Wrestling a Porcupine

I'm trying out a new sock technique, and at one point I would have sworn I was wrestling a porcupine. Things are going alright now and I really like the look. But wow who knew sock knitting could be so dangerous?

So socks are normally knit as a big tube that you do some special sock magic and create a bump out for the heel. Heels are a common place for holes to appear so many people try to figure out cleaver ways to make it easier to replace the heel or sole of a sock. 

The sock Achilles HeAl is one of those kinds of socks. I kept being drawn to it. When my Drusilla yarn refused to be just another sock, she sweet talked me into her plan. I didn't even know Drusilla was sweet on Achilles. But she was and I was stuck with a porcupine.

Dang it I knew I should have taken pictures along the way to explain but alas I could not get a hand free.  Achilles is knit as a normal top down sock but you knit the instep, or top of the foot, portion flat for a ways. The pattern calls for you to cast on some stitches to work all the way around the foot, knit the toe, then work the heel.

I however used my Ravelry skills and did as most people did, I followed that plan for a bit but instead of knitting the toe I went back and knit the heel. It is pretty hard to figure out how long a sock should be when a quarter of it is still missing.

I am not kidding when I tell you that a few times I had twelve double pointed needles and a circular needle, all holding or working stitches on that sock. I still am not sure how I did it. Let's hope I can recreate it for the second sock.

Poor Dru was even sent to time out with all those needles poking her too. I kept getting confused by the wording on the second round of the heel. The designer has you pick up and knit a round of stitches plain but then stops the second round of knitting to give a new starting point while leaving 15 stitches unworked. Those 15 stitches jump from round one to round three without passing GO. I, being the ignorant knitter that I occasionally am, did not think you could get anywhere without passing GO. So off to jail Dru went to await her turn again.

The most frustrating thing was checking online to see if anyone had the same problem. Many times the heel was called fiddly, but no one owned up to being thwarted by it. Till I read one lady's project notes where she explained that the round ended before all the stitches were worked. Sometimes it is the simplest things that bite you in the bum.

What a wonderful thing project notes are people!