Socks for Hufflepuff

Finished up my socks for my Hufflepuff pal in the Hogwarts Sock Swap last week. I really like this simple chevron rib pattern and would love to knit myself a pair someday.

I didn’t diverge from the pattern, but for one exception I’ll explain below. These socks feature a Forethought Heel. It’s very much like the Afterthought Heel in construction, except you knit it into the sock before continuing the foot. It was a bit fiddly for my taste, but I must admit the concentric circle (or bulls-eye) pattern formed by the striping yarn is excellent.

It’s also a little bit easier than the Afterthought—half the number of stitches is picked up for the Forethought than if using the other variation. I’m actually worried that these heels are a tad small. We’ll see! Adding in 2 or 3 plain rounds before starting the heel decreases might look and fit better.

The first time I cast on (which turned out a bit too small), I quickly glanced at the chart and thought both sides of the chevron had a K2tog. I was incorrect; the first (right) decrease is K2tog and the other (left) is SSK. This creates a soft, blendy edge to the chevron columns (if you have the book, look at the stitch pattern picture on page 73).

Before I switched to a larger needle size for my second attempt, I looked closely at the edges of my chevron columns and realized I liked how the K2togs looked on the left! The edges were subtly defined, not blendy. So for my version, I switched around the decreases. I’m totally kicking myself for forgetting to take a close-up picture of this… but perhaps you may be able to see this result in the instep photo above?

I continued to be fascinated by the inside fabric and by the pooling. Not unexpectedly, the pooling changed slightly as I decreased the needle sizes for the foot.

Here’s a tidbit: I used about 52g total. I wish I had made the legs just a tad longer. Could I have gotten away with using just one skein (so that there wouldn’t be a dyelot concern) for the whole pair? That’s probably wishful thinking, even with the generous Lorna’s Laces skeins.

Pattern: “Chevron” by Charlene Schurch, Sensational Knitted Socks Size: Women’s Medium Yarn: Lorna’s Laces, Bee Stripe, two skeins Needles: Various brands and lengths, US 1 (2.25mm) and 1.5 (2.5mm) DPNs Started: April 29, 2007 Restarted: May 15, 2007 Completed: June 5, 2007