If you have been reading my blog for a while you know I partake in Nerd Wars on Ravelry; a 3 month crafting challenge (tournament 8 sign ups begin May 15, btw!). This past tournament I participated in a different team that I normally do and one of the discussions we had was about another tournament called Sock Madness.
Sock Madness emulates March Madness in that it gives out 8 knit sock patterns and challengers whittle down tournament style to see who is the fastest knitter. I found this intriguing and though I realize my sock knitting speed is far from being fastest, I did want to see how far into the tournament I could get.
The first sock pattern issued was Sockdolager. This is a cuff down sock with a fleegle heel and kitchener toe. The leg has a chevron pattern that looks really great in a self striping yarn.
The pattern was super easy. In fact, I am sure this is the first knit I have ever done where I didn’t have any dropped stitches or errors on my part at all. It was a very easy, pleasant knit.
That being said, I don’t like it. I really really want to, but I just don’t. I originally knit it in a blue Red Heart Stardust yarn. It is a pretty yarn, but as I went it seemed to not suit the sock. Once I finished it, the sock came out too large despite multiple measuring as I went along. It turns out the first sock was knit with 2.75 mm needles rather than 2.5 mm, which would account for most of the issue.
I also felt like this sock was emulating a mid-80s sweater. You know the ones I mean. The bulky striped sweaters that were worn with tight pants and high tops. And everyone wore them.
So I tried the second sock in a different yarn and the correct needles. I had some Wollemeise remaining from my Wingspan and it did come out a little bit better. The fit was closer, and as the yarn has a bit more structured to hold up. By this time, however, I decided I just didn’t like those darn chevrons enough to keep the pair. They are now pulled out and the yarn waiting for another project.
As far as Sock Madness is concerned, however, I made it through the first round.
Schokti's Coffee Cup 