Shur'Tugal Socks
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I sometimes forget how hard it is to take attractive photographs of one’s own feet only to be reminded whenever I try to document a new pair of socks. I’ve tried several times to get good photos of this pair but they never came out. Either my feet looked like amorphous blobs or my legs took up have the shot or the lighting was terrible or… You get the point. Yesterday, the marine layer filled the sky and the diffused light was perfect for taking photos. So, I took one last attempt and, 5 months after binding off, the Shur’tugal Socks finally get their spot in the limelight.
I love the pattern and I love the yarn, Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock, but these socks were not a fast knit. At the cast on I wanted a slightly more interesting sock than plain ribbing but Shur’tugal turned out to be more complicated than I wanted for purse knitting. So they languished and spent more time in the bag than they did being knit. They languished even longer when I had to rip out an entire gusset because it started too late. The motivation to finish didn’t hit until a big trip was right around the corner and I really didn’t bringing these unfinished socks cross-country again. I finished them one repeat at a time and finally cast off a few days before getting on a plane.
Of course, there were mods. The biggest was working the socks toe-up though I didn’t bother to flip the charts. No point with this particular stitch pattern. It looks good going up or down. The secret bonus of working these socks from the toe was that it let me test out the stitch pattern. It was stretchy enough for my foot but didn’t have enough give to go completely around and up my leg. I worked a few repeats right after the heel before switching to 2x2 ribbing up the back. No way I’d be able to get those socks on without that ribbing. Plus, it was much easier than figuring how to add an extra repeat in pattern.
The Specs
Pattern: Shur’tugal Socks by Alice Yu
Yarn: Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock - Lettuce Wrap
Needles: 2.25 mm Circulars
Dates: Jan 31, 2013 - December 9, 2013
I haven’t had much of a chance to wear them because, most of the time, LA isn’t cold enough for wool socks. Looking forward to living in a different city where knitted goodness can become a regular part of my wardrobe again.
