What you see to the left is my seventeenth – okay, third – attempt at starting my grey Koigu sock. I frogged the 60 stitch first attempt, then a 68 stitch one, then a 72 stitch effort, which also included trying to put in a lace pattern, from Barbara Walker’s stitch dictionary. I thought I would need the extra stitches to incorporate the pulling in of the lace, but as it turns out, the sock is now large enough to cover the Yeti’s foot. I’m a short-row expert by now, and am amazed at my tenacity with this project.
So, a fourth attempt has been started with the other skein, with 64 stitches, and although not photographed here, it seems like this will be the one. The lace pattern isn’t very clear here, but it looks beautiful on the sock.
Consolation: 1) Who knows, after all these false starts I might actually have my own, very first, sock pattern to offer. Watch this space (but don’t hold your breath!). 2) Also, the Koigu holds up very well to repeated frogging. 3) Finally, I have not stabbed myself (or anyone else) with the size 0 needle – yet.
Update: edited some errors.
So I travelled quite a bit by subway (and a long NJ Transit bus ride yesterday in the boonies of Jersey because I took the wrong bus) over the weekend and here’s the progress on my Koigu sock. You will note the short row toe and heel. A bit difficult to do the first time, but only because it’s not easy to pull the yarn through a tight stitch with two wraps all at once, especially when purling.
So what’s the matter? I am not so happy with it. My legendary incompetence in simple arithmetic has made a feather & fan pattern impossible at this stage. Also, while the size zero needles are producing a good, tight fabric, I think I cast on too few stitches (60). I wore the sock and still feel its tight "imprint" on my foot after taking it off, if that makes sense. So what should I do? Should I frog and cast on anew with a larger number of stitches? Or will the Koigu stretch as I wear it?
So, you ask, will I ever finish anything or is this doomed to be a frog blog? Heh. May I announce that I finally sent the damn ms. in to the publishers. YES!!! It’s DONE!! Met my deadline of March 31, and hauled it in to them. Now there’s copyediting and proofing and whatnot, but the main writing is done. I am still in a bit of a daze; I have some minor deadlines to meet in the next month, but nothing as overwhelming as this. Am looking forward to doing some serious knitting (and cooking) now.
I also rented Amar Akbar Anthony to watch for possibly the seventeenth time this evening. Guilty pleasures. One of my favourite Hindi commercial blockbusters. Sepoy, I don’t know if you’re reading this, but the stupid desi store down the street didn’t have a single one of Muhammad Ali’s films. Am very bummed about it.
What you see to the left is my seventeenth – okay, third – attempt at starting my grey Koigu sock. I frogged the 60 stitch first attempt, then a 68 stitch one, then a 72 stitch effort, which also included trying to put in a lace pattern, from Barbara Walker’s stitch dictionary. I thought I would need the extra stitches to incorporate the pulling in of the lace, but as it turns out, the sock is now large enough to cover the Yeti’s foot. I’m a short-row expert by now, and am amazed at my tenacity with this project. 
