A new year.
January 1st, 2005 by Donna
I liked Claudia’s idea: end as you mean to begin, so I knitted my way to the end of 2004, or at least until I could barely keep my eyes open and it was time for bed. I am once again re-doing the heel of the Cherry Tree Hill socks - Dawn Brocco’s six-point decrease instructions are swell, but the original heel was not deep enough. This makes the fifth or sixth version of this heel - my apologies for turning this blog into the “Sock Death March.” 
I’ve made no secret of this to those around me, but I’ll say here for the record that I’m not a fan of the Cherry Tree Hill - the color is gorgeous, but I didn’t expect the stripes. The yarn splits easily, and it seems loosely twisted, so once it splits, it can untwist and single stitches, worked to death, can look oddly Lopi-esque. I think sock yarn should stand up to frogging, and this does not. But I soldier on, so close to the end of sock #1, if I can ever finish the heel.
A long overdue thanks too to Susan for some delightful sock yarn from her huge stash - this makes just two balls of yarn aquired during the YNBA*. What you can’t see in this picture is that the yarn Susan sent sparkles - woo! I’m thinking it might be perfect for the New England Socks from Knitting on the Road. Something lacy, with a heel flap. Whew. Thanks, Susan!
So now I’ll begin as I ended - more knitting in store, and God willing and the creek don’t rise, a finished heel by sundown. Happy knitting new year!
*(well, four balls of yarn if you count a swap for some Regia that I will probably use to knit the Elann sock yarn cap, a stroke of brilliance since I got two different colors, and mismatched socks are only marginally cool if you’re over 30.)
I am learning a lot from reading about your sock knitting! And I’ll keep your opinion about Cherry Hill Yarn in mind - I would hate to order something that was too futzy to work with. (No LYS here…) Nevertheless, the socks you’re working on are lovely and I think the stripe is neat! Happy New Year!
Jeri, I think part of the problem may be that I am using metal needles; I shy away from bamboo or birch in sizes this small (0 and 1) because I fear they would break - I keep a fairly tight grip!