Doing it my way . . .

I resurrected the Pomatomus socks UFO this past weekend. I just finished the first one and have about 43 rows left on sock #2.

Friends, this pattern kicked my b***! If I had followed the pattern as written and used dpns, this pattern would have been a fun knit. But being the stubborn, toe-up, 2-at-a-time on circulars wench that I am, I had to rework the pattern my way.

First obstacle, the gauge was much different than my usual Widdershins stand by. This meant that I was on my own as far as calculating the gusset heel numbers. I have to admit that I made the heel flap too wide and the sock is a little bulky around the heel. Not to the point that it's not wearable but not up to my exacting foot-fitting standards. I have made notes on how to avoid this problem in the future, so the next pattern I rewrite will fit better - much better.

Then there was the issue of needing to transfer stitches from their original needle to the previous needle every 22 rows. By the time I got past the heel and was ready to start the cuffs, I knew that it would be a major pain in the arse to transfer stitches between needles using the two circulars method I started out with. I figured out a way to do it but it was awkward enough that I decided to transfer the socks to individual circular needles and finish the socks one-at-a-time, using the magic loop method. Still a pain in the arse but at least it was possible. Since I tend to break the bamboo sz. 1 needles (I have gorilla strength in my fingers - grrrr), I just didn't want to attempt the dpns this time but if I'd had metal needles, that would have been the way to go.

All in all, I learned a lot from attempting this pattern in reverse. Would I do it again? Nope. Sometimes there is a good reason for doing things the way the designer intended.

Oh, and Hockeyboy liked the fish scale pattern and yarn colors so much that the remaining yarn is destined to be made into a Pomatomus skull cap for snowboarding. He's stoked and I have a use for the extra rather vivid leftovers. Win-win, wouldn't you say?