One more project off the needles! I give you my first pair of Toe Up Socks:
These are the Diagonal Lace Socks by Wendy Johnson from the book
Socks from the Toe Up. It is also available--for free!-- on
Ravelry.
What I learned:
* Judy's Magic Cast On. Love this, and it truly does seem to be magic. Although since this is my first pair of toe-up socks, I have really no other cast on to compare it to.
* Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. This is awesome, and so simple.
* There are different ways to M1, depending on if you want a right-leaning or left-leaning increase. Now, the pattern does not state this. It just says to M1. So I did, but halfway through the first toe, it looked kind of messy. I did some Googling and figured it out, which is good because you need to increase for the heels. I don't know why this didn't occur to me, as I know that decreases are paired, but it didn't.
* I kind of don't like M1s. They are fiddly, and I am not used to the motion so I feel like I'm not really smooth at them. I'm sure I'll get used to them, but right now they are a new skill and it usually takes me a little while to warm up to a new skill.
I also mirrored the lace pattern on the second sock, so the diagonals face opposite directions as opposed to both socks leaning one way. Overall, I like the socks and am happy with the way they turned out. I'm not sure if I will keep these for myself or gift them at the holidays. It really depends on how much more knitting I get done!