Jaywalkers, Complete (Finally)

Or, “One of These Things is Not Like the Other”

Finally. Finally, finally, finally. The Jaywalkers are done!

Socks: Jaywalkers, pattern from MagKnits by Grumperina, larger size made with Regia Cotton Surf (41% superwash wool, 34% cotton, 25% polyamide) on five #2 Inox dpns.
Sock #1: Started 1/27, Finished 1/31
Sock #2: Started 3/4, Finished 3/25

Oh wow. Wow, wow, wow. I never thought I’d finish these.

Basically, the first one flew off the needles. The pattern was fun, I got on a roll, and whipped out a sock in about four days, which is amazingly fast for me.

But boy, did my hand hurt. A lot. A lot a lot. So I put down the dpns (until I made the ill-fated Olympic Sock That Was Not To Be). But I was antsy. I wanted the other Jaywalker. I really did!

So I picked up the needles a few weeks back, and started the second one. And it was still fun. I still enjoyed the pattern, and the rest from the dpns had helped my hurty hand.

I was on such a roll that after the heel flap? I stopped looking at the directions. Because, come on, I don’t need no stinkin’ directions! I had glanced at them enough to establish the slip stitch pattern to mimic the V pattern on the main body of the sock, but other than that? I was confident. Or shall we say, “over-confident.”

Because I made the gusset decreases the way I would for a normal pair of socks – equal numbers of stitches on each of the four needles. And I kept going. Then, when I got to about a half inch away from the toe decreases, I noticed that the second sock? Was much bigger than the first.

That’s when I looked at the directions and realized that I needed to decrease the gusset stitches to less than an even number of stitches on each needle. The way I had on the first sock.

So I ripped the sock all the way back, made the decreases the pattern called for, and still ended up with a second sock slightly larger than the first. Oh well.

But you know what? I don’t mind. They’re still comfortable, and I love the way they look. I wasn’t too crazy about the yarn as I knit with it (my first cotton experience) but the finished fabric makes up for that.

Will I make another pair of Jaywalkers? Absolutely. With wool. And closer to the same time – these month long breaks between socks aren’t a good idea for me.

Filed in: Knitted History