Hi there. So, this is a short post today for a couple of interconnected reasons. The first being I have done no crafting to speak of this week. And the reason for that is I have been a poorly guy. I am currently battling a flu virus, I think, although my temperature only spiked one evening. But I have been coughing, sneezing, more coughing and generally fatigued very quickly from any activity. And so, have been off work since Wednesday.
Therefore, my concentration is low at the moment, hence no big craft project to speak of and no long post.
So, what I thought I would do is say Hi and hope all you are well, wherever you are and show you the Frankensock I have been making. This really is just a test of fine 4 ply yarn and socks on DPNs. But I have misplaced my little pot of markers, and so it all went Frankenstein like.
I mean, it has served a purpose in that I can handle 4 needles, the knitting didn’t slide off inadvertently and the tension ain’t bad on the plain stockinette stitch.
Where it goes horribly wrong, and I know is novice stuff, are the ladders at the end of each DPN row. Little elves could climb up them.
Then I somehow added a further 4 or 5 stitches somewhere. So I knitted those extra together.
And the ribbing at the top is a car crash. (And pause writing for a fit of coughing).
So, I won’t be taking this further and will be ripping it out, but I know that I can at least handle things if I am more focussed and organised. Not sure how you prolific sock makers do these without looking.
So, any tips are gratefully received. I have seen various ways of avoiding ladders.
Do you prefer toe up or band down sock knitting?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts and if your first sock attempt was equally Frankenstein-esque.
Taking my pills and lots of water now. Have a great weekend.
Hook This, Weave That 
I prefer band down, but mostly because I struggle with the short row toe-shaping. I manage avoiding ladders by giving a little tug on the working yarn, after I have completed the first stitch on each needle. I also find that the ladders excess gets distributed through other stitches after the work has been wet blocked. I hope you get to feeling better.
FYI, you can use little loops of contrasting yarn as stitch markers, in a pinch.
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Hey Laura. Thanks for your advice. I hadn’t thought about short rows. Not got to those as yet. I’ve not unpicked the frankensock yet, but it time is coming. Thanks for the well wishes too.
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