I decided it was time to finish my toe-up Kaffe Fassett socks.

I am so, so happy I did.

Pattern: Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula by Amy Swenson in the summer 2006 Knitty
Size: custom fit to a lady’s size 9 with 9-inch foot circumference and 9.5-inch foot length
Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett 4-ply fingering weight, color 4261 Landscape Caribbean, 75% wool 25% polyamide; I used every inch of two 50 g/1.76 oz skeins, totaling approximately 460 yd/420 m.
Needles: Knit Picks 6″ nickel-plated double-pointed needles, set of 5 size 1.5 (2.5 mm)
Modifications: None, as they were custom fit to my feet.

Started: December 3, 2007*
Finished: May 8, 2008

* – I put these socks on hold several times. I finished the first sock January 2, 2008, but did not cast on the second until March 8, 2008.

These were the third pair of socks I started, but they’ve become the sixth pair I’ve finished. I can actually see some differences in technique between the two, especially in the heels. It feels really good to know I’ve become so much more comfortable with sock-knitting in just a few months.

My speed also picked up dramatically. I knit the second sock from about an inch before the heel upward in two evenings. When I think how long I spent slowly eking out rows on the first sock, this is really gratifying.

I’ve raved about how much I love this pattern before, and I still highly recommend it. I now prefer a figure-8 cast-on to the short-row toe in this pattern, though it’s not the short rows themselves. My issue is purely to do with unpicking the provisional cast-on, which I never seem to do quickly or efficiently.

The condensed technical details for these socks were:

A = gauge of 8 stitches/inch
B = 8.5 inch long cuff
C = 72 stitches around
D = 36 stitches for the toes and heels
E = 14 stitches in the middle of the short rows (11 stitches at each side)

These socks are really all about the yarn, which I adore beyond sense or reason. The colors are so intensely saturated and vibrant, with such interesting combinations of hues and spacing in the stripe pattern. Kaffe Fassett is truly a genius with color, and this self-striping yarn showcases his talents in a streamlined, effortless way.

I decided a plain stockinette sock was the only way I’d be happy. I switched to 2×2 ribbing where my calves needed more room, and I kept on knitting until I had about two inches of yarn left on the first sock. While I’m glad I used every last inch of this yarn, it did cause some problems in trying to match the second sock up to the first.

I am, admittedly, more than a little obsessive about my stripes matching, but I think I can live with the ribbing not matching. I cobbled together scraps to recreate the stripe pattern up to that point, but I ran out of yarn and had to finish with a completely different yarn. I think that unless you’re really closely examining these socks (or I just told you all about it), this isn’t the kind of thing anyone would notice, and it doesn’t really spoil the effect for me. In a way it’s kind of nice because I will always know which sock is my right and which is my left.

(I also know that up to that point, they are perfectly, row-for-row matched.)

This was a very satisfying, meditative project, mostly worked while reading or on public transit, but it remained interesting and fun because I loved watching the stripes change and new color combinations appear.

I definitely want to try other colors of this yarn. I think it makes just plain spectacular-looking socks.

Previous Entries on this Project:
- More Socks on the Needles