FO - Hedera Socks

I finished my Hedera socks today.



They're pretty cozy.



Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A, from spring 2006 Knitty
Size: L, to fit a women's size 9
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential 75% superwash Merino wool / 25% nylon, fingering weight, color 23695, Grass
Needles: Susan Bates size 1 DPNs
Modifications: I added three extra lace repeats in the cuff, for 17 total.

Started: January 7, 2008
Finished: February 14, 2008



As I said, I added 3 lace repeats to the cuff, but on hindsight I could have added much more. I had about 24 grams of yarn out of 100 leftover, nearly a quarter of my yarn (twice the amount pictured below).



I don't know why, but that really bothered me. This is something that I definitely don't like about cuff-down socks, as well as picking up stitches for the gusset and Kitchener stitch on the toes. I think it's safe to say I will be knitting socks toe-up whenever possible from here forward.



The pattern itself is brilliantly written and elegant. That Cookie A, she really knows how to design socks.



Once I memorized the lace pattern and got used to doing things like a yarn over just before an SSK decrease, they moved a lot faster. I made considerably fewer mistakes on the second sock than on the first, probably because the cuff of the first was knit almost entirely in the dim cabin lighting of an airplane, while bleary eyed with travel exhaustion.



There is not a huge payoff for the amount of work the lace took, but they look pretty nice. I was planning for these to be fairly simple socks, in an almost neutral color, so that I could wear them with dress pants and such. In that respect, I think they'll work very well.



The yarn was thinner and a little coarser than I've worked with before, but I have a feeling it will wear like iron. The fabric on the feet is nicely tight and snug, but with enough flexibility to be very comfortable on.



All in all, I'm pretty pleased. The fit is fabulous, especially in the toes. My only wish is that they were a little longer, but that's what Sodera socks are for, right?

I'm wearing them already, and I suspect they will get a lot of use.



Onward to more green knits! (I'm not kidding).

Previous Entries on this Project:
- Knitting in the Present Tense
- About those resolutions...
- Sockdown: January