Sock Troubles

I am currently working on my very first Toe-Up Sock. I had planned to do the Crossed Ribbing sock from the book "More Sensational Socks" by Charlene Schurch.

I did the easy toe cast on where you do a provisional cast-on and basically knit a small rectangle, pick up the cast on stitches and pickup stitches along both ends. Had no problems this. At this point, the only problem I had was of my own making. I had determined I would need to end up with 72 stitches after the toe increase, which turned out to be WAY to many. So I backed down to 64 and that was still too many. I finally ended up with 56. I breezed along until I got the foot done and was ready to start the gusset. Pardon my saying this, but Ms. Schurch's book doesn't include any mention of a gusset. Maybe she assumes since this is Book 2, you have Book 1 (which I don't) and that explanation is in book 1. I have no idea, but I wasn't sure how to proceed. From the instructions it reads as if you knit the foot section as long as you need it and then proceed to the heel flap/shortrow toe. Thankfully I have other sock books. I dug one of those out and figured out how to do the gusset. I was going to do a short-row heel, but I must of missed the part where it said "stop here if you're going to do the short-row heel, but proceed past point for a heel flap". Anyway, I made my gusset section too long and determined that I really really didn't want rip out a 1-inch section. So I went ahead and did a heel flap. It turned out wonderfully. I tried it on last night and it fit like a glove.

Now I've run into another dilemma. I have decided I don't like the original cuff pattern and want to try something else. I tried one last night, got 4 rows in and determined it really wouldn't show up well with my variegated yarn. I really wanted to do a cabled or mock cabled pattern. But after knit club last night I went home and since I was too impatient to wait until today to look on the internet, I settled for the Grapevine pattern from the "More Sensational Socks" book. It's kind of a lacy pattern. Well last night I was satisfied with it, but I have slept since then. And this morning I have determined that I really do want to do a mock cable pattern. So at lunch today, I plan to rip back the pattern yet again. I looked and found a couple mock cable patterns on Ravelry this morning, that have the correct number of stitches or at least use multiples of 8. Now I just have to figure out which one I want to use. Because I really don't want to do any more ripping on this sock.

I just hope that the careful notes that I have been taking will make sense to me when I do sock #2.

Here are 2 photos of my sock. The second is a close-up of the heel flap.


PS I finished my Liz's Magic String Grocery Bag. And here are the photos for that. I have a picture of it before it gets unraveled, but that is on another dig. camera and has yet to be downloaded.
Now I just have to remember to take it with me to the Grocery Store!