Second Sock, Second Sock, Finished Little Second Sock!

I finished my second Fireside Sock last night and I've actually barely begun my second Lava Flow Sock - soon I'll have complete pairs of both, which I've found is really quite nice! If you've ever wondered why people block socks, take a look at the photo above. This is Fireside unblocked. Below you can see Fireside blocked.

Now personally, when I make or wash a pair of my own socks, I don't worry about blocking them. I just pat them out into shape and let them dry (also, I only have one pair of sock blockers - got them from the Loopy Ewe). Anytime I knit a pair of socks for a pattern or for a sock swap, like Sockapalooza, or as a gift, I block them. They look so much more finished and so much more properly sock like. Of course once I get the photos for the pattern finished, I wear the socks and then they don't get special treatment after washing anymore. Poor sockies, a minute in the limelight, the rest of their lives on my feet, stuffed in shoes.