I hope it’s the correct use of “irony” to be amused at how I fumbled my way through the socks I made out of the yarn I bought while at a content strategy conference.

All I knew starting is that I wanted to use Rachel’s toe-up-top-down heel, and that I was going to want something a bit more complicated than plain stockinette.

So I went with a pattern that used that heel, but it had a slightly different toe: narrower, longer. And too big; I ended up only increasing to 64 stitches, instead of all the way to 72. That would’ve been HUGE.

Unfortunately, about as soon as I started the main pattern, I realized I hated it. 3-stitch cables, bleh. I like the look, but not the way it feels while I knit.

So I went looking for a different pattern; the “Zigzagular” is a nice little twist pattern, and although it’s designed for top down, it works great for toe up, too. Although it took me a few rows to realize that I was doing the twist entirely wrong.

And then I decided it needed some 3x1 ribbing. Thankfully, that ended up being a nice solid pattern all the rest of the way!

The heel itself was not too bad, although it wasn’t until after I did the first one that I realized it could’ve easily been done two-at-a-time. (Strategy!) And if I were to do it again, I’d love to figure out how to start the ribbing in with the gusset.

Final tiny regret: I totally could’ve made these even longer.

On the other hand, the zigzag + ribbing looks fab with this yarn, the socks are super-comfy, and the length is pretty good.

Finally using the yarn I bought last May! Going to try Rachel’s toe-up-top-down pattern, but a cable variant to do something a bit more interesting.

1/15 - got to the first cable and was like: nope. Way too frustrating. So I’m trying out the Zigzagular design. If that doesn’t work for me, I might frog & start over with a new sock pattern.

1/17 - added some 3/1 ribbing across the top of the sock. AND I figured out that I was doing the twists wrong; now the zigzag is looking much better. If I can get all of these odds & ends to work together, I’ll have my own entirely new pattern. :)

1/26 - made it through the heel flap, turn, and gusset pickups on both socks. I think they might be a tiny bit short, but there’s nylon in this yarn, so it might work? Will try on again after I’ve done the gusset reductions just to be sure.