Square vs Round

Some time back, I cast on and knit the first sock of a pair. Elizabeth Zimmermann's Woodsman's Thick Socks to be exact. I've made this type of sock before, don't wear them often, but love the down home, rustic cabin, sitting in front of a log-burning fire, cozy feeling they exude.

For me, the trouble with knitting one sock long before the second is not remembering what I did to sock #1.

So, if you look closely, you will see - but probably not, as my great photography skills have positioned the socks to hide this special feature - that one sock has a square heel, one a round heel.

The round heel is my favourite and the one I most often use. To do it, I knit to 2 stitches past centre heel before starting the shaping. The square heel, I knit to 4 stitches past centre. For some reason, I decided way back in winter time to do this pair with a square heel, finished sock #1, then promptly forgot what I had done. Of course, I could have taken a close look at the finished sock when ready to do heel #2. But why would I? I always do a round heel.

And so, I have what Ms McPhee calls 'fraternal, not identical, twin' socks. Loving them, like a good Mom, all the more for their individuality.

Woodsman's Thick Socks - Details.
Pattern: Woodman's Thick Socks, by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Found in 'Knitting Around' by EZ.

Yarn - Briggs & Little Tuffy. The B&L line of sock yarn that has a bit of nylon in it. In this case the yarn was rescued from the 'Moccathin Thockies' I knit earlier in the year. Moccasin Socks, 'unvented' by Elizabeth are a sock where the sole is added last. The point being that if the bottom wore out, it could be unraveled and re-soled. I didn't like the finished product. It was difficult to get the sock to fit snugly and the spiralling decreases under the heel and toe seemed uncomfortable. In the end, I decided that resoling was something that even Elizabeth would agree was -"much more often spoke about than done." I ripped and made the Woodsman Socks instead.

Needles: 3.25 mm

Stitches Cast On - 44

Pattern: 2x2 ribbing down entire leg and also on the instep.

Foot Length - 6 inches measured from gusset pick up to beginning of toe decreases.

Toe - round toe fashioned by decreasing every other round until half the total stitches remain, then decreasing every round until 8 stitches remain and are grafted together.

Size - They fit me nicely and I wear a 7 1/2 - 8 shoe.

Nice socks indeed. And on the foot, there feels no difference between the square vs the round heel. Good to know. Not the socks for today though - a 30' day.