sides and then crocheted a border around them to join them together. For non-Ravelry users, here is the direct pattern link. For the swap, they have to be made from 100% cotton, so I used whatever I had on hand. I even used cotton thread (Aunt Lydia's) which was very slow going, but I love the feel of the finished potholder.