Cheshire Cat

Here’s another recent FO! My Illusion knit socks that I’ve been working on for what seems like forever!

Pattern: Wonderland Socks (or Alice’s Illusion Socks) by Alice Bell
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Sock in Cocoa and Bare
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Started: August 10, 2009
Finished: January 11, 2010

Modifications:
I made several modifications to this pattern:

1. The pattern has you begin the illusion knitting right after the toe increases. But if you do that then the kitty cat will be hidden in your shoes!! Instead, I worked the foot in plain 2×2 stockinette stripes and didn’t start the illusion knitting until after the heel. Because of this, I shortened the kitty cat chart by a few rows (I eliminated rows 16-19 and 22-25 of chart) to keep the socks to a reasonable height on my leg. If I had kept the chart as-is, then I would have probably ended up with knee-highs – which honestly would have been OK. They ended up hitting me about mid-calf.

2. I worked a toe-up Riverbed architecture heel flap.

3. I worked calf increases, since I knew the sock was going to hit quite high on my calf. I worked two stitches each increase row (one on each side of chart) on rows 15, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41 of chart.

4. I worked a 1×1 rib cuff for 14 rows and bound off in tubular bind-off.

5. I reversed the chart for the second sock. (I think the pattern tells you to do this, anyway.)

I am very happy with them!! I have yet to wear them, though (aside from pictures, anyway) because I am giving a presentation on Illusion Knitting at the Charlotte Knitting Guild meeting tomorrow night, and I want to pass them around as a sample. They probably wouldn’t appreciate stinky-feet smelling socks getting passed around!! 🙂