The joy of socks

Having just finished knitting another pair of socks, which it turns out was the fifth pair in less than a year, I think I might have to finally admit that I like knitting socks. For those of you who remember previous claims that I didn’t like knitting socks, I do have an explanation: I don’t like knitting the socks that lots of other sock-knitters like knitting and which, for a while, were the socks that I thought I should be knitting.

Obviously, I’m not talking about all other sock-knitters here but, for lots of people, sock-knitting is about bright, varied colours and interesting patterns. The thing that I’ve finally accepted is that I don’t like the bright colours and interesting patterns and I won’t wear the socks once I’ve knitted them. Whereas, relatively plain patterns knitted in solid colours will get worn all the time. Since I’m very a much a product knitter rather than a process knitter, of course I didn’t enjoy knitting something that I wasn’t going to enjoy wearing.

The fifth pair of the year, Steve’s Thuja (from Knitty), is a great example of the plain colour, plain pattern sock that I love. Knitted in a tweedy oatmeal shade with just a simple seed rib, they still look great. The only thing I would do differently with this pattern in future, would be to use a different toe that didn’t require grafting. I know that grafting a toe is easy but, since finishing is my least favourite part of any project, why do it when I don’t have to?

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