Chuck’s Cabled Socks - Conquered!
September 27th, 2007 by 
mel
Aww, they’re being shy!
Come on out!
Come on now! That’s better!!
I did it! Not only did I actually complete a pair of socks without one being snarfed by the Sweeter before the big blog reveal, I completed THESE socks - And not without some challenges along the way.
Circa February, 2007:
My gauge was pretty far off - (34 sts/4in vs the required 28 sts/4in on US2 DPNs) Somehow, I ignored this fact (maybe because I never actually swatched in Chart C - the diamond pattern - as instructed? I swatched first in the cable pattern and apparently got excited and also distracted, because if you’d have asked me, even right up until 5 minutes ago when I pulled out my little ruler, I would have sworn up & down that I got gauge!) I would caution you, that I have talked to a few people who’ve attempted these socks and come up too small as well; they may have shared in my excitement, but take your time with this one and CHECK GAUGE. Then check again by trying it on once you’ve knit an inch or two, instead of 75% of the sock! At least the boy looks happy in this picture (and don’t worry - although he kind of looks like he might be hungry, he’s not the sock eater)!
Pattern: Eunny’s Chuck’s Cabled Socks
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Superwash in Grey/Blue (0168) and Sable (0095)
Gauge: 34 sts/4in over Chart C
Needles: US2 Bamboo DPN’s
Amount of Yarn Used: A little more than one skein of the blue and less than one skein of the brown - I would be more specific, but I didn’t actually frog the original sock, so I started with partial skeins of yarn for the second try. The yarn was quite splitty and took a lot of abuse initially, so I wanted to start again fresh. I think I may have enough brown left for a pair of footees!
Mods:
- I added 2″ to the total circumference of each sock. The pattern calls for 4 cables encircling the leg - each with 6 strands. On the orginal sock, each 2-strand section measured 1/2 inch, so I added 4 strands to both the instep and calf cables adding an inch to each. I left the side cables as written - I love the way that they split and 3 strands continue on down the foot - beautiful! This worked perfectly for me, but if you are looking to increase the size be sure to test it out, you may not need to add as many.
- Heel mod - The pattern as written uses just one color for the heel of the sock as shown here - I chose to carry the diamond pattern through the heel for continuity and durability.
New Skills:
- Stranding with cables (If you can strand and you can cable, you CAN do both at the same time - If I can do it, you certainly can! It required some deep breaths and a leap of faith to start, but it’s absolutely do-able).
- Cabling without a needle, a skill that I picked up last year while knitting Co-op Cables (from Grumperina’s tutorial), is very helpful with this project.
- I learned about sock proportions with this project. I hadn’t really considered how the toe would work until I got there. In this case the toe decreases are on the sides, so the stitch count on the instep & sole should have been the same (it wasn’t!) When decreasing for the gussets, I couldn’t use the pattern numbers as I had altered the total stitch count of the sock to fit. So I totally winged it - I just decreased on every other round until it fit my foot. This actually worked out pretty well, except that I ended up with more stitches on the instep than sole. To compensate, I added additional decreases to the end of the cable section (where decreases already existed in order to compensate for the difference in gauge between the cables and the stockinette-knit toe) until the count of the instep matched that of the sole. I thought I may have added a few too many because it seemed like the toe grew just a smidgen as I knit it; but it seems to have blocked out just fine, so I’ll call it a success, even if it’s not mathematically perfect!
- Kitchener stitch - good god. This technique just seemed beyond me. Cabling in two colors? no problem! A little span of Kitchener stitch on the other hand, reduced me to a swearing mess. On my very first sock I attempted it a few times to much frustration and finally did a 3-needle bind-off instead. A little patience and KnittingHelp.com’s Kitchener Video set me straight (listed in the Basic Techniques section BTW - ha! Basic, my ass.) Ahhhh….. I now know the pleasure of a smoothly kitchenered toe and have another new skill!
Time to complete: A little over a month, the second time around. Truly, without so much going on, I bet I could have knit the pair in a few week’s time fairly easily. I may well knit them again! Believe it or not, this project became my relaxation knitting by the time I got into the second sock. The cable repeat is very easy to follow once established - it required enough attention to keep my interest and was visually satisfying, but no counting involved so I could knit along on it while conversing and participating in daily life. Just for the record, that’s not to say I didn’t have some cable crossings to fix (and even one or two that I might not have fixed in less noticeable sections - confession!! Believe me, I would have fixed them, but now I can’t even see it unless I’m right on top of them and I know where they are. If you can spot them in the pics, don’t burst my bubble, ‘k?) I’ve got some other very fun things to show you that have been going on around here along with this project, but just for right now, I’m savoring this FO. They deserve their very own post I think (since they overcame their shyness and turned into such camera hogs!)
Verdict: A wholly satisfying knit, and a beautiful finished product. This is the type of project I would love to design someday - not socks necessarily, but any project that leaves another knitter feeling the way I do right now. Confident in the use of some new skills, excited about a new lovely and useful item to wear, proud of how far I’ve come as a knitter - but awed and humbled at the same time by the incredible breadth of skills and techniques out there. I’m thrilled by all the amazing things I have yet to try which will most certainly take a lifetime (at least!)
—————-
Now playing: The Frames - People Get Ready
via FoxyTunes
Posted in FOs | 
September 27th, 2007 at 10:09 am
hi, thanks for your popping by on my blog ^-^
your socks are amazing… i never could knit something like that - i just don’t think i would have the patience!
they’re beautiful. kudos to you!
September 27th, 2007 at 11:10 am
SO awesome!! I love them…
September 27th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Lovely! I have the pattern, but not the yarn. Your pictures are a huge inspiration in order to start them as soon as I can buy yarn again. And thank you for the detailed explanations!
September 27th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Wow, are those ever fantastic! Great pictures, too. I am tempted to knit them — the ultimate knitting compliment!
September 27th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Wow Mel, those turned out awesome! What a fabulous photo spread too.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Another wonderful job! SAFF entry ? You know you wanna!
September 27th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Definitely drool worthy! I can’t say it enough how awesome they are! I need to learn how to knit with different strands.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Amazing! Beautiful!
September 27th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Stunning! Beautiful! Wow! Congrats on finishing them. And you found cute shoes to show them off!
September 27th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Those are beautiful!
September 27th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I love them!!
September 27th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Those are truly gorgeous (and amazing)! Great job!
September 27th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Those are bee-yoo-tiful! Your feet will be so warm and cozy, I’m sure.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:46 am
wow, those are gorgeous! i didn’t care much for the original, but yours are great. fabulous job
September 28th, 2007 at 10:26 am
As my sis would say - gorgeousity! Great photos as usual, great shoes, great dog, great knitter!
September 28th, 2007 at 10:59 am
My word, those are beautiful! Your pictures make me want to knit them (they surpass the pictures on Eunny’s blog!) but I can see myself adapting them to be tall. Well done!!!
September 28th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Nice to see that your socks are finished too - they are beautiful (and such nice photos!). I visited your webpage a few weeks ago when I tried to find pictures, info and inspiration when I was knitting my own. It seems like there are very few knitbloggers who have finished them. Sad, because when you get the hang of it they really are a good knit.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
P.S. So you are going to knit a Solveig Hisdla design too. I’m working on one of the cardingans in Stiches in Poetry right now.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Those are some seriously beautiful socks. Brava!
September 29th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Those are beautiful! I want to knit those now!
September 29th, 2007 at 2:59 am
Beautiful! First pair I’ve seen since Eunny’s. Now I’m drawn to quit on the cardigan I’m knitting and start on these socks.
September 29th, 2007 at 9:39 am
OOh, I love these.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Beautiful! I’ll have to put them on my i-want-to-do-them-someday list!
September 29th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
amazing socks ~ well done!!
September 30th, 2007 at 6:11 am
Absolutely gorgeous! I will have to buy that pattern.
September 30th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Wow! Those are perfectly stunning. The colors are grerat together and perfect for the pattern. Glad you mastered the Kichener. I have taught myself everthing I know from those Knitting Help.com videos!
Congratulations Other Mel!
September 30th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Mel,
Now that’s a pair of socks! Definitely not meant to be covered by shoes!
All my love,
h.
September 30th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
omg! gorgeous!
October 1st, 2007 at 7:54 am
wow.they are beatiful.
Good job.
October 1st, 2007 at 3:53 pm
They are incredible! amazing work
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:37 am
Amazing! I have to admit that the colorwork/cable combo intimidates me even though I love them both. I think I will just have to try it, though. Although, Eunny’s Bayerische are up next in the queue
October 2nd, 2007 at 10:06 am
Your socks are gorgeous! Great work! I love the shoes you are wearing with them, too
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:44 am
These are beautiful- and your photographs (or Tads?) certainly do the socks justice. I love them in the clogs in the first photos. Congratulations- and now I am inspired!
October 7th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Way to go.
Bet they are really warm and cozy.
October 7th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Beautiful socks! They are amazing, you can really tell that a lot of work went into them. I love the color combination that you used.
I also really like the shoes you are wearing with them, where did you get those?!
October 7th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Gorgeous! Inspiring! And what great shoes too! Overuse of exclamation points! Oy!
Seriously though, you did a great job on the socks. I have the pattern and really do plan to knit them - some day. Maybe once my feet are smaller and could fit into them. Yeah, because my ginormous feet might just shrink under the weight of all the brillian but “average” sized sock patterns I love… Sigh.
October 28th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Wow! Though I appreciated the idea, I didn’t much like Eunny’s when I saw them. I don’t know if it’s the colors or what, but yours look awesome! One of these days I must give them a try.
Also, as the girl who is on a perpetual quest for the perfect pair of mary janes, I must ask what brand your shoes are. They are cute beyond cute.