Socktoberfest Questions

Today is October 3rd, which means we are three days into Socktoberfest.   I have lofty goals for this month, but I have made good progress already.  My hope is to knit four pairs of socks, which is all of the sock yarn that I have.  I am not allowed to buy more until I use all of what I have.  This is purely a self-imposed rule, but I really don’t want to break it.  To make that happen, I am planning to knit and knit and knit all month long on socks.

Before I get into that, I thought I would answer some Socktoberfest questions (listed on the site for us to answer).

1. When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I started knitting socks in November 2005.  I taught myself.
2. What was your first pair? How have they “held up” over time?  My first pair was “Boston Red Socks” for my son, who was four.  They have held up well, in fact they are still in great shape (albeit a bit gray in white area!) and he has practically outgrown them.
3.  What would you have done differently? I don’t think that I would have done anything differently.  My son absolutely loved them, which is all that really matters!
4. What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?  I definitely have preferred knitting with wool (rather than the acrylic I used for my son’s socks).  I very much liked when I used Cherry Tree Hill yarn to knit my sockapaloooza socks.  However, I think it is important to knit to the wearer, and CTH yarn is simply not practical for a small child that will outgrow socks very quickly!
5. Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I don’t know how to crochet; at least not enough to actually make anything!  I have only used DPNs, but am looking forward to trying 2 circs  and magic loop in the future.
6. Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I don’t really prefer one over the other.  I use the heel that seems appropriate for the sock.  I do think that short-row heels are really fun to make. 
7. How many pairs have you made? I am currently working on my 10th pair of socks (see picture below).  You can see all my socks here.

Left:  Hedera (first sock of the pair).  The leg is complete and the heel flap is finished  - and what a mighty long heel flap it is!