Knitting Olympics Day 15 - Come On Baby, Light My Fire!

Closing Ceremonies are on Sunday, and it looks like I'm going to make it! I'm hoping to finish the second flame sock today so I can block them tonight. Either Saturday or Sunday (depending on when I block them and how long they take to dry), there will be a parade of socks here on Pink Lemon Twist!

All of these socks have been really fun to knit and I've learned a few things about socks by doing them. I definitely have a better feel for how the top down socks are made and they don't confuse me as much anymore. I learned that you still have to pay attention to gauge as compared to your own personal measurements (64 stitches at 7.5 stitches an inch is going to be too big for a foot that's 8 inches around). I learned that when you didn't pay attention to gauge as it applies to personal measurements, you can always go down a needle size when you start the heel flap and foot of the sock and just call the loose cuff a design feature. I learned that alternating rows as you slip the stitch on the heel flap makes a neat little checkerboard design that really fascinates me (I could stare at it for hours, but I have to finish the last sock first). I learned that taking 3 weeks to knit one pair of socks is really slacking off. And I've learned that picking up gusset stitches, like picking up stitches for a neckband or buttonband, doesn't always work out exactly as the pattern is written, but as long as you pick up as many as you can plus one at the joint of the gusset with the top of the foot, you shouldn't have any gaps and everything should work out fine in the end. Tune in sometime this weekend to see the Parade of Socks!