I have a ridiculous love for Stargate SG-1 since high school when I caught it on tv late at night during its first few years. I’ve watched the entire series of both SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis through reruns and by TiVoing it and then I watched it all over again on SurftheChannel.com. Therefore, I needed an ode to them. Hence, my Chevron Encoded socks. Those of you who know what I’m talking about know what this means.

Hey, look at me! I’m knitting socks! And I actually might finish these ones!

Ok, here’s the facts, Jack. I cast on 66 stitches, which was what was suggested for size 8/8.5 US feet. Except that the book says that if my feet are 9.25 inches long then I’m a size 6 US. Which, obviously, I am not. I cannot solve this conundrum so I am ignoring it instead.

When I got to the first heel, I looked at the instructions for the forethought/afterthought heel and laughed out loud. There is no way in hell that I am wasting my time with a provisional cast-on and fiddling and cutting and pulling apart skeins to try to match up the yarn at the right bit. That would just be a big bloody annoying mess and I’m rather on track right now and I’d like it very much if I weren’t pissed off at a sock project again and leaving it lying around and avoiding it for two years, thankyouverymuch. So again, I ignored those instructions.

Instead, I pulled out Cookie A’s Sock Innovation book to check out the heel types. I decided that the garter stitch short row would be the nicest, and would match the pattern well, and then went back to the Sensational Knitted Socks book for the instructions on how to make a short row sock (her step by step was much clearer than Cookie’s.)

And ta-da! My first garter stitch heel and my first short row heel! I really do like short row heels, I’ve decided. That lack of needing to pick up any stitches is genius. I am not yet convinced that i will like how they fit on my feet. We shall see.

Actually, I’m not sure how this entire sock will fit on my foot. I mean, it could fit, but since I knit with a size 2 instead of a size 1 needle, like was recommended, I could have a sock that is just plain ol’ too large. We shall see!

One thing. Because I was sort of winging the heels, I made up an appropriate heel stitch number (34) which left me with one extra stitch just chilling out when I finished and was ready to get back to my 11-stitch pattern. So I just decreased once. That means that as I knit the foot, my stitches will be 65, not 66. Big whoop. I’m hoping that, combined with the stockinette on the bottom of my foot, creates a sock that clings to my foot well.

It took 10 days to finish it, but the first sock fits PERFECTLY. I’m very glad to have followed the book’s instructions. I think the hem around the shin doesn’t cling, but that’s just because it’s a garter and not a ribbed edge. It’s not loose by any means.

The toe I did in garter stitch as well, to match the heel, which is a little small. I should have used more stitches for the heel than 34, but oh well! Also, I screwed up on one side and there was a gap that I quickly fixed with a bit of intrepid darning.

Now onto the next sock! Let’s hope I make all of the same mistakes so the socks look the same. :)

Finished! I had to do some quick grafting on the body of the sock after my heel ate up more yarn than it should have, but the striping is almost perfect! The second sock is a little tight - I must have tightened my gauge as I went, but that’s fine (I’ll just wear that sock on my smaller foot). ;)

The best part? I finished my second sock while watching the final season of Stargate Universe. Hee.