Happy Valley Sock

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I’ve come to realize that my Mid Century Socks, knit on 2.25 mm needles, are too small. They’re wearable but it’s annoying putting them on the first time after washing. My logic went like this: the smaller the needles, the denser the fabric, and the longer the socks will last. If they turn out too small then I just need to knit longer rounds. So that’s what I tried with these socks: 72 sts on 2.25 mm instead of my usual 64 sts.

It was a bit of a failure. There were two problems. First, the yarn was already on the thicker end of fingering weight, so knitting it this densely resulted in a very stiff fabric. (It reminded me of my sweater, which is almost bulletproof.) The second problem was I didn’t properly account for how much more yarn it would use. By the time I got to the heel flap I realized I was going to run out. For a while I considered doing contrast heel and toe in another yarn, but I couldn’t make up my mind on which to use.

So I finally gave up and started over with 64 sts on 2.75 mm. I did a 3×1 rib instead of the plain stockinette I had been doing with the first attempt. I’m pretty happy with the result. I wish I had made the decision earlier.

For my next socks, I want to do something like Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Moccasin Socks, where the sole is a separate piece that’s easy to replace. I think this would be better for making socks last a long time than trying to knit as tight a gauge as possible. I’m currently trying to duplicate stitch over the thin areas of some of my older socks and it’s painfully slow.