Never Doing That Again
Four months ago, I decided to give flap heels a try. From the get go, I knew I wasn’t going to like the resulting socks – a good part of the reason I decided to try the flap heel on this pair is because I already didn’t like the yarn, so if the heel turned out badly, I wouldn’t mind too much. And yet, somehow, the reality is worse than I could have imagined. I now know, without any shadow of a doubt, that I will not ever knit another flap heel.
Why?
Because the damn thing tickles!
I’ve always had super sensitive feet. I resisted making socks for years because when I tried my first pair (on size 2US/2.75-3mm needles) the purl bumps hurt my feet when I walked on them. It wasn’t until I tried again on size 0US/2mm needles years later that I finally figured out what all the sock fever was about in the knitting community. Even on the small needles I’m using, though, I still avoid cotton yarns most of the time due to their stiffness and the way the stitches hold their definition against my feet.
But flap heels! They have ridges! On the inside of the foot! And OH MY GOD DOES IT TICKLE. I can’t imagine willingly wearing these socks anywhere or for any period of time.
Not, mind you, that I would have anyway – the colors are likewise atrocious.
Luckily, taste being what it is and variable between people, one of my coworkers actually likes the colorway for these socks and her feet are the same size as mine. It’s win-win: I get the damn things out of my house, and she actually wants to have them for her very own!
As for the yarn – this was another Deborah Norville yarn, and while it didn’t have the ridiculous number of cut ends as the first pair, it still wasn’t entirely enjoyable to knit with – it’s kind of rough on my hands (surprising when the first pair were so soft) and kind of splitty, and frankly it feels cheap (no surprise, given that it was ridiculous cheap when I bought it – we’re talking $5/pair of socks cheap).
So it looks like Deborah still gets one more chance with the last colorway of hers I have in my stash (eventually – I want a break with some nice Tofutsies before I go back to Deborah) before I pass final judgment on her entire yarn line.
As for the flap heel – no more chances. One pair of tickle-y socks is enough.
Posted: November 1st, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Tags: Socks