So I’m merrily knitting away on the New England sock — really cranking — get the leg done (mind you, I like short socks, so I only did 2 diamond repeats), get the heel flap done, and start turning the heel.
I’m following the instructions like a good mindless little knitter.
And it’s fucked up.
I didn’t have the same number of stitches on either side of my middle short row. I knit a few more rows in the vain hope that it would all work out in the end.
I ripped, re-knit, still doesn’t work. Never mind I had a hard as hell time trying to pick up the itty bitty stitches (because I’m too freakin’ HASTY to tink back all those stitches).
Aha. It’s the PATTERN that’s fucked up. So I checked the errata — no notes about that section.
So I drew it out on some scrap paper, making a little diagram of the stitches and rows. I checked the instructions in the intro chapter regarding turning heels and found out the New England pattern calls for a variation of her square heel. I applied the instructions in that section to my sock and finally got it to work. (Keep in mind I have successfully turned a heel before. It’s not rocket science.) And no, the number of initial stitches for the first row noted in the pattern was not what worked.
I finished the heel and calmed down, admiring my work. I decided to try it on. Keep in mind I have 1 dpn in the lace section, 1 in the heel. I pulled on the sock — it stretched — and CRACK. Yep, broke one of my (new, Lantern Moon, rosewood) needles — in the lace section — and of course some stitches drop. In the middle. In the main motif, diamond pattern. Lace. Dropped stitches.
I picked up what I could and went to bed.
Tomorrow is another day.
(NOTE: I successfully reconstructed the diamond pattern this morning and will be working on picking up the gussett stitches later today.)