I am beginning to get the hang of this thing called sock knitting :o)

Pattern: I wanted my next pair of socks (SOS#2 Yay!) to be something with a simple pattern and quick (read as thicker yarn Haha).

I knew what yarn I wanted to use, and it was just a matter of matching it up with the right pattern.

Since I was using a variegated yarn I really needed something not too busy. So I went to my best pattern research tool (Ravelry of course!) and kept coming across the Thuja pattern in the type of yarn I wanted to put to work. Decision made!

Curiosity finally got to me and I looked up what Thuja means as the pattern designer never mentioned why he selected this name, just why he was motivated to make them.

This is a popular pattern, after all it was on Knitty! Even my knit/e-blog pal Babbling Brook (Stacey) just recently finished her Thuja's too!

Size: The pattern is originally intended to fit a man (9-11), and only "one" size was given. Well we ain't all one size!

Of course I did toe-up

as I love to try on my sock as I go, to reassure myself they are fitting. You know I can't be putting all that work in those tiny little needles in vain! ;o)

I went down from the primary stitch count of 44 to 40 and wish I had decreased a little bit more to 36-38 stitches.

These are truly comfy socks!

and I was able to do that!! :oD

I used Zhenya's Mash-up Recipe pattern for the heel. I liked the fact you could plug in numbers to match the kind of socks you are making, but I must confess having to pick up stitches for a toe-up sock is not something I want to do! Haha! Call me a knitting bum! ;op

I will say I had a "designer element" on my second heel turn with having some of my pick-up stitches on the outside (told you I didn't like it!), but the multitude of the yarn colors camouflages it so it is cool! Besides they are just house socks ;o)

But I am so glad I tried this alternative to heel flaps, as I plan to try out more.

The other technique I learned towards the end of this project was the Stretchy Bind Off that Babbling Brook (Stacey) put me onto! Thanks so much!!

I really liked it and I do believe it has a nice give to it!

I definitely think my ankles are too loosebut that is probably because of the needle size I selected. I believe if I wasn't so concerned about having a tight BO it would have been just fine on a size 3.

Modifications: Not much as it was a simple sock, other than that the pattern was written for top/down rather than toe-up.

I was originally thinking how I have socks that rock (STR) because they actually FIT!!!!!! So I decided to play with the blog title :o)

My needles are still pretty "green" when it comes to sock knitting. This is my 3rd pair ever and the other ones were definitely trial runs! Haha!

I really have been wanting to dig into sock knitting, and as you all know KALs get/keep me motivated!

So I joined in, with tons of other knitters, the Summer of Socks 08 which I am sure you have been seeing everyone's FO's flying around for SOS. You can now include mine! :o)

I actually didn't join the group for the contests, but solely for the motivation in getting me back into knitting socks over the summer, and so far it has helped!

Some of you inquired about the particulars from the silent post, and I was finally able to get in a decent photo day (Hurricane Bertha has been giving us lots of T-storms around here lately) so here are the


Pattern: This is a basic recipe made up by one of the LYS here when I took their class last summer for 2 socks at 1 time toe-up!I call this project "Jane" because it is plain! :o)
I just wanted something to warm my sticks back up to knitting socks again.

Here is a toe-up pattern I would recommend that I discovered while I was working on this pair. Zhenya did a great job of compiling lots of great nuggets of toe-up socks into one document! And she will have a pictorial of it up soon too!

Size: You know learning the anatomy of your foot really helps in making a pair socks that fit you! :o)

I discovered that my foot is 9" long and has an 8" circumference. Understanding where you need to begin the increases for your gusset is very important, as well as when to start your heel!

For me I knitted until about 2.5" from my heel then started the gusset increases where I did 9 rounds.

My "magic" working number for this project on my foot was 44 st. for this particular gauge which was 9 st. per inch!Needles: Speaking of gauge, because I was literally knitting with string ;op

I used a size US2 on the majority of the sock, but switched to US1 for the heel turn and ankle ribbing. And then I switched back to US2s to bind off loosely.

All done on a 32" cord, but highly recommend 40" cord for MLing 2 socks at 1 time!

Yarn: Regia 4-ply in #5072....wish I knew the color name, but have no clue.

Too bad I truly didn't knit these with STR yarn ;o) maybe one day I will have some in my stash to knit up.

I liked the colors of the yarn as they scream summer!

But never want to knit with such fine yarn for socks again! I need some more weight on my needles! Haha!

Cost: I received this yarn last year from Knitter in Queens during one of her rare contests. So these socks are a freebie!! :o) Thanks again Veronica!!

Time: Despite the tiny needles and thin yarn it only took me 10 days from start to finish, and that was with me not working on them each day, as well as me stalling trying to figure out what the heck I was doing for my true measurements so that they will actually fit! :o)What I learned: Try try and try again! Each time you do something you will eventually get better at it! Glad I kept my desire going for socks (not to mention my mini sock stash helped haha)! I have been wanting to do them for a long time now. And plan to crank out some "good" socks now! :o)

Just like on pair #2 (fugly socks) I used the Turkish CO which is very similar to the magic cast-on technique, really depends upon your preference. Since it had been over a year when I did the Turkish CO in a class, I had to brush back up on it and discovered a great quick pictorial of it.

I will say next time I would like to use some reinforcement thread for the toes.

And I am still trying to get the hang of closing "the gap" from the gusset to turning the heel. Thank goodness for variegated yarn! :o)

The other thing I learned was to BO loosely!! Lets just say my left sock is much easier to slide on than my right one! ;op Haha!

I knew I was supposed to BO loosely and surveyed a lot of my knitting pals on how they do it toe-up.
I kept hearing about the whole EZ Sewn BO and after researching that I felt that was way too much work for me! Haha! So I did the ribbed BO loosely...so I thought! ;op

Since I was feeling all warm and fuzzy about my Socks that Fit (STF) I decided to go ahead and give them a Eucalan dunk! (I need to get the new makeover bottle now!)
They really didn't need to be blocked, but hey I wanted to do it just for fun so I could finally put my cute red sock blockers to good use! LOL!

Modifications: Since I was using a generic sock recipe it gives you lots of room to do anything your knitting needles desire!

At first I started doing a ribbing pattern on the foot, but it was looking weird and I feared it was going to be too loose which I also refused to go down another needle size! So I ripped back and went pure stockinette.

I went with the short-row heel turn in the recipe, using a standard reinforcement heel (K1, Sl1). But would have really preferred a more square heel flap than the "V" look that this one shows I have a thing for anklets! And this style is definitely perfect for summer socks.

For the cuffs I used the a garter ridge stitch and according to Elizabeth Zimmerman, in Knitting without Tears, "ribbing is the best stitches for socks, as it is so elastic that it clings to the legs and ankles" :o)
But she also mentions how socks are best made on four needles! Haha! Ba humbug! ;op

Finally, I did go down to US1 on the heel turn and cuff for a close fit, as I did read that in the Sensational Knitted Socks as it is a great book in getting oriented to socks! Thanks again Chan for my book! I have been using it! :o)

Verdict: So glad I gave socks another go and that this pair worked out for me!