These Are Going To Be So Cool: Polka Dot Socks

Back when I learned to knit, in the isolation of New Hampshire, I relied on the internet and library books to advance my skills beyond the basic knit and purl my mother-in-law had taught me.

Of course the library books were from the, uh, 1970s or something. Fortunately, the basic techniques haven't changed, although the patterns might be less than desirable.

I kept returning to one series of books from either Vogue or Better Homes and Gardens, I can't remember. It was one of those happy-housewife handcraft type set of encyclopedia style books that covered sewing, knitting, and a third craft I can't remember.

Each slim volume was divided in thirds, with one section for each craft. As you progressed through the series you learned various techniques that built on the previous volume, thus advancing your skills.

Of course, I jumped around.

One book had a section on knitting socks, which I kept checking out because I wanted to learn to knit socks as soon as I learned to knit.

One pattern was for a pair of polka dot socks. I believe they might have even been disco socks(!) with the spots being made from metallic thread. snicker.

I rejected them at the time because they were knit flat, and I wanted to learn to knit socks in the round. Also, I didn't know a thing about intarsia.

However, they were fascinating enough that I mentally filed the idea until I was ready.

Well, now that my knitting skills, intarsia knowledge, and sock yarn scrap stash are up to the challenge, I figured it was time to put them on the radar.

So I spent time over the weekend making a chart.

Foiled!
I'm planning to use the leftover Jawool from my Tiptoe Socks.

I was envisioning a red cuff with white body and multi-colored dots.

However, in a rare moment of forethought, I decided to weigh all the skeins before I started hacking them to bits.

You guessed it, the white is the lightest of the lot. This makes sense considering the Tiptoe Socks have white heels and toes as well as white striped. It was the hardest hit of all the colors.

My choices now are to:

1. buy a new, random skein of white yarn. This is impractical and defeats the purpose of making these socks to use my stash.
2. Use a different color for the base. Green and blue are the top candidates here. I'm tending toward the green as I was planning to make some dots from the scraps from Hubby's socks, and they all have a lot of blue in them.

So that's where the Polka Dot socks stand. Of course I can't start them until I finish the Talking To Socks. The second sock is on round 57 of a 75 round leg, then 15 rows of ribbing.