Story of an Anklet

My first New Pathways sock is complete, though it's not the same pattern that I started with. Right after this post, I ripped back to the start of the arch expansion, and instead of the Philospopher's House Sock I switched over to the Home & Hearth Eyelet Anklets. I like the simple, lacy panel that runs up the foot, even though it doesn't look straight in the photo above. I barely had to fudge any of the numbers to make it work with the toe I already had, even though it was different than the pattern and started with a few stitches more than my "master numbers" advise.

The yarn (Melody by Jojoland) has been a nice surprise--I haven't worked with it before, and wasn't sure what to expect in terms of color or how much I really need for these socks. There should be plenty of yarn left--the finished sock weighs a good amount less than the remaining yarn. The long color changes look better than I expected, and it will be cool to see how they are different from one sock to the next.

In terms of the pattern and book, I've been very happy reading it but only moderately happy using it so far. The architectures are really interesting and beautiful, but I don't like having to flip around the book while I'm knitting. To knit this pair of socks, I had to refer to at least 12 different pages, few of which were in order. Each piece of the pattern is in a different place, and it was frustrating to be glued to the book. For instance, the instructions for the reinforced heel are on two pages, but they also refer to three other pages. I seriously thought I was going to lose it when I got to Step 4, which is "same as plain heel (page 123)"--it shouldn't take 5 pages of instructions for one heel! Some people on Ravelry have had the binding cut off at Kinkos and replaced with a spiral binding, so it will lie flat, which is a good start, but the book is still a little large to share my lap with a knitting project and one to two dachshunds. For the next pair, (after finishing this pair, of course) I'll either copy or write out all of the instructions at once before I start.

One great thing about the book is that there are lots of graphics showing how the stitches should sit on the needles with the markers, and that illustrate the techniques used. Also, Cat describes stitches in a unique way in the text, such as comparing a wrap around a stitch to a necklace, which may make it easier for some knitters to remember her instructions. For me, it's a little confusing, but I think that's because I don't always read the whole instruction. I'm also very pleased with the fit of the finished sock, and I'm a little amazed that the measurements and gauge worked together to produce an actual sock. Now I just need to start sock 2, before my gauge changes!!