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March 29, 2021
These socks are Undulance # 2 by Suzanne Bryan, and I knit them using Fibrelya’s Sock Star Stripes in Coralita. One thing I really appreciated about this yarn was that it came split into two cakes with the start of the working end marked and they started at the same point in the dye pattern so each sock would match. The effort on their end to make diving into this project easier on mine.
When I first saw this pattern, it caught my eye. I originally had it in mind for someone else but the more I looked at it the more it grew on me. It’s not my usual style, a bit louder that what I’m usually drawn to, but I still really liked it. Having looked at some examples of color combinations other people have gone for, I really liked the ones with bright colors. I wouldn’t say I normally wear bright colors, but it’s socks. And I enjoy a pop of color every now and then. So for this month, I thought it would be interesting to try something a little out of my comfort zone and something to get me into a spring spirit. Other details about this pattern that interested me were that it is worked with short rows and has a short row heel, the former I have done but not in this particular way (wrapping stitches after the turn to get rid of the resulting gaps from the turns) and the latter I have never done so it was a good opportunity to try out these things out.
One thing I noticed about this pattern only after I started was that it doesn’t give measurements, it only has the pattern repeat thrice and variations in length can be achieved be by modifying the amount of stockinette rows between the short rows (the part that makes the pattern wavy). Since I knew I generally want a shorter leg length, I decided to just do 3 rows of stockinette instead of the indicated 4. When it came time to work on the foot, I measured the leg and heel to help determine the amount of additions rows I’d need to make it fit assuming that the toe ended up being 2¼”-2½”. From my estimations, I needed just a couple rows (four rows if I assumed a shorter toe) to get the proper length. At first I thought I would do a 3-4-3 pattern (making the foot two rows longer than the leg). But then I realized I made a mistake with my first short row repeat. When I started on the foot, I was going off memory and forgot that the row to conceal the short row wraps was separate from the stockinette rows and so the stockinette rows for the first pattern repeat were two not three rows. Since I didn’t particularly want to frog back, I decided to just make all forthcoming stockinette rows four rows and I’d end up with the same length.
Another mistake I made was continuing to shift right instead of shifting right and then left. I didn’t read the pattern for the second repeat very closely and just assumed the pattern would continually shift in one direction (something that I have seen before). This only became an issue once I got to the toe and was easily fixed by shifting the needles over a bit (three stitches to the right) and knitting to the halfway point (30 stitches on one side of the heel, 30 on the other). I noticed my error once I was at the heel but decided to continue on as I couldn’t think of a significant reason why it wouldn’t work out okay by the end and if it did I would either try to fix it or start over.
A s mentioned earlier, this was my first time doing this kind of heel. While the fit it fine, my tension was uneven, being loose on the right side (both working and directional) as seen in the photo above, and it was a bit harder to keep track of stitches. I ended up putting in a lifeline in the row where the double wraps get knitted and that helped a lot. I think I still prefer the gusset heels I have been doing on other socks, but I liked trying out a new heel and I’d like to try out some others as well.
Overall I’m pleased with these socks. They’re a fun addition of color and pattern and a nice introduction to spring. If I were to make these again, I think the only thing I’d change is the heel. And actually following the shifting directions. And I might include a contrasting yarn for the cuff/heel/toe. But the pattern was relatively easy to follow, the repeats were easy to remember, and the process and outcome were enjoyable.