Sheep Feet Socks

What to do when you don't get socks for Christmas? Knit them! (Yeah, yeah, I know. I likely would have been knitting them anyway.)

So, the other day, I went to my stash, made a selection and got started.

Now, it happens that a few weeks ago, I picked up "The Knitters Book of Socks" by Clara Parkes at the Lopez Library.

In it she notes, "Unfortunately, we can't always count on a yarn label to indicate the ideal sock gauge for a yarn, because socks always want to be knit tighter than most other things you'd knit with that same yarn. Or, as Lucy Neatby puts it, 'Socks should be worked on abnormally small needles for the size of the yarn.'"

On the next page, she includes some handy guidelines for stitch gauge ...

Here's what the yarn label shows ...

OK, 5-6 stitches/inch on US #4 on the label. Ravelry lists this as a DK-weight yarn. Clara Parkes suggest 7-8 stitches/inch for DK.

So, I started swatching on 3s, then dropped to 2s and finally to 1s. Still, my gauge is coming in at 6.5 and not 7. Nevertheless, I'm sticking with 1s ... since I don't have 0s.

And I like the way things look so far ...

Having read the cautions about yardage on the Ravelry comments tab, I'll be careful to keep an eye on my progress vs. remaining yarn. Not sure what my "punt" situation will be, but I'll figure it out if needed.