Miserable Jaywalkers

I swatched. I made gauge. I tried the Jaywalker on every few inches to make sure it fit. It did. Then, I turned the heel. The sock no longer fit. Not even close. I am so annoyed with the pattern. The knitted fabric is as stiff as cotton. Kellee tells me that the socks really, really do stay up and I believe her because they're so stiff. I haven't yet decided whether I'll rip and start over or rip and use the yarn for a different project. Maybe Pomatomus? Do you think it would look okay with the Regia stripey yarn or would that be overload?

In the meantime, I started a new pair of socks, this time for my husband. I had in mind Nancy Bush's Railway Socks from Vintage Socks book. You can get an idea of what these socks ought to look like here and here. Here's the deal: drastically different gauge, different stitch pattern, different heel, different color pattern. What's left? Nancy Bush inspiration, I suppose. Using Knit Picks Swish Superwash, I cast on for some therapy knitting. I've since finished the sock and cast on for the second sock. I've been secretly knitting during my Tuesday night graduate seminar so maybe this pair will be finished shortly!

One reason I chose to make the socks for Aaron was that I'm curious to see how the yarn holds up to wear. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, mostly as I wash baby knits in Eucalan. Finished hand knits are beautiful, sure. But what about what they look like after they've been worn and washed? I think my project for this week will be to take some photos of the sweaters I made for Beatrix when I was pregnant so you can judge for yourselves how the yarns are holding up. So far, not so bad. There have been a few surprises, however - surprises that mostly prove that high price does not equal high quality. What about your hand knits? How have they held up to the test of time?