Sock Madness Notes

Minimums and required elements:
The minimum size you must knit to qualify to move on in competition is the MEDIUM (64 stitches).
Your Left sock must have a minimum of 5 repeats of the Left Sock stitch pattern on the front of your sock counted from toe to cuff.
Your Right sock must have a minimum of 7 repeats of the Right Sock stitch pattern on the front of your sock counted from toe to cuff.
The stockinette portion of the back leg immediately above the heel must be within the 1-1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) given in the pattern
Your cuff must contain at least 18 rows of the given ribbing.
You must use the bind off required in the pattern.
Submission Requirements:
Your socks must include all required elements above.
Your project page must indicate the size you knit (M or L to continue in competition) and the heel type you knit (regular or larger)
You must have all required photos on your project page. There are additional ones beyond the typical ones.

Email submission:
You must send the link for your project page to sockmadness@gmail.com in a new email with the subject line of “Finished Demogorgon”.
Your email body must contain the link to your project page, your ravelry ID AND your team name - the letter is sufficient.
You must NOT reply to this email.

Photo Requirements:

1. You must have a progress photo. This can be combined with either 3 or 6 below.
2. You must have a photo demonstrating the 9”/22.9cm minimum length on blockers (or fake feet) with a tape measure or on adult feet which do not require a tape measure.
3. You must have a photo of both toes demonstrating the magic circle cast on was used.
4. You must have a photo of the entirety of the fronts of both your socks so we can see all lace repeats.
5. You must have a photo of entirety of the backs of both socks so we can see the heels and the back leg lace.
6. You must have a photo of the back of each sock demonstrating the stockinette portion above the heel is within the 1-1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) limits. This can be a photo taken after inserting waste yarn and knitting the stockinette portion of the back leg and several rows into the lace OR a photo taken of the back of each sock where the 1-1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) limits of the stockinette are marked from the start of the back leg lace to the completed heel using the central decrease line. You must show this for both socks but you do not have to do this particular photo with both socks in one photo.

My notes
March 21.
The pattern dropped overnight. Now to clear some needles and pick some yarn!
I have chosen the Santiago color of Araucania’s Huasco Sock. Yarn wound, off to find my crochet hooks.
At the end of the day, I have complete Round 4 of the second repeat of the left leg.
I like the star toe, but was disappointed at the amount of pooling in the leg -- stripe of purple on the right, stripe of blue and green on the left, and a stripe of hot pink up the middle of the bottom of the foot. I wish the pink stripe was on top of the foot, but I don’t care enough to rip it out and start over.

March 22.
The vertical stripes from yesterday started migrating today. I am much happier with the look!!

The afterthought heel’s contrast marking row is done. I used a cotton/rayon yarn, for the smoothness, hoping that I will have better luck picking up the stitches this year than I did on my Okapi Socks in 2017. Picking up those heels can best be described as a nightmare. Stitches split, stitches dropped, stitches got lost at the edges… Needless to say, I am dreading the pickup this year, although I think I have done everything I can to expedite it, including putting stitch markers in the edge stitches, lest they disappear again.

My daughter Hillary (I have five daughters) is quite taken with these socks. She likes the pink, and the spiraling stripes.

March 23.
I completed the left leg today, and did the Knit 1 round of the cuff.

Why am I so slow?

March 24.
The left sock is completely done, and fits Katherine’s sister’s foot perfectly. I was able to pick up the afterthought heel stitches quite easily.
The right sock is begun, star toe made, 10 rows of the first lace repeat done.
The fact that they are fraternal socks -- toe, heel and cuff the same but the lace pattern strikingly different -- makes that dreaded second sock syndrome minimal. And, since I did all the measuring, fussing and fudging on the first sock, this second sock appears to be moving more quickly.

March 25.
Completed foot, inserted waste yarn for heel, started knitting up leg.

March 26.
4 p.m., finished the right leg and started right cuff.
Taking a break until Knit Night, where I plan to knit the rest of the cuff.
11:50 p.m., knitting completed, ends finished, and the photo shoot begins.

March 27.
1:05 a.m., sent my email.
4:02 a.m., received my congratulations and bonus pattern.

Happy Camper In Santiago!!!