sock blockers

The second Thuja sock is done. Funny, it's a really simple pattern but somehow or another that almost makes it difficult. I suppose because the simplicity of the pattern doesn't require much attention, I knit on auto-pilot and get careless. For these socks I used a machine washable wool - really nice to work with. And soft enough for next to the skin.

Of course, there are a couple of things I'm not entirely happy with. Although I tried to cast on loosely at the top of the socks, the ribbed cuffs are more snug than I'd like. Some sock knitters cast on using a larger needle size, or even two needles held together. Might have to try something like that. There's still some looseness at the heel where I picked up stitches from the side of the heel flap to knit the gusset. So I'm going to wash and block these socks to see if I can get it all evened out.

And to that end I have created my own sock blockers. Mom and I looked around but haven't had much luck finding sock blockers in our usual LYS. Saw some on etsy.com but none from Canadian sellers - once you add the exchange rate, shipping and possibly taxes and duty, the prices climb out of reach. They say necessity is the mother of invention, don't they? So here's a look at the my first prototype. Pretty good I think, but I'm going to make the legs a bit longer and reshape the hanger area at the top a bit. If you any other suggestions, please post a comment!