Just in Time

...for the end of Socktoberfest, if not for Mr. A's birthday -- voila, the Log Cabin Socks! (Of course, pictured with coffee.) Here's all the pertinent info:

Pattern: Log Cabin, from Handknit Holidays

Yarn: Each sock took about 75% of one skein of Wool-Ease worsted in Fisherman

Needles: One 40-inch Inox circular, size 7; no cable needle! (woo-hoo!)

They're not washed or blocked, just straight off the needles. (I wanted to get them blogged before tomorrow!) I varied the pattern a bit; I did short row toes instead of traditional toes. I thought about doing short row heels, but there'd be no cool cables on the heels, which I think is one of the most appealing things about the pattern. I got gauge, but as you can see, the feet are a little big. The calf portion fits fine, so I think the problem is the lack of cables and ribs to draw the socks in. The next time I make these socks, I will do the feet with a smaller size needle. I'm hoping a wash and tumble dry will help too. While the toe seams are not Grumperina-perfect, I think I'm getting the hang of kitchener stitch. I even sort of (gasp!) enjoyed it.

One (maybe obvious) helpful hint for people who are new to cable patterns. I like to work from a chart, but I find the little symbols hard to read. So I recopied the chart and used different colored highlighters to mark where the right- and left-leaning cables went. That made the chart easy to read without having to pick it up and squint at it!