Pattern: Alpha Socks - originally published in November of 2009.
Yarn: TFA Blue Label in Midnight.
Ravelry pattern page here.
Ah, the Alpha Sock pattern. Such a steep learning curve here! I designed these socks for my dad, who's middle name is Alpha. I still try to knit my dad a new pair of socks every year for Christmas, and three of my sock designs came out of this tradition. This is the first pair of socks I ever designed, the first time I had to figure out how to make a chart for a knitting pattern, the first time I had to try and write out the explanation for how to knit a heel gusset... writing patterns is not easy friends! I remember how hard I worked on all those details - not that the pattern is especially complicated at all, but doing all of those technical non-knitting related parts of pattern writing was all new to me then. It's a nice reminder of how far of come and how every time you try something new there are new challenges to master. Now I could make a chart in my sleep but that certainly wasn't always the case.
This pattern also marks Chris' foray into foot modelling! He has come a long way. I have also come a long way with my photography skills and my photo cropping skills - I would never publish a photo of Chris' hairy legs on my blog now!!! Well, I guess this post proves that I would, but you know what I mean. He does have a beautiful arch though doesn't he? Such elegant feet.
Alright, so do I still love this pattern? You know what? I do. But not enough to knit it again apparently. The truth is I find it a little fiddly. All of the elements are totally fine and the sock is lovely, but when knitting socks these days I prefer something a little more zen. Twisted stitches and moss stitch are a bit more "extra" than I'm aiming for in a sock at the moment. Still nothing wrong with the pattern, but my preferences have evolved in the past 9 years, which is a good thing I think. ;)