in which I mutilate a perfectly good sock

the pick-up, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

yes, two posts in one day. this is just too good to pass up.

So, months ago I had an idea for people to knit tube socks and send them to partners from anywhere in the world with some extra yarn for them to make afterthought heels (best described by the yarn harlot). And it happened. And is still happening.

I finally got my package (due to some flakey swappers - yes, there are always one or two) as an "angel package" from my fellow mod, Gekko, with some funky blue socks. Here's the thing: I've never made an afterthought heel before. Ever. In fact, I've never CUT yarn that has been knit before. No steeking, no nothing. Of course, that didn't stop me from starting an entire group/swap based on the idea.

So this afternoon I sat down with the socks and the appropriate materials: yarn, needles, scissors, glass of wine, and got to it.

Above you can see the initial pick up. Then, probably the worst part of all:


the cut.

After that there was no turning back, so I started picking up stitches on the other side and gently removing the middle row:



Finally ending up with:



So, did it all work out? Drum roll please.............


ta da!

I'm quite please with the results if I do say so myself! It's not that I doubted the Yarn Harlot (although she herself admits to doubting EZ in the above referenced post, which has to be way higher on the knitting sacrilege scale), it's just that I worried about my own abilities for such risky knitted business. I mean, who takes scissors to perfectly knit stitches? Madness, that is.

In any case, it worked out, and I'm thrilled with the result. Although I think I'll wait a day or two to do the other one.

Note: for anyone who wants to attempt an afterthought heel on their own there is one key point missing from the yarn harlot's guide. Rule of thumb for placement of heel: approx. 2 inches before the end of the foot. I.E. my foot is 9 inches long, therefore I placed the heel 7 inches away from the toe of the sock.