This was a pattern (bonus for round#1) for Sock Madness 16, a speed knitting contest. (See the Sock Madness Forever group for more information.)

“But I got wise” is a line of a song by Elvis Presley (released as a single in 1963),
that describes how his very attractive girlfriend
on closer inspection turns out not to be such an angel after all.

During my 13 years as a designer for SockMadness I learned a lot:
about knitting, about writing patterns and – not least – about myself.
And about all three of them I can truly say: I got wise(r)!

That ‘heavenly inspiration’ for a new sock design often enough turns out
to be fiendishly difficult to knit, infernally hard to put into words for a pattern
and - as all goes to hell in a handbasket – results in a flaming temper.

Therefore, these are my last socks designed specifically for this competition
until hell freezes over
or - if you read your Dante- until it starts to melt.

But I hope you’ll have a helluvalot of fun while knitting your pair of socks!