I am so in awe

of sock designers that can carry a lace or cable pattern down into the foot of the sock. I am humbled before you.

I couldn't find just the right sock pattern for my Knitty Sock Swap pal, so I thought, Hey! I'll design my own. This being driven in part by her foot and ankle measurements not matching up to my favorite patterns. No fault of her own of course, but I figured it would be easier to custom make a sock to dimensions. First try: not so good. Pattern didn't "pop" with the yarn like I thought it would. Also, the difference in gauge between the pattern stitch and the stockinette on the sole made the whole thing too small. RIP. Second try: even worse. After 4 pattern repeats on the foot (I'm going toe-up), it looks like a slipcover for a canoe paddle. Rippity-rip.
Third (and current) go-round: plain foot. It's working just fine.

Now I'm at the heel, having just worked the gusset a la Widdershins. Pretty neat, a toe-up gusset heel! I may have to make a pair of sock for myself like this. Then I'll adjust the number of stitches to work the pattern all the way around the ankle, and knit until the skein runs out.

No photos of the WIP - it's a surprise!