The Week In Socks

Day 55: Every year I make several pair of socks for the Park's Christmas party silent auction which benefits our Employee Association. Last year, I put out three pair. One of my colleagues was bidding on all three, but got nudged out on all but one pair. This year, she wanted to be sure she had socks for gifts, so on November 30 when we met to start planning the party, she told me she wanted four pair. That was one week ago, and my fingers have been flying. I'm on Sock #8!

Fortunately, socks are one of my favourite things to knit. Although the idea scares many knitters away from tackling the task, turning a heel isn't as difficult as it sounds. Beginners may want to make notes as they complete rows, but with very little practice, you'll learn to recognize the points at which decreases should be made while shaping. When picking up stitches for the triangular side gusset, I use markers so I don't have to count.

I'd never really thought about how long it took to knit a sock. I usually just pick away at them in my idle time, but with time constraints driving me, I discovered that on average, one worsted-weight sock takes about five hours to complete. When #8 is done, I think I'll just keep going. Might as well lay in a supply for next year's silent auction!