Socks For Grady

I started these socks quite a while ago, back when it was still cold in the spring.  The hot summer months are just not so conducive to knitting, even small projects, so these were accomplished in fits and starts.  In the past few weeks, the weather has taken a turn for the cooler and I have more happily taken up my knitting needles.  The need to cast-on for Christmas presents is also pressing a bit, seeing as I have a large family and clearly am not the most diligent of knitters.

This is only the second pair of socks that I have ever made.  The first were for myself and a bit of a trial run.  These, I made without any real pattern and was quite pleased with myself for doing so.  I followed the basic instructions in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears, which is by far the most inspiring book on knitting that I have ever read.  For one, her book is a pleasure to read (and she's written others that are equally wonderful) in that you get her wit and life story along with no-nonsense instructions on how to knit without paying much attention to many rules (except for gauge!  you must gauge!).  After making one pair of socks by following line-by-line instructions, I decided to give her more free-form knitting a try.

Basic socks are great, but they can get a tiny bit boring after a while, which is why I added the cable running down the side.  The calculations for how many stitches I needed to fit Grady's foot at the gauge I was knitting and including a rib pattern caused me some trouble, but I have gotten over my fear of ripping out stitches (also thanks to EZ) and all ended well.  For any knitters who would like more details, they can be found on my Ravelry page.

It may not be here yet, but I know the Chicago winter is coming.  But this year when it comes, Grady and I will both have a thick, warm pair of wool socks to help us make it through perhaps just a little bit warmer than last year.