I kind of hate purlwise M1s, and this project contained way too many of them for my tastes. Needless to say, I’m glad these socks are done!
Pattern:
Mock Wave Cable Socks by Ann Budd, published in Favorite Socks
Yarn:
Louet Gems Pearl in Baby Goldilocks
Needles:
US0 / 2.00mm Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs
I literally ran out of yarn – one sock is actually two rows shorter in the toe than the other because of this. That’s never happened to me before. After all, I’m quite short, so my socks are a few inches shorter in the leg than most patterns call for. And this usually leaves me with at least some yarn, so that I can darn the sock down the line if needed.
However, this particular sock pattern is 80 stitches around. Yes, 80. That kind of makes a difference over rows and rows of tiny stitches. There was no reducing the number of stitches, either, because this is the thinnest fingering-weight yarn I’ve worked with to date. (In heavier fingering-weight yarns, I’d usually use 64-72 stitches, and 72’s kind of on the large side.)
Oh well. I’m not sure if the current Louet Gems fingering weight is any heavier than this older skein of the Gems Pearl. If it’s the exact same weight, I probably won’t use it again for socks. (Well, beyond the last two skeins remaining in my stash.) It’s nice yarn, but it’s so fine, it takes too long to knit.
As for the socks themselves, I like the finished product, but the process was a pain. I am never knitting this pattern again. Mostly because of the purlwise M1s.