Knee High Socks part 2!

Hello and welcome to a short post on part 2 of my creative, experimental adventure into knee high socks!

Well, I have finished pair number 2, and here they are!

Rather an odd photo, but I am currently home alone on this overcast day, with not much natural light, so I had to try and photograph them with my feet on the windowsill.  Not easy, I can tell you!

Despite looking very long, they don't quite come up to my knees, which is probably a combination of a different yarn, and the fact these are narrower (a final working number of 56 stitches) so don't have as much 'give' in them.  For pair number 3 (the ones I am experimenting with the knitting in elastic) I am going to do extra leg rounds, as the yarn is the same King Cole Zig Zag.  The pair above have 145 leg rounds so I am going to up it to 160.  As a lovely lady said to me at Yarndale, at Winwick Mum's stand: "That's an awful lot of round and round".  Oh yes!  It certainly is!  I really do like knee high socks though, and the 'round and round' is good television/car/train journey knitting and goes quite quickly.  I wore pair number 1 all weekend at Yarndale and they kept my feet lovely and toasty!

I only just got this pair out of one ball of yarn, with just a tiny amount left over, so if I add even more rounds I am going to need 2 balls, one sock per ball, but the leftover from each ball will make a pair of 'normal' socks for DD.  She will be pleased!

Here are some stats for the above pair: (NOTE: Please see edit beneath stats!)

Original pattern:  Adapted from Winwick Mum's excellent Sockalong pattern 

Yarn:  King Cole Zig Zag - 'Summer'

Cast on: 64 stitches

Rib: 40 rounds

Decreasing:  Decrease one stitch each side of leg on rounds 50, 60, 70, 80 (including the rib) ending up with 56 stitches

Heel flap:  33 rows

Foot:  54 rounds (I have UK size 7.5 feet)

I have run shirring elastic loosely around the cuff as explained here, but I have high hopes of the knitting in elastic I am currently experimenting with, so will let you know how that works when I have finished pair number 3!

As I said above, I am going to increase the leg rounds to a total of 160, (including the rib), and I'm also going to add 2 more rounds to the foot, so a total of 56 rounds.  Again, I think the narrower leg and foot, giving a more snug fit, has less 'wiggle room'.  The upside is I can wear these ones with my favourite brogues as they aren't nearly as bulky.

EDIT:  I wore my new socks all weekend and I am going to make some more modifications!  The foot was really good and fitted well in my brogue shoes.  I am going to add 2 rows to the heel flap though as it is felt a little too snug over my high instep (I have difficulty finding comfortable boots due to my high instep). This is what Christine Winwick Mum, recommends here

HOWEVER, the main change I am going to make is to the top of the leg as it is feeling a bit too snug after several hours wear.  To do this I am going to go back to 68 stitches for the cast on, rib and top of the main leg part (as I did for pair number one) and then continue to decrease in the same way, i.e., every 10 rounds, to end up with 56 stitches.  That means I will decrease on rounds (including the rib) 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100.  

I am going to frog pair number three that I am part way through, (taking a deep breath and whipping out the circular needle!) and start again, still with the knitting in elastic.  I'm determined to get this right!

As always, I will keep you updated!

This was meant to be a short post!!!!

Donna x