I'm providing both top and side views.
They look pretty sweet. It just occurred to me that I should probably block them, not that I have one of those nifty sock-blocker things. Hm. Anyway... I was in a rush to finish them today finally, because I got some really cool news! I'm going to be designing the next sock in the Ravelry KAL! We just got the yarn today and it is AMAZING! But before I talk about that, I'll finish up with the sock talk.
After I got that "assignment" today, I became really focused on finishing Karira so I could move on to designing the next one. So I just sat and knit. And I was REALLY in the zone. I finished the heel, the gusset, and two whole pattern reps at work. I had the chart COMPLETELY memorized, finally-- just as I'm finishing! But it was definitely useful because having an intuitive understanding of the stitch pattern totally helped avoid mistakes. When I was checking the chart compulsively, I kept losing or gaining extra stitches, finding strange holes where there shouldn't have been, discovering other various mistakes and needing to rip out or backtrack. But since I really GOT the pattern, and barely need to look at the chart at ALL, I didn't make one mistake! For three and a half repeats! (That was the number required to knit the foot.) So that's what I would recommend, haha. Memorize the pattern. Understand the pattern. BE the pattern.
So I finished the foot, but I had some issues with the right toe. Basically the stitches were unevenly distributed across the toe and that resulted in the decrease panels being way too close in the back instead of placed exactly on the sides of the foot where they should be. I was nearly done when I just became too suspicious that something was wrong (I had thought there might have been but figured that I had followed the pattern to the letter so there couldn't be) so I had to rip out all the way down to the chart pattern, rearrange the stitches and begin the decreases all over again. But I'm glad I did. Didn't take that long. Closed the toe, weaved in ends and I am DONE! I'm so proud of myself.
Now-- the sock design that I'm doing!! Today in the studio we got the skein of yarn that Kitchen Sink Dyeworks custom dyed for our next sock in the three-part KAL corresponding to the Steig Larsson books. The first sock matched up with "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", and the second goes with "The Girl Who Played With Fire." So, the colorway is....
...Fire themed!!
I immediately fell in love with it, so Shannon suggested that I design the sock, and Sarah Jo do the third one. I'm going to do flame motifs. I have some ideas. I'm thinking either a purled flame on a knit background or the other way around in side panels, and small zigzags on the front and back of the sock. So excited!!! It definitely won't be half as complex as Karira. In fact, it will probably be the easiest/simplest of the three. But I figure it'll be a relief for people after the challenge of Karira. It was fun but not easy! I can't believe I'm done-- the socks are really really beautiful.
The only problem with knit socks is that . . . no one SEES them. And your beautiful, intricate knitwork gets sweaty and hidden. I don't know what the solution for this is. Go around without shoes, I guess.
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