Sweet and Sour: Thoughts on Crocheted Socks

Hello. Here are some socks I made. Yes, me. I made them. And I'm proud because making socks is quite an accomplishment.

I didn't start out to crochet socks, but one day back in January all of the projects I wanted to make were lacking something. I didn't have the right yarn for one or the right hook for another. I was browsing Ravelry and came across a sock pattern. I had the yarn, the hook, and so I decided to give it a go.

Some parts of this project were really fun. The yarn, while I'm not wow-ed by the craziness of the final result, was an absolute joy to crochet with. It's soft and the colors are fabulous. When I first started making these K and I visited an ice cream shop called Banana Moon and soon after, each time that pale yellow came up on my hook, I was imagining banana moon pies. Then purple would surface, and I'd be tasting grape popsicles. Blue conjured images of fluffy cotton candy from the fair, and pink felt like icy cold pink lemonade running down my throat. It's a wonder I got through these socks without eating my weight in sweets.


Do you remember what you thought about as you made certain projects? I know if I'm making something for someone in particular, I often think about them and memories of things we've done together during the making process.

Making these socks was much more difficult than I ever anticipated, which I blame mostly on lack of clarity in the pattern. I'm still not quite sure how to crochet heels. I know that I improvised both heels in different ways, and if you asked me to make another one, it would be different from these two. Perhaps I was misreading the pattern, but when I tried to follow it, I ended up with pretty obvious holes where I made the heel cup, and I was not having any of that. So I changed it, but man was it frustrating in the process.

I'll be honest. Crocheting socks makes me want to learn to knit. It's not that I dislike crocheted socks. It's more that they aren't exactly what I'm looking for in a sock. I want delicate socks that look good with shoes. Crocheted socks are just a bit too chunky for my liking. They're more like slipper socks that are good for wearing around the house and definitely keep your feet snuggly. I'm sure lots of people love crocheted socks for their thickness, warmth, and oh-so-chunky looks. Me? Meh. Maybe if I tried a different pattern or perhaps a solid-colored yarn (because yarn that is self-striping when knit looks pretty crazy when crocheted).

I'm glad I made these socks because it was a challenge that, once completed, made me feel like I could do about anything. Learn to knit? Why yes, I think I can.