Finished

The second sock went extremely fast. Partly because knitting was all I wanted to do. Partly because I was locked into the TV set for the last two weeks because of the Boston Bombings. I lived in Boston. I remember Patriots Day, and I lived in Watertown for 3 of the years I lived in the Boston area. All too close to home. So I wanted my hands busy, and knitting worked.

 So, what have I learned from all of this?

I've learned that even if I take two photos on the same day in the same room, the light won't be the same in those two photos, and for this yarn, that mattered.

The rug my feet are on is a medium blue. The socks aren't actually the same color as either of the photos, but they are closer to the big one, which I took on the white blanket on my bed, than they are in the photo where I'm wearing the socks.

I've learned that there are times when gauge has to be EXACT. Socks are one of those times. I learned about negative ease. Now that I'm actually wearing the socks, I'm aware that I might have liked even more negative ease, but that might be a personal preference.

I've learned that even sock yarn socks, done on double zero needles, at 8 stitches an inch, are rather heavy compared to what I normally wear. I am very unlikely to try to put these feet, in these socks into a shoe. But they might be very comfortable to wear around the house.

I also learned that by today's standards I'm an Intermediate knitter. Possibly on the edge of Adventurous Intermediate, but not any further than that. And when I'm buying books or looking for classes in knitting I'd better make sure I've filled in all the gaps in my knowledge before I get started. And I just might need to pay attention to the new bits I am learning.

Will I make more socks? I don't think so. Several reasons. My daughter said it well. She said, "They're just socks!" I put in a lot of effort on a pair of socks, and if that was all I'd gotten from it, it would not be enough. It was worth the effort because I got quite a bit out of it in addition to the physical socks.

And, one of the reasons for making something is that you love the result. I'm not at all sure I love the result. I have sensitive feet, and I'm not sure I love the feel of these particular socks on my feet.

I am doing the basic filling in the blanks of my knowledge on the lace making project, which will be where I take knitting next. I learned enough with the socks to be a lot more careful with the books I've been buying, for one thing. There is also a Craftsy class that was more advanced than I was ready for, but I think in this case, it will be where I go after I've taken a few more steps, so it is OK.