It's Socktober!

Lolly has posted some questions for the SocktoberFest participants, so here are my answers:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative, or in a class?

I started my first socks in September 2002. I really didn't know how to knit, other than having made a teddy bear sweater and maybe a scarf years before. I was looking for something to take my mind off work so that I didn't stress out over the Labor Day weekend that year (my first really big civic event for work was the next week and I was freaking out). I'm basically self-taught, although my grandmother had showed me how to knit and purl when I was a kid (she didn't knit, either).

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

My first pair was a pattern from a Leisure Arts booklet, and I used Lion Brand Woolease (I didn't know anything about really good sock yarn then) and size 3 metal needles, I think. I don't wear them much, mostly around the house, but they do fit pretty good. They've pilled quite a bit, but I'm still really proud of them.

What would you have done differently?

I don't think I would have done anything differently. I didn't know that socks were supposed to be "hard" to knit and that using multiple needles was "difficult." I think if someone had told me that, I wouldn't have even tried, since I wasn't a knitter.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I love Cherry Tree Hill and Koigu (of course), and Bearfoot yarn (the socks that I started earlier this year and had to frog because they were too small) is really nice. I have stash yarn from Socks That Rock, Sunshine Yarns, Interlacement Yarns, Lorna's Laces, and others that I'm planning on trying soon. I love the self-striping yarns, but I've found that it takes some concentration when you're using some of them because gauge can make a difference in how the patterning falls.

Do you like to crochet your socks? Or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I'm strictly a DPN kind of girl. I attempted the Magic Loop method, but because I knit "weird" (totally different than anybody else I've ever seen--I'm left handed and basically knit "backwards"), I didn't get very far with that method. I'm intrigued by the double-sock method in the new Knitty, however, and I'm tempted to try that, but I really like my dpns. Stick with what works for you, that's what I say.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? Flap or short-row?

Since my favorite sock is a toe-up version, it's short row for me. I like the way the flap version looks, but I hate picking up all those extra stitches and doing the decreases. I have trouble remembering where I am.

How many pairs have you made?

Eight pairs, I think.

Wow, that's depressing, since I have enough yarn for at least 20 more pairs.

MUST MAKE MORE SOCKS!!