Sock in a Rut

So, sock #7 has been half done, pulled out, nearly done and discovered to be much too tight, pulled out, and given up on.

In the interim, I made a hat - twice - and pulled it all out - twice. I apparently have not yet figured out how to translate the gauge of a swatch, which I got right, into the gauge of a two-yarn knit-in-the-round, accessory, which was different by 1.5 stitches per inch.

The first two rows of the hat are now re-started on a needle size two larger, after more swatching and some math.

Now I'm back to the sock. I've decided since I cannot seem to get past the heel, I'll start at the toe for this one. Yet another learning experience, but I've got it started again.

I love the web. If you can't find exactly what you want, you can find enough to build it. After giving up on provisional cast-ons because I couldn't crochet an even chain, Knitty.com got me to two pages that I managed to hybridize. I first found this: TipTop Toes, and the figure-8 toe seemed a good idea, but it turned out gappy. Then I dug up the Magic Cast On, which, in its text, claims to address the gappy fig-8 toe issue. However, once cast-on, I couldn't manage to start the rounds on 4 dpns.

So I somehow hybridized the two. I used the magic cast-on, which seems to be a hybrid itself of the long-tailed and figure 8 cast-ons, but with this mod: I cast on to a larger, circular needle, then slid the stitches of Judy Becker's needle #2 onto the cable, and knit straight across needle #1 with my first, smaller, dpn. I then pulled the circular all the way through so the stitches originally on #2 were pushed onto #1, and then I knit across those with the 2nd dpn. This left me with my toe started as for Wendy Johnson's figure 8 toe, but much tighter in the cast-on rows, but not so tight I couldn't work them.

I'm guessing the Magic Toe is alot easier for one accustomed to and intending to work on two circulars, but given the investment I've recently made in both yarn and all kinds of sizes of dpns, spending $30 per pair on paired circulars will have to wait paycheque or two. Besides, I need lots more practice at the basics, too.

So, stay tuned - I'll see if I can get this sock "toe up" past the heel, then we'll be rolling. I may return to the hat, too, as it goes alot faster than the sock. More stitches per round but lots fewer rounds.