Maia Spins: It's Sock Time!

First I want to say a big drat! The link to the Bias Scarves Pattern wasn't working and I have no idea how long it has been that way. It is fixed now (I hope). Sorry 'bout that.

I am setting aside scarfiness for sockiness. Socks! Socks! Socks! Socktoberfest is in full gear; I need to get going. The swatching has begun in earnest. I may knit some Wensleydale that I natural-dyed, or some Socks That Rock, or some of Lisa Souza's Sock! yarn, or some Koigu (all from The Stash (not to be confused with Stash)). It all depends on how the swatching goes. Not much to show yet.

Lolly asked us to talk about our sock history:
When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
The first socks I remember making were Fair Isle Christmas stockings about 20 years ago. I made 6 or so (singles) complete with names at the top. I taught myself to knit those socks using a pattern from a World War I knitting book. The pattern was intended for knitting socks for soldiers in the trenches. The Fair Isle part I taught myself from books. I want to make some Christmas stockings this year, I don’t think any of those stockings remain. :-(

What was your first pair? How have they held up over time?
I only started making socks for humans(instead of mantles) recently. The first pair was made from energized singles straight off my drop spindle. The idea is that the energized singles (very recently spun with the twist not set by time or plying) would cause the stitches to spiral around the foot and ankle. So, I’d spin a bit, then knit it, then spin some more; keeping the singles energized (less than 24 hours old before they were knit up). The singles were spin from dyed locks of wool (polwarth I think) in a random color order. They are very fraternal. Unfortunately, they have not held up well. Each one has a good-sized hole in it. I have worn them a fair amount though, so no complaints.

What would you have done differently?
Nothing for that pair. I love to play with various heels and toes. Every pair is a little different.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Handspun is my favorite. After that I would say Lisa Souza, Nancy Finn (amazing color sense). In the stash, I have Socks that Rock and Koigu which I haven't knit before.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I am old school; give me metal DPNs any day. I have tried two circulars and couldn’t get those stitches back onto my trusty DPNs fast enough. Magic loop has suffered from “guilt by association”. I love my circular needles; I never knit on straights. It is just that socks = DPNs for me. It has never ocurred to me to crochet socks; I don't crochet much.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I like all kinds. I try to experiment and try something different. For top-down socks, I like the flap and gusset method. For toe-up socks I have always used a short-row heel. For patterning (especially the spiraling color stripes – yes, I do like that) sock yarn, I like an afterthought heel so I don’t mess up the color pattern. I have high arches and prefer the fit of a gusseted sock, but I like toe-up better for test fittings. On my next pair I will play with toe-up (using Judy's Magic cast-on method) with a gusset.

How many pairs have you made?
A couple dozen? Maybe more?

editted because the formatting is very wonky. I must remember to never cut and paste from Word; it goes sour every time.