I may have stayed up way too late to finish these…but here they are! These are the best-fitting socks I have ever made for myself, and I really enjoyed knitting the gusset heel. (No stitches to pick up! Woohoo!) I knit them on size 1 needles out of Yarn Pirate superwash merino in the emerald city colorway. I have a fair amount leftover, but I still need to weigh the skein to see exactly how much.
You may remember that this pair of socks was also an experiment with 8 inch hiya-hiya needles. I picked the second sock up again after allowing it to languish in my sock bag for months, and I had to readjust to these super short needles all over again. Once I got back into a rhythm with them, the second sock practically knit itself. The ribbing at the cuff, however, is a different story. Don’t get me wrong — these needles are awesome for stockinette sock speed — but working the ribbing and the bind off was a full-on struggle. I’ll remember that next time, and keep dpns or circs handy for any non-stockinette sections. I do think the hiya-hiya needles are wonderful for stockinette sock knitting — quick, quiet, and ladder-free!
In the spirit of the new year, I’m employing a critical eye as I look at my WIPs. Earlier this month, you folks helped me decide to frog my brompton cardigan and reclaim a sweater’s worth of Rowan Felted Tweed. Next up, a gorgeous pattern that I started as part of the Socks from the Toe Up KAL. (Yep, I’ve fallen off that wagon. Still LOVE the book, though.) I’m knitting them out of Shibui Sock in the ginger colorway, and I’m worried that think they (or more accurately, the 3 inches of the first sock) might be too big. I’m going to dig out that project today and take a look.
barefoot rooster 
Hey it was totally worth it to lose some sleep to finish these!
And the ginger yarn is a great color – those socks will be great. Go you!
Woo! Those socks are great! And like Lisa said, totally worth missing some sleep for.
Nicely done, Rooster! The heel looks really neat — can’t wait to see it in person. :D
Yippee for finishde socks!! The no-picking-up-stitches and the no-grafting are the reasons that I so love toe up socks!!! I may occasionally do a cuff down, but my heart belongs to Wendy!
Oh, but I do find that Wendy’s patterns tend toward the larger…. The first pair I made was GIGANTIC, then I overcompensated by going too small…. The pair I am working on now MAY be just right! :-)
Super nice socks!!! I should pick up some socks again. Haven’t knit any in a long time for some reason. Good to see Boh finally figured out how to work the camera!;)
Love these! I’ll have to try the gusset, toe-up heel on my next socks. I’ve got a plan for some koigu, striped knee socks in the works.
Very nice! Thanks for the review of the short hiya-hiya needles — I’ve been curious about those.
Love the socks and the color. I just did a gusset heel, toe-up sock myself. That heel was like an awakening moment for me – so much easier than what I had been trying to do. Now I’m hooked, have to hurry and finish this pair so I can start another. Happy knitting!!