The Banana Socks

After a topsy-turvy week, it feels good to land on Friday with a finished pair of socks.

Dehnungsfuge.  Or, as I like to call them, the banana socks.  Curved shape, yellow color . . . it seemed the logical choice for a nickname.

I thoroughly enjoyed this pattern with its crazy combination of vertical and horizontal ribbing.  I usually make a couple modifications, but this time I followed the directions exactly.  I made the short row heel instead of my favorite heel flap.  I used the suggested shadow wraps instead of my preferred German short rows.

Some time ago I made Treppenviertel by the same designer, and this pattern was equally entertaining.

The yarn is Lucia, colorway Mustard Seed.  These socks will brighten a gray winter day.

This week we made our annual pilgrimage to pick blueberries.  The drought has taken its toll, and the berries weren't nearly as plentiful as some years.  In spite of the heat we've had, there are still berries that need to ripen.  This week's color inspiration . . . 

Almost white.

I Should Have Known . . .

The other day I was knitting along on my sock project.  I had the pattern - or what I thought was the pattern - all worked out in my head. As I was working around and around, I had a sneaking suspicion that something was off.  The sock I was knitting didn't look quite like the one pictured in the pattern.  Or maybe it did.  Or maybe it would start to look like the picture if I knit a little bit more.  

That's the conversation I had with myself round after round after round. I could have stopped to consult the pattern and take another look at the picture.  That would have been the logical thing to do.  Instead I kept working until the leg was finished and I was ready to start the heel.

Of course when I finally checked the pattern, I realized I had memorized the wrong sequence of rounds.

The only option was to rip back to the cuff.  I believe in getting right back on the horse that threw me, so I checked and double-checked the pattern to make sure I understood the correct sequence.  Then I sat down and re-knit the leg.  It's always a good feeling when I've knit up all the yarn I had to rip out.

This sock looks a little wonky, but this is how it should be.  In case you're interested, the pattern is Dehnungsfuge.  This sock is a crazy combination of vertical and horizontal ribbing, and working the pattern is a good mental exercise.  

And now I'm off to knit the heel.  I'm going to follow the pattern
closely . . . just in case there are any unexpected twists and turns.