Posh Sock Challenge - Monday's Socks are off the Needles

Monday's socks are off the needles! 

The pattern is called Salor and you can read about it here.

I learnt a few things about yarn choice and sizing by making these.
1. A pattern with a lot of twisted stitches is not very stretchy
2. A yarn like Daisy (4 ply Merino & Bamboo) is not very elastic, due the bamboo content
3. Non stretchy socks are not good for people who have feet with high arches or feet that vary greatly in diameter from calf to ankle to arch to ball...like mine do...my feet are curvaceous!!
3. If you have aforementioned feet and  knit a pair of inherently non-stretchy socks with an unyielding yarn you are going to have problems.

My feet are slightly bigger than the standard medium - I already knew that. So I did cast on an extra 8 stitches, adding one purl stitch to the columns between the twisted stitch pattern. But I had never really put much thought into the kind of yarn to use. If it says "sock yarn", it's good for knitting all socks, right? No! I think Daisy, although a lovely yarn, has virtually no elasticity so if you are going to knit socks with her, the pattern should be one with a built in stretch...such as ribbing. The Salor pattern, with all it's twisted stitches, is not very stretchy at all so I should have used a nice springy yarn, or a least a yarn with some "give", like Martha.

Anyway, the result of my lack of knowledge and foresight means that although I have a beautiful pair of socks, the fit is not great. They are too baggy around the cuff because the fabric does not spring back into shape and because I had to cast on extra stitches to get it over my heels and high arches. They are too tight across the arches which although is certainly not uncomfortable, it does distort the stitch pattern and spoils the line of the design a little.

Well, I still like them, mainly because the design is fab! And I love the yarn, though would be more considerate of pattern choice if I used it again. Mostly though I just love the fact that they are RED!

 I am really looking forward to knitting more of Hunter Hammerson's brilliant designs from Silk Road Socks.