Pair-at-a-time Socks

OK, I have NEVER knitted socks before. There was just this negative idea about spending hours and hours and hours to knit a pair of socks, when you can buy a pair for a couple of dollars that just kept me from even considering it.

But, a co-worker has been doing them, and having tremendous fun... and it's gotten my curiosity up. But, knowing that it takes about 12 hours to knit one sock, and knowing that once your done, having to turn around and start over on sock number two? Well, that's just kind of depressing concept.

So, I went out and bought a book, called pair-at-a-time knitting. The idea is that you knit both socks simultaneously on the same needles. Still takes the same amount of time, but you avoid that whole depressing condition that's got an official nickname "second sock syndrome". Which means that there are LOTS of knitters out there who make a sock, but never quite end up making it's pair - which how depressing is that? All this singular socks who never even get to the point of getting worn, to getting washed to losing their match! Their match never gets made!

Knowing that I'm a prime candidate for second sock syndrome. I figured that if I was going to learn how to knit socks, I was darn well going to do it two at a time and try to avoid that second sock syndrome.

HA! I failed miserably. Not in making the socks, if I do say so, I think they're quite cute. I failed to avoid second sock syndrome? Why? Because in the book, the first time you do this, it's QUITE CHALLENGING.... and they strongly recommend that you use two different colored yarns one for each sock so that you can tell them apart and not mess up. SO, I ended up with two different socks. If I want to make 2-pairs, I can, but that would involve making a second set of mis-matched pair-at-a-time socks. Guess what? I'm not going to bother! Totally have second sock syndrome. These two lonely socks will never meet their sole-mate (sorry, couldn't talk myself out of that pun!).