gauge annoys me...

I knit a lot of socks. In fact, I have 3, no 4 different pairs on the needles as we speak. (I always want to forget the striped pair that I don't like, but someone will love them).

I needed another pair - the grey cotton ones for BIL are boring beyond belief and the tofutsies are approaching the heel, and therefore not good for soccer knitting - I need mindless stockinette for soccer knitting. So I figured I would get a head start on some Christmas stuff and make my FIL a new pair - he gets a new pair every Christmas. I stash dived and came up with some beautiful denim blue merino that I bought in Kitchener last year. Stunning stuff - some colour variations that show off the hand dyed aspect, but solid enough for my FIL, Mr. Conservative. (One day I'm going to make him some mind blowingly coloured socks, and see what triumphs - his conservatism, or his love for me!)

Any hoo - back to the denim blue sock yarn. It's hand wash only - check. My MIL handwashes ALL the socks I've knit for them, even when I tell her they are superwash. She even darns them. I love this woman. There's a ton of this yarn - over 400 metres. It's soft, and sproingy, and get this - it was on sale for $7.00! Yes really. I only bought two balls - I'm an idiot. When I realized what I had done, Lucky and I went screaming back to that booth, only to be laughed at. It was all gone.

Okay - back from another tangent. Suffice it to say, this is really nice yarn, and FIL will love them. So I cast on. Now, I was thinking ahead, and realized that this wool seemed SLIGHTLY thicker. Easy enough, I'll just use a 2.5mm instead of a 2.25mm needle. Now, I often use a 2.5mm - STR for example works up beautifully on the 2.5mm.

Here's where I am an idiot. I'm working away on my Turkish Toe - love this! As I get closer to the 64 stitches that is my optimal men's sock magic number, I'm thinking - "Geez, this seems big enough already. I should stop increasing. Or at least measure." SO, you'd think that's what I did, right? Nope. kept going to 64 stitches. Measured it this morning against a STR that is my go-to sock for measurements. What did I discover? Any guesses? Bueller?

Note - there should be a picture here, but hubby had the camera, and then I ripped before he got home...)

Yup. Too big. By about 8 stitches, which as it happens, is right about where I was thinking of stopping to measure. And the fabric is perfect, so I don't want to change needle sizes. This yarn is just a hair thicker than the STR.

I know how to measure gauge. I even make swatches that don't look like sleeves on occasion. Get this - I've even washed a swatch and remeasured! No, really, I did! Okay, it was denim yarn, and you're a moron if you don't do wash and dry denim - we are talking MAJOR changes in gauge with denim yarn.

I've got to start listening to the voices in my head more often. Sometimes they really make sense...