I bought this kit a while back, and finally got around to knitting these socks for a “cosplay” theme in the Nerdopolis games.

Mods:

• Short-row heels don’t fit my feet well, so I subbed a regular top-down flap heel with a slip-stitch heel.
• I like longer socks than the pattern calls for. Mine have 9 repeats of the cable pattern before starting the heel. Still had plenty of yarn left at the end.
• After finishing the gusset, I did 9 more repeats of the cable before starting the next set of instructions. However, that left only enough to bring the “armor” pattern to a point, not for the small diamond in front of it.

Advice:

• Read the pattern through before beginning. It’s knit on larger needles than I’d normally use because the pattern stitch draws in the fabric. It’s not until you work the i-cord around the top that you’ll need the larger size called for.

• You can use any heel you want. The stitch pattern won’t be affected by it.

• The instructions for the i-cord were a bit vague. When they say “pick up” stitches it’s not “pick up and knit.” What I did was take some thin crochet cotton and, with a tapestry needle, run it under every other stitch in the section that you’ll “come back to” according to the instructions. Then I worked the i-cord into each of the highlighted stitches. I found three rounds on the i-cord was enough to support the Mjölnir charm without drooping.

• There are no instructions for the RC and LC cable. It’s a basic 2x2 cable. However, if I did this sock again, I’d put a purl stitch on either side of the cable to make it stand out more. The instructions don’t call for any purl stitches.

• If you don’t have the Mjölnir charms and don’t want the i-cord top, then leave out the rows where you double the stitch count and then k2tog around to bring the stitch count back. This is only a base for the i-cord later, and the i-cord is basically there as the cord for attaching the charm.