Good Beer Week Sneaker Liners (again)

I finished the Treetops jumper on Wednesday, so I did what I always do when I need something to knit and have no time to plan: I cast on a pair of sneaker liners. I wanted to do helictical single row stripes, and was trying to work out a way to do an afterthought heel, but by casting on the heel provisionally and then knitting in, when I found the Fork in the Road sock pattern. It does exactly that, although it uses a hat heel. Since a normal afterthought heel doesn't suit me that well anyway, I decided to go for it.

I cast on in the first pub of the evening, and knit the ribbing. We left the first pub, partly because we were always going to, but also because they turned the lights down and it was kind of dark. We got to the second pub, and I tried to cast on the heel stitches using Judy's provisional cast on in two colours. I still think it's possible, but I was 4 beers down and struggling. The bar tender turned the lights down (why do they do that?) He saw me looking at him and turned the lights back up. I kept struggling with the cast on, but in the end I just put in a provisional line of stitches and went back and did the heel afterwards.

Half an hour later he turned the lights down again, and I made a face again. Then he saw I was knitting, turned the lights back up, announced to the bar that we have a knitter in the house and would be keeping the lights up. My kind of bar tender!

Unpicking the heel wasn't as horrible as I remember, maybe I have more confidence with my stitches now. I definitely like the hat heel, and will be trying this pattern again. It looks great, was easy to work and fits better than any heel I've tried (maybe tired with the good old heel flap and gusset). If I am doing 1x1 stripes, I'm going to take the time to work out the cast on, because I believe, in quiet and good lighting, it is possible.

I finished the second sock on Monday, formally marking the end of Good Beer Week 2019, and a return to everyday life, containing more modest amounts of beer, but continuing to do an immodest amount of knitting..

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What I made, by Sharon

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