Sucking It Up

Knitting is a personal thing. There are thousands of yarns, patterns, styles, etc. available AND thousands of knitters. Everyone has their own style of knitting, their own favorites and most people learn quickly what works for them.

There is no other knitting technique more uncomfortable for me than Toe up-sucks socks. (You knew that was coming, I know.) Some say they like to start at the toe because you don’t have to Kitchener it when done. I would rather Kitchener everyday for the rest of my life than fiddle with the short row shaping of a toe up suck and Kitchener avoidance is a hobby with me.  Some say the heel fits better and you can make sure the sock fits your foot more easily. Huh? Please explain that one to me (no don’t, I’m not listening….la, la, la, la). There are some beautiful socks knit in this technique, like Jody's.  Wendy is a master and has her own pattern.  It is a flaw in my character that I can’t, for the life of me,  figure out any reason why I ever needed to learn to do this. I will stick with tradition, my tradition, and enjoy the thousand and thousands of socks ‘knit in the old way’.  But first, here is the Six Suck progress...as hysteria set in.

It is hard to tell if a person is sobbing or laughing when you see them from the back.  The shoulder action of bobbing up and down is the same.  That came to mind as I finished up the heel on my Suck and turned it over to admire the effort.

Please don't laugh your ass off at my inability to heel. If you are proficient at Toe-up Socks you will immediately see that the heel IS sucked up. Susan carefully guided me through the Sherman heel last week at Stitch 'n Bitch.  She is a good guide, a good teacher, but the room was noisy and full of people having fun, chatting, knitting, laughing and it was hard to keep count.  It was tough to remember if I had slipped the stitch or needed to knit the next.  We decided to use the 'fudge factor' and 'let it be'. But as you can see that tactic will not work as the heel won't fit. If the heel won't fit, you must reknit.  So.....

Ta Da!!  I CAN do it.  What a relief to have this suck nearly finished.  So now...how high can I stand to knit the leg, and more importantly, will second sock syndrome hit for the first time ever?  It is the process...it is the process....it is the process....

Comments

[froggy]

yay! what a triumph. i think i may have to pick my socks back up again. and when i get stuck i'll have read this post again. your sock looks great! cool stripes and love that green.

[Laurie]

Died laughing. Sorry. Shouldn't laugh at other people's problems. I totally agree with you on the toe-up business. It makes no sense. My top down soxs fit just fine. Knitting Pure and Simple has a toe finish that involves no kitchener (Beginner sox). It probably resembles the design of Norma's Dulaan hat finish.

[Vera]

Your sock looks great. I looked at teh patter for these socks, and toe up does scare me a little, but considering I'm still knitting the first pair of socks from the Six Socks KAL, it will be awhile.

[Tracy]

I keep thinking I must try a toe up sock pattern, but somehow I keep casting on from the top. But you've done it now and the question is, which feels more comfortable around the toe?

[jody]

yay! you've gotten through the hardest parts. now it's just a tube. and since it's toe-up, you can stop whenever you want!

[Amy Boogie]

You can do it, I know you can. Of course, I'm stuck on these same sucks right now.

[tacha]

I will be sending good sock knitting vibes your way to try and fend off that second sock-itis. Just think once that second sock is done you need NEVER knit another sock toe up!

[Cassie]

As I sat knitting my Dalarna sock last night, turning the heel and getting enormous satisfaction from my heel-turning moment, as I always do, it occurred to me that maybe it would be good to learn another way to make socks and expand my horizons. I think you just ruined that moment of inspiration for me.

Then again, if I come to the SLC SnB and Susan teaches me, I'm all for it.

[Jackie]

That is one pretty sock! Just think, every time youwear it (or the pair if that happens) you will remember everything you learned and how great you felt finishing!! That said, toe up...why?? I, for one, LOVE to Kitchener!

[corine]

i've only ever knit one pair of socks. and they are wendy's toe up. toe up makes sense to me. but they are the thing that made me feel that i'm getting over the hill as they are what prompted me to buy those little magnifying eyeglasses so that i could see which stitches had been wrapped and so that i could pick up the wraps. i don't count, i look very carefully at the stitches in order to keep track. next on the shopping list, an ott lamp. could i convince starbucks to change out their fixtures so i can knit better there too?

[Azhar]

Congratulations on getting past the heel. I made myself finish mine this weekend--what a relief. I really like top-down down. I do tubular bind-off, and would really rather kitchener a toe. The cheat sheet for the sherman heel really helped me keep on track. You might like the sherman toe better than the figure 8 cast on. It's not so fiddly, but you can't do a round toe (at least I sure can't)

You colors are great. I love the green.

[Colleen]

The sock looks great! You should be very pleased, especially with all the struggles you put up with to get there.

[angela]

Margene, I think that we are at the same spot on our socks. (sucks!) Except I have discovered that mine is too large across the foot. Piddle-fart.

That does it. I will finish the damn sock, then I will knit the second one cuff down. and should anyone ever mention toe-up socks to me again I will tell them to...well...put a sock in it.

[Andrea]

I love your sock! I want to make a pair just like it!!!

[Anne]

Ya know, the best thing I ever did was find a friend who has a friend that has one leg. Honest, I'm not joking. That gal probably has more handknit socks than ANYONE I know. She is the perfect gift recipient.

Want her name? :)

[Beth]

Margene, this suck bites for me too. And I ~really~ wanted to learn to go toe-up so I could be more efficient with my sock yarn use (not have tons of leftovers - able to have longer cuffs...). It's just not happening for me either.

[stinkerbell]

you make me want to face this pattern :) after a while though (I need to build up other triumphs first)

I have to say if you are striping those two purples you are more adventurous than I! And this sock would have to be worn every day if that is the case :)

[claudia]

Yet, if the process sucks then it probably really is the product.

[Kimi]

Well, even if the process is sucky, the socky looks great! I bet the second one goes much better now that you've practiced so much on the first one!

[Julia]

It looks great to me. I have never done toe-up socks because, honestly, I don't find the Kitchener-ing a problem. If you do it enough times, it gets easy. Now I am convinced I don't need to learn toe-up. My cuff down socks fit just fine. Entrelac made me nervous, lace made me crazy, why in the world do I need more frustration than I have already created for myself? Margene, after this pair, you never have to do them again.

[Wendy]

There is no character flaw there. Just a fold. A fold of character. ;)

[Melissa]

I love the sock - you have to knit a second one so you have such a cool - looking pair of socks!

I can't speak to sock knitting styles... I've never finished a single sock. (Granted, I'm at the same place you are on a simple toe-up sock - which is the farthest I've ever gotten...)

[Miriam]

Everyone says that toe-up socks fit better, but that's bullshit, to me. I find that with my modified band heel my feet just slide right into the heel and it feels GREAT! While, a short row heel (which toe-up socks use) always feels like it's gonna slide right off my foot. eh... to each his/her own, but at least your color combo is cute. And I think you should make the sucks into anklets so you can be done with them asap.

M

[Heather]

Your suck, I mean sock, looks good. :) You're way ahead of me on the sock thing, I've got to figure out how to do intarsia so I can get past the heart chart on my hugs & kisses sock.

[Liz]

In your words, "I don't believe it SSS...you can't wear one sock!". So you have to do the second one, I'm afraid.

The suck does look good, but if you're not enjoying the process, what's the point?