Socktoberfest Questionnaire

I signed up for Socktoberfest but haven't answered the questionnaire yet. So here goes.


When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I guess I taught myself. I bought some cheap acrylic and knit a generic pair of socks from "Handspun Homeknit". Mostly, the first socks I knit were oversized Christmas stocking for my nieces, nephews and Caleb.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? They were ripped out immediately because who in their right mind would want acrylic socks.

What would you have done differently? I wouldn't have done anything differently because it taught me all of the different techniques without ruining expensive sock yarn.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? I don't know that I have a strong preference. It depends on the recipient of the socks. Koigu is fun to knit as it is so sproingy. I also like Schaffer's Lola but it seems to pill a bit more than I would like. The commercial production yarns also have their place. They aren't quite as soft, but they wear well and some of the patterning on them makes for nice generic socks.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I always do my socks on DPNs, but am waiting for some longer circs from Knitpicks to try Magic Loop. I don't crochet unless forced and can't imagine that walking on the little lumps that crochet creates would be comfortable.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I like the magic of making a heel flap, particularly the ability to try out different stitches like eye of partridge. But there is magic in short rows as well. I need to improve my technique on picking up stitches before I will be happy with them I've done both and like the look better of short rows but find that the flap is easier for me to knit.

How many pairs have you made? Not all that many. I have 2 pairs, 2 pairs for my mom, a pair for my sister, a pair for my dad and a total of 6 Christmas stockings. So, 6 pairs (plus one on the needles now) and 6 stockings, the equivalent of 9 pairs total