Prima Socka

Marina Piccola II


Pattern: Marina Piccola, by Kate Gilbert
Size: 78 stitch sock, to fit women's size 8.5-9 (UK size 5-6)
Yarn: Sock, by Sweatermaker. 80% merino, 20% nylon (I think....not sure as no ball band)
Yarn Source: Fun Knits, Quadra Island
Yarn Cost: FREE because the skein was tangled like Days of our Lives
Needles: 2.5mm Addi Turbo 100 cm long, for magic loop
Tension: 9.5 sts/inch in stockinette
Cast on: February 10, 2008
Bound off: March 29, 2008
Modifcations: Used "m1" instead of "m1 left" or "m1 right". Couldn't see much difference on such a dark yarn, and the m1 was way faster than the m1L or m1R.
Notes: I like this pattern. This is my second time through it. One thing I don't like about it is that there is no glossary given, despite the fact that this is a purchased pattern, so you are not sure exactly how she wants you to do your increases. The first time I knit it, I spent a bit of time browsing around the internet looking up different ways to "make one left' or "make one right". I wasn't happy with any of the methods, especially since I knit socks so tightly, so I eventually abandoned the directional increase in favour of a generic one.



The star toe could be explained better. The method is easy enough, but I would have liked her to be more exact about how to arrange the stitches so that the decrease lines would be in the right places. This is probably just as much my problem as hers, since I was using the magic loop method and the pattern is written for DPNs.



I LOVE the cast on that Kate calls for. You cast on more stitches than you need (114 for a 78 stitch sock), join in the round, and on the first row you k2tog, p1 all the way around. So you've decreased your extra stitches straight away, loosening up the cast on edge so there's no tightness at all, but it's also not droopy. What's hard to remember is to simply cast on at a good tension, rather than doing my "I'm-casting-on-for-a-sock-so-be-loose" thing.



The sock that results is very comfortable. It's nice and clingy, the twisted rib providing just enough stretch to be snug, without being tight.


I'm glad I have my own pair of these, but I think for my next pair I'll move on to a different pattern. Actually, I think I'll move BACK to a plain stockinette sock for my next pair. I like knitting without looking and this pattern does require your attention.