Know thyself.

I finished my Sidewinders:

They're .... okay. They are a little tight at the ankle, because my instep is so high. They're a little baggy in the leg. But they'll do.

If I made another pair, I'd use Maia's modifications for a high instep, and to eliminate the toe graft. But I won't make another pair, because I learned something.

Turns out I don't like fancy sock construction methods. I want a plain old sock that goes from top to toe, or toe to top. Heel variations are fine. But I just did not enjoy making a peculiar piece of fabric that eventually turned into a sock.

(What do you think this means about my planned Baby Surprise Jacket? I am curious, myself.)

The two things I didn't like about it:

• you can't try it on.
• something's happening all the time, and you need instructions to know what to do.

Socks are my carry-around project, and if I have to carry around a 28-page book of instructions (really! though I'm sure it could be condensed to about four pages, but I don't want to take the time) and then actually LOOK at them while knitting, it kind of defeats the purpose of a carry-around project.

Of course, I might not actually look at them, as shown by these toe grafts:

Following instructions

Winging it.

The same sort of thing happened at the center back. The second sock has one too many rows, or perhaps one too few, so that the graft is visible in the garter stitch section. I realized immediately what was happening but I just Couldn't Be Bothered to fix it.

So I'm thinking I won't be knitting Debbie New's fabulous garter stitch swirl socks. Too bad, because they've been in the back of my head for about 10 years now, but there you go.