The Nameless Socks are Named

The Nameless Socks are finished and, after much discussion with my fellow knitter, who has created a pair of Nameless Mitts in the same design, they have been named -- The Koan Socks. Why "koan"? Well, because a Zen koan is a theoretically unsolvable sort of riddle/question that you meditate on to come up with . . . not exactly an answer, but more of an insight that allows you to move on to another level. And the way this stitch pattern causes the leg of the sock to spiral (in two different directions, no less!) is definitely a puzzle.

Here they are.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I used the stitch pattern from the Beaufort Hat to knit the first sock. That's the one on the left in the picture, the one that spirals counterclockwise. I won't repeat the pattern here, because you can find it at Knititude. Then to produce the second sock, I knit each row of the pattern backward [e.g. instead of "p3, k3, yo, k4, k2tog" I did "k2tog, k4 ,yo, k3, p3"], which causes the sock to spiral clockwise. It also gives the pattern a slightly different appearance, not so different that one would think the socks don't match, but noticeable. I actually prefer the reverse pattern. It is somewhat curvy on both sides, whereas the pattern on the first sock is straight along one edge.

Right now I have only one sock on the needles and that feels quite odd. Normally there are at least three pairs underway. But monogamy is providing its usual rewards, and the GreenApple socks are coming along quite fast. The yarn is Austermann Step in color #03 (how exotic is that? 'o3' – such a glamourous name), and the pattern is Broad Spiral Ribbing from More Sensational Knitted Socks. The pattern is easy enough, but I find it necessary to keep a close eye on what I am doing. The Step yarn is slippery, my Takumi bamboo needles have rather blunt points, and it's all too easy to split a stitch while executing the little twisty maneuvers that are called for on every other row.

I'm going to try to remain faithful to these socks until I have at least finished the first one. But then . . . well, I have some Dream in Color Smooshy in Chinatown Apple that I have been wanting to knit up for quite some while.