Well, they’re done. And I didn’t even get a proper photo taken before they went into the Easter Show for judging.

These socks were a pain in the butt to knit. I first tried them four years ago and failed miserably. There’s this increase, you see, where you’re knitting into the front and back of four stitches and crossing them at the same time, and it’s just impossible. In the end the only way I could manage it was to use a separate stitch holder, and move each stitch out of the way individually.

Other than that, the biggest problem I had was sizing. I am the tightest knitter I know, and yet somehow my calf cuff came out gigantic. Everyone thought I was knitting a beanie rather than something that went on my head. Eventually I caved to my neuroses and frogged it, resolving to knit a size or two smaller. That worked for the cuff, but it messed me up everywhere else. These socks literally have hundreds of size combinations depending on your calf/ankle/foot width, and I kept forgetting what my actual and pretend sizes were. They ended up a bit loose in some places and tight in others, but I figure it’ll all even out eventually.

They do look fantastic. I almost managed each sock out of a single skein of Wollmeise, but one of them ran out just before the toe. To my horror, my third skein was a very obviously different colour. (No, they weren’t “We’re Different” skeins.) I ended up having to stripe them for a few rows to try to blend it.

Knitted them both at the same time on 2.75mm circular needles.