30/12/14: Judy’s Magic C/O 30 total.

1/1/14: First attempt was increased to 31 sts each side, (62 total), which was too big and fit over other socks. So I did a bunch of math, read up in Wendy’s book about sizing, and ripped back to the 29th increases to take out 10%. I have never had to be so perfectly on gauge with any other project, it’s driving me nuts!

4/1/15: I’ve always been pretty fudge-y with gauge but this is ridiculous! Knit 3.5” on 2.25mm, then sized down to 2mm because it just fits better. Not sure if I want to size back up for the heel or not.

7/1/15: Finished the rest of the socks on 2mm because it just worked better. The heel was a pain in my butt because I had to rip it twice to get the foot length correct. Notes about that are below the cut.

15/1/15: I think these socks were about 2 stitches too large at the foot, or potentially .25mm too large on the needles. Maybe both? Also maybe 2 rows too short, but we’ll see about that after washing and wearing.

19/1/15: After a few days of wear, the socks are definitely a good length, and roughly 8 stitches too large. YIKES! They grew more than I hoped they would. On the plus side, they fit really nicely over my athletic socks, so I’ll just use them around the house.

Things I learned: Judy’s Magic Cast On, how to size socks, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind off. On a non-technical level, I learned that my feet are ridiculously thin (my stitch count should have been closer to 46 than 58), I have a high instep, and if I knit the leg/cuff to size my thin/delicate ankles, I’ll never get my heel through it. This may just be my first and last pair of socks.

HEEL TURN:
14sts on either end of markers
p back 18, k 16, p 14, etc, to 8 w&ts, 4 each side
picking up all wraps around, k to 13 from end (27 on heel flap)

FOOT TOO SHORT:
inc to 43, 1 rest rnd, 2 rnds St st
2 rnds extra length after gusset
turn heel, k heel flap with 27sts

FOOT TOO LONG, GUSSET TOO LARGE:
inc to 45, k 1 rest rnd, 6 rnds St st
10 rnds total, 8 after 43rd st inc
8 rnds length after gusset
turn heel, k heel flap with 29 sts (too wide)
w&t st immediately next to the last heel flap row (rs) to close gap on both sides
dec 2 sts on instep down to 56

FINAL FOOT LENGTH:
inc to 43, 1 rest rnd, 4 rnds St st
turn heel, k heel flap with 27sts (12 on each side)