Can You Have First Sock Syndrome?

[laikabear]

OK, I know everyone and their brother has knit the Jaywalkers, and apparently no one has ever had a problem with them, they're easy, a 3 year old could make them, etc...

...but I hate them! It took forever to figure out the gauge. I used the sock as my swatch because I couldn't figure out how to knit the pattern flat. I went through 4 or 5 different # of stitches/ needle size combinations. I made lots of mistakes and dropped the kfb stitches. I had to rip back countless times. My yarn was getting fuzzy. I started using lifelines and it got a little better. I turned the heel on sock #1...

The picked up stitches left some holes in the side. Big holes. I also noticed that my kfbs were leaving lacey holes in the knitting, but that none of the FO pics I had seen looked like that. The pattern doesn't stretch at all and it's hard to get the sock over my heel.

I just hate this sock. I know I will never wear it. I keep wanting to finish just so the pattern won't "best me" but I think I have decided to rip. This is only my 2nd pair of socks, and the first ones I knit were plain. I think I'm gonna go back to the plain pattern.

OK, world. I announce: The Jaywalkers Got the Better of Me!

[Jan in CA]

As much as I do love the socks I have made I know I'll never be a sock knitter. They just take too long and those dinky needles are not my favorite. And also my dang feet are wide and they make my shoes too tight. I already wear a wide so.. ugh.

BTW...I didn't do a swatch. I just cast on 64 (or there a bouts) and go for it.

[mathwizard]

Have you ever tried making socks on circular needles. I hate dp and use two circular needles to make both socks at the same time. I tried dp but when I discovered how to do it on circulars I never looked back to dp.

[SBG]

They look nice! I'm sorry you hate them. I'm all for ripping out something you hate. I love, love, love knitting socks. I prefer magic loop to DPNs though I really like them both in different ways. I'm determined to do my next pair on 2 circs, which I've never tried. Anyway...I made my first pair of adult, sock-weight socks recently and I made the Hedera socks. They were really fun though there was an issue w/ a mistake in the pattern. Once I figured that out they were great.

[Slim]

I'm so sorry the Jaywalkers aren't working out for you, but I've heard others say they've had the devil of a time with this pattern too. I wouldn't worry about being "bested" by a pattern. If it were me I'd just frog it and forget it. It's beautiful yarn. Make something you will really enjoy making and wearing.

[LovelyLinda]

I'm almost finished making my first sock which is a simple pattern and definitely not complicated. However, it is full of mistakes and it looks huge to me so I'm not sure I'll make the 2nd one. I made it as an experiment as I've never made socks and had never used DPNs. So far it is taken me 3 weeks of knitting off and on to make this one sock. Sheesh.

But on the bright side, despite all the mistakes in it I am proud that I was able to make something that resembled a sock.

Knit what you like and if you don't like the jaywalker then that's ok. I don't think it got the better of you at all.

[Lisa R.]

Knitting is supposed to be fun! I think that one way you learn and grow as a knitter, is to keep challenging yourself to more difficult things--yet, it's still supposed to be fun.

So, IMHO, you've done down to the heel of the sock, and now you need to make a decision. Do you want to continue just to say you finished? Or would your time and energy be better spent on something else?

I, personally, have pushed through to the end of a project that wasn't my favorite, so that I could get to the end of what I was trying to learn.

I have also dropped a project where the trouble/frustration of knitting it was way more than the value of what I was learning trying to do it.

There's no guilt, here. It's just sticks and string, as they say. If you want to drop it, drop it and cheerfully move on to something you enjoy. Do a simple sock pattern with your yarn and enjoy your project!

[Mirl56]

The bulk of my knitting is socks. But I've never made Jaywalkers. I've heard/read from too many how hard it was to get a good fit. They are on my 'list', but I have so many other socks on my list those Jaywalkers keep getting knocked out of the running. Someday I may get to them, but I'm in no rush and not worrying about it.

I did finish a particular pair of socks a few years ago. I loved the pattern, the leg is an all over cable. But that made the leg very tight, it is hard to get over my heal. The dirctions you were supposed to use a smaller needle for the foot; I didn't switch cause I didn't have any smaller sizes at the time. Neither did I have the sense to reduce the stitch count to help conpensate. The foot is way too big. I did force myself to finish the socks, but it fits so poorly, too tight at the leg, too loose at the foot. I hate looking at them, let alone wearing them. I know I should take them apart now, but I dread it. I should have stopped and frogged while still making the foot section. The point of this story is - don't finish that sock out of mis-guided duty - frog it and find a happier sock pattern for that gorgeous yarn!

[Knit4Fun]

Yep...I've kinda got it now. I chalk it up to boring four row pattern repeats.

But since knitting should be FUN...I've set it aside until I can look forward to working on it again. I refuse to hate what I'm knitting - that defeats the purpose of me doing it!

[losnana]

Ditto!!!

Have you ever tried making socks on circular needles. I hate dp and use two circular needles to make both socks at the same time. I tried dp but when I discovered how to do it on circulars I never looked back to dp.