What do you know, I made a sock!

Ready to begin the heal.

I had a little trouble...

For ages I have longed to join the ranks of those who make socks. To create custom fitted foot warmers for the people that I love (and me too!) You don't hear a lot about crocheted socks.  They are an item typically reserved for knitters, but not exclusively.  When I'm roaming around looking for project ideas I always keep my eyes open for crocheted socks. That's how I came to have three patterns in my collection. Two toe up and one top down. 
For no particular reason this week I decided it was time to give it a try.  What would be more exciting than to add socks to my repertoire of "cool & useful things I can make"!  From my stash I pulled this Bernat Baby Sport in "Baby Ombre". Not because I wanted socks in this yarn, but because it's the right weight, easy to work with and I have lots of it!  Armed with my Socks that Fit! and Toe Up Socks patterns and my F hook I set off on an adventure! I measured my foot, did a test swatch to determine my gauge (the number of stitches in one inch minus one times the circumference of my foot = the number of stitches around - phew!)

The instructions in the STF pattern are a little vague - it's more like sock guidelines rather than a traditional pattern.  That's okay it just means I needed to keep my thinking cap on. I struggled a bit with the toe.  It came out kind of pointy, but I'll adjust that next time and I made quick progress of the body.  The heal was another story though. I increased just fine, but it took a few tries and a bit of ripping to get the decreases right.  I finally got it though and once that was done the rest was a breeze!  It's a bit tight across the instep (I'll spare you more pictures of my foot!), but I think I know how to fix that next time. And there you have it - my first sock!

but I didn't give up - and look! My First Sock!

I'll use this to make the first pair.

Now that I know I can actually make something that will fit on my foot I'm ready to make my first pair! I'm going to use this Sidar Snuggly Baby Care yarn. It came from the stash at my knitting and crochet group. I've never heard of it - it's made in Wakefield, England and is a cotton acrylic blend. That should be good for socks right??
I'm really happy with my new skill!  Of course there are many socks to be made before I'm an official maker of socks, but I'm definitely on my way!
Thanks for stopping by. I'd love any tips if you'd like to leave a comment!  Don't forget to visit Natural Suburbia, Wisdom Begins in Wonder and Tami's Amis to see what everyone else is doing! Have a wonderful weekend and until next time friends,

Be blessed and stitch & read with love!