Do you love hand knit socks?
Do you wish you had more than two feet so you could show off more than one style at a time?
I started another pair of nice, heavy wool socks a while back, and as I settled into the comfortable rhythm of my standard, 2×2 rib for the first 5 inches or so, I had a lot of time to contemplate what I like about knitting socks.
I like deciding what the sock will be- for whom, what colors, what type of heel, what type of toe, etc. I don’t generally do fancy socks. I do boot socks. Probably because I like wearing boots. And having toasty feet.
The problem with socks is that it’s really two projects in one.
Traditionally, starting a sock carries with it the implied commitment to finish not only that one, but also another just like it. And it’s the “just like it” part that sometimes gets tricky. Especially if you’re like me and just making it up as you go along most of the time.
But you know what is neat about knitting? (well there are a lot of things that are neat about knitting, but we’ll get to them one at a time)
You can pretty much do whatever you want. If it works for you, keep doing it. There are no knitting police. If someone comes up to you and presents him or herself as a knitting police, ask to see their badge.
I’ve found that it is very liberating to throw out a deeply ingrained assumption-for instance, that socks must come in matched pairs.
And I’ve decided that each sock needs to be recognized as an individual object.
Therefore, I am happily working away at a sock that will never be a “matcher”. It might have friends that share a certain color or striping pattern, but it won’t ever have to deal with being identical.
And I won’t have to make another one just like it. Heh!