FO Friday- Boot socks

Someone on Ravelry linked to Kemps who were selling 150g of Regia 6ply for less than £4. If there is one thing I like more than yarn it is bargain yarn!

4 balls in different colourways found their way to my house. I used the justification of making boot socks to wear to work, but really I just wanted stripy socks. They will be boot socks though as I find 6 ply a bit thick for wearing in trainers.

The first pair didn't have a pattern, it is just k3p1 rib with a cuff, afterthought heel and typical knit sock toe.

I worked them over 56 stitches on 3mm needles. Unfortunately they are a bit loose. This was intentional as I figured they would shrink a bit in the washing machine but the ribbing does not pull them as snug as I had hoped. They will be fine in laced up boots but slide around in wellies.

The next pair are being worked over 44 stitches, they look ok so far but may prove to be too tight. It seems I may be destined to Goldilocks knitting of late.

FO Friday- Electric 80s socks

Shield your eyes!

Ok, so because of the lack of natural daylight they don't look so bright, but in real life they really are.

After the madness of the A-Z KAL challenge last year the UK sock knitters group have picked a calmer KAL for this year. Each month a British designer and a UK indie dyer have been chosen. You make a pattern from the designer, or in the yarn, or both. Cast on in the specific month but no end date.

For February the yarn theme was "secret santa swap yarn". Pretty much what it says on the tin there. Use the yarn you received in the secret santa swap. I had some Krafty Koala yarn in the colourway electric 80s. Not a colourway I would have picked for myself, but not bad for socks. It has a sort of self striping effect.

Aside from the chunky yarn slippers I made no socks in January and by the end of the month was pining for sockiness. In the spirit of keeping it simple and choosing something quick to work I opted for a plain vanilla sock with an afterthought heel. Sometimes knitting round and around in circles is just what you need.

They are a little loose really, could have reduced the stitch count or used a smaller needle. I wonder if the tightness of my stitches has changed. I used to be a tight knitter but perhaps I have loosened up? 

A-Z sock challenge round up

All my sock projects for the UK Sock Knitter's Group A-Z challenge:

The socks include a lot of different techniques and stitch patterns. From only working top down heel flap socks I am a convert to the benefits of toe up and short row heels. I wouldn't only ever work one type as I still like both, they suit different situations. 

I also tried a lot of different sock yarns, some lovely and some less so. Regia 4 ply and Stroll fingering weight are about even for the best all round (price, feel, colours, washability etc) but some of the yarns like Cherry tree Hill supersock and The Knitting Goddess merino are lovely luxury yarns. I am not a fan of singles sock yarns, although they are ok for a very plain sock the fuzziness makes fancy stitch patterns hard to see.

I have lots of lovely socks now so have a few different challenges for next year, there will be some socks, but more other projects. I will do a new years challenges post in a day or two.

Hope you have a lovely New Year's Eve!

FO Friday- Z socks

And so here ends the socky alphabet

Pattern: Zokni by Mintyfresh

Yarn: Dream in colour smooshy

Needles: 2.5mm dpns

Love this pattern, aside from the super name it makes some gorgeous socks. A lace pattern makes leaves from top to bottom. It does need a bit of concentration, I tried working on it at knit night and had to give up in favour of a K1P1 hat as it was too complicated fro knitting and chatting. There were too many rows for me to remember the whole chart, although by the end a quick glance was enough to remind me what I should be doing.

The yarn is delicious. I received it in a swap and have to say I am very jealous of the lovely sock yarns available in the US. I may have to visit with an empty suitcase! It is lovely to work with and has gorgeous stitch definition which is perfect for the lace pattern. The colourway is lovely and goes well with the leafy pattern. As an extra bonus it is 4oz rather than the standard 100g the UK sock yarns come in so I have lots left to play with.

Stitch pattern close up showing the super leaves:

Tomorrow I will do a round up of all 26 pairs if I can work out how to do the pictures as a slideshow rather than 26 individual photos.

I think next year there may not be quite so many socks, time for some different challenges I think! (Fear not, there will be some socks)

FO Friday- Y socks

I now have just one pair of socks to knit to have made it through the alphabet. Presenting my Y socks:

Pattern: Yukon Leaves

Yarn: Regia 4 ply in Galaxy for the main part, solid red and green for cuffs, heels and toes.

Needles: 2.5mm dpns

Mods: Afterthought heel worked as I think the squared heel looks better than a heel flap when using a different colour for the heels. Five plain rounds before toe decreases.

I enjoyed making these, the pattern was clear and easy to follow but challenging enough that it does not get boring. It is not really a beginners sock pattern but is fairly simple if you know the basics of sock construction.

The stitch pattern is written not charted. I found six patterned rows was too much to remember so had to keep the instructions in front of me throughout. Maybe if I had charted the pattern I would have found it easier to picture the next row to work from the previous row of knitting.

There is an option for increasing the circumference of the sock by four stitches, I went for the larger size although I probably could have got away without the extra stitches.

I have talked about Regia yarn before, it is a good sock knitting choice. Affordable and hard wearing with a decent stitch definition. There is a good range of solid and self patterning choices.

I had one ball of the self patterning Galaxy yarn picked up from a bargain bin. I worked the cuffs, heels and toes in leftovers from other projects. I worked until I had used a little under 25g of the yarn then did a couple of plain rounds in the toe colour to make up the length. There was a little of the Galaxy yarn leftover, toe up are probably best for making the most of a single ball.

Yarnovers and decreases make a lace pattern down the leg and foot.  

Proof I made a sock with no heel. Look a tube!

You can see the orange row where I stored the heel stitches. I took quite a few photos so will do a separate post about the heel on another day.

FO Friday- X socks

These have been a challenge, but they are finally finished. Apologies for the lousy photos, there is an absence of daylight when I am home to take pictures at the minute.

Pattern: XOX Socks- Hugs and Kisses by Wollhuhn

Yarn: Four seasons Grundl Hot socks

Needles: 2.5mm

These socks were really hard work, in fact it was possibly the least I have enjoyed knitting a pair of socks ever!

I am going to sound like something of a moo face here, because the pattern is free so I should not complain about it, but I want to give you an honest opinion. There are good points as well as bits I would change. It is also probably the yarn's fault that I did not get on with it very well, more on that in a minute.

I do like the XO cable, I would probably give it a less cutesy name, but that is just me. And if you look at the FOs on Ravelry it does knit up nicely, especially if you use a yarn with good stitch definition (which I didn't, oops). The pattern is easy to follow and once you have done a couple of the cables is not too bad to memorise.

I would work about an inch of k1p1 rib at the top instead of the suggested ribbing, the sections are just too wide and it gets curly and floppy at the top. I found the plain rounds a little awkward as the stitch numbers change (k4,p2,k4,p4,k12 etc), it made it hard to get into a rhythm, so I would make all the purl sections the same width . I would also work an additional cable down the plain section at the back of the foot, or work the cable chart twice around the whole leg, this would require 64sts or you could add a little extra ribbing in the purl sections for a better fit as the cables reduce the stretch somewhat.

As you may have guessed I have more griping to do about the yarn. I bought this ages ago and have tried to make two scarves with it, both have ended up being frogged. It is a loosely spun single, so it is very splitty, you have to watch every stitch you make to avoid poking the needle through the yarn. There are also a lot of thick and thin bits, I suspect this will not wear well as a sock but it is a wool/nylon blend so it may be ok. Unsurprisingly as it is a single the stitch definition is not great.

It is not all bad, once you have got the pesky stuff knitted up it is nice and soft and it has long colour changes the blend gradually which I like in a sock. In spite of this I would not buy it again, the negatives just far outweigh the positives.

The X O cable pattern.

Ok, I apologise for all the negativity this week, I promise to be back to my cheery self next week :)

FO Friday- W socks

Not the World's greatest photo, dark evenings are making it harder to get decent pictures, but enough to see the patterning made by the yarnovers.

Pattern: Wanida by Cookie a
Yarn: Regia 4 ply in burgundy
Needles: 3.5mm dpns

The pattern uses decreases and yarnovers to make a diamond pattern on the socks. The pattern is easy to follow but I did need to have the book open all the time, even by the end I couldn't be sure I had remembered it correctly so it was safer to look at the chart. The pattern is charted, there are no written instructions so if that is your not thing you would need to convert the instructions.

There is a mistake in the heel set up. Ravelry solved this for me, you need to work one less stitch on the final leg round to make the patterning line up after the heel, move the extra stitch to be stored while you work the heel. Not a huge mistake, but somewhat annoying in a purchased book.

I have used this yarn before to make my T socks so I will not go too deeply into the details again. It is nice and smooth and should be machine washable. It is also an affordable sock yarn option with a good range of colours available.

Finished object Friday- V sock

The end of the A-Z challenge is approaching, just four pairs left to make. This week the V socks get to take their turn as the FO.

Pattern: Vidia by Rebecca Mercier from Sock yarn one skein wonders

Yarn: Regia Xmas in navy and silver

Needles: 2.5mm dpn

This pattern is great, well written and easy to follow. It is worked from the toe up with a short row heel. A pattern of V shapes made from decreases and yarnovers is made as you go up the foot and leg. After the heel is worked a cable pattern is worked up the back of the heel. Twisted stitches run up the sides of the chart, from toe to cuff. The patterning is charted so if you prefer written instructions you would need to convert them. The patterning is fairly easy to remember so once you have done a few repeats it is quick to work.

I do think the same stitch pattern could be used on the front and back, both are nice so it seems like a bit of an odd design. You could make two pairs of socks using this pattern, three if you followed it as written.

The yarn is lovely, one of my favourites so far. The photo does not do it justice as the flecks you can see are actually silver sparkles. The yarn seems softer than other Regia yarns I have used, it feels lovely even with the sparkly bits. Hopefully this will be as hardwearing as other Regia yarns. It should be machine washable, but due to my machine's reputation as a "destroyer of socks" I will handwash them. I suspect this will help the sparkles survive for longer. The dark yarn makes it a little harder to see the cables and twisted stitches, something lighter would have been better. The stitch definition is good, but a higher twist might make the cables really stand out.

Yarnovers and decreases make a V pattern working up the foot and leg.

I was trying to take a photo of the cable up the back, this is what happen when you try to take photos at night, inside using a flash. Try to imagine a lovely cable with lines of yarn overs at the sides. The cables make an inter twinned heart shaped pattern. One of my cables crosses the wrong way but I am learning to live with small mistakes.

On to W tomorrow, I have a pattern picked out, but have not chosen the yarn yet. I will see what is in my stash and may have to rethink my pattern choice depending on the yarn.

Washing socks

Seriously, I would never have thought anyone would want to hear about me washing socks, but I am going to talk about it anyway.

Actual technical bits- I dunk them in the sink full of warm water and a little soak, squish them a bit and swirl them around. Then leave them to soak, generally at this point I forget about them and wander back a while later, frantically scooping them out when I need the sink for something else.

After a bit of a squeeze they take a spin in an old salad spinner, usually in pairs then are hung out to dry.

In summer:

In winter:

I had a mammoth sock washing session last week, where I washed almost every pair of hand knit socks I own, they filled the bottom of the bathtub. Apparently I have twenty seven pairs of handknit socks in regular wear (I am a very lucky lady :) ). There are also two pairs that I machine wash, two chunky boot socks and a few random pairs that I don't tend to wear, mostly early sock knitting errors, like being too short or shrunk in the wash.

Last night my twenty six pairs of socks were put into my sock drawer (I had already swiped one off the airer to wear during the day). Actually put in is not an accurate description, piled on top of comes closer. "I think someone has too many pairs of socks" I was told.

Never!

FO Friday- U socks

This week it is the turn of my U socks.

Pattern: Uzumaki by Karen Harper

Yarn: Mirasol Hacho

Needles: 3.5mm circulars

Notes: Increased to 44 sts on the foot, to 48sts on the leg. Added 15rnds k1p1 rib to the top of the leg. Surprisingly stretchy bind off used.

A bit of a change from my usual sock method with these, they are worked toe up using a DK weight yarn. To save on counting I decided to work two at once, it is still not my favourite method, but it has advantages in that you can use the yarn until you run out to get the longest possible leg.

The pattern is easy to follow, as long as you read it properly. I did get confused at the first read through, thinking the decrease was worked every other round, it is only worked once and causes the rib to spiral as you work around the leg. It might not be the best beginner pattern as some of the directions are not explained fully, in particular wrap and turn, but if you have worked short rows before you should be able to follow the pattern easily.

I would maybe add some ribbing to the top of the foot if I made these again. I prefer the fit to be more snug than you get with a plain foot.

Working these in a heavier weight yarn made them really fast, I managed to get these plus some other small projects done in a fortnight. They would be a good emergency sock gift. They are obviously thicker, which makes them a little snug in shoes but great for walking boots or mooching around the house.

Close up of the spiralling rib.

The colours of this yarn are super and it has a lovely smooth feel. It would maybe not be my first choice for socks, but it was in my stash so I used it up. It would perhaps be better for mitts, a cowl or hat but the colours might be a bit crazy for something larger.

A rather dark photo to prove that I did them two at a time, toe up, magic loop style. On a side note, this photo was taken inside with flash, the first photo was taken outside, it really does make a difference! 

Year of projects- In which there are socks!

How annoying is this!

When I finished my first sock I weighed it and picked a ball of the same weight to make the second. It was exactly the same weight which was not ideal as it didn't leave any extra to cover gauge variations or differences in the yarn. And I ran out with about four rounds of the toe to do.

This is not really a problem, I still have over two and a half kilos of this yarn left so I joined another ball in and finished the sock.

Ta da!

Two socks, and I even modelled them as requested.

Now I can pick my next project for this yarn, I am thinking about the cardigan next so I am going to have some skeining and dyeing to share.

FO Friday- T socks

These socks were almost a pair of three socks, but more on that later. Presenting the T socks for the A-Z challenge.

Pattern: Tern by Pam Allen

Yarn: Regia 4 ply

Needles: 2.5mm

This pattern imitates a smocked effect with the use of cabling. I have had it on my list to make for months, so it seemed like an excellent choice for my T sock.

The pattern is easy to follow, as long as you actually read it. I didn't and had to tink a chunk at the start of the first sock. It is worked toe up, with a new-to-me YO heel. I did have an issue with the needle sizes, it wants you to use 3.5mm/3.75mm needles with what is listed as a sport weight but appears to be a sock weight yarn (410m per 100g). I think this would give a very loose fabric, although might compensate a little for the tightness from the cables. 

I am not keen on the heel method, even once I got the hang of it I got hole at the top on one side, as you can see in the photo. I think I will stick with a normal short row heel.

The reason there were almost three of these; I tried the first one on and it was pretty tight, it goes on but getting it over the heel is a bit of a battle. For the second sock I added a few extra stitches to the sole, with the plan that if it fitted better I would do a third sock then rip out the first one. On trying the second sock it is still tight over the heel, the problem is the cabled round immediately above the heel, obviously it has much less stretch due to the cabling. Since they go on and fit nicely once they are on I have called them done, but I suspect I will not wear them as frequently as some of my better fitting socks.

I do like the finished object, and it was a nice knit, with mostly ribbing rounds and a little cabling to keep you interested. However, I wouldn't make this as a gift, you need to have the foot handy when you are making it to avoid giving something that will never be worn.

The stitch pattern in close up, you can see how the cabled stitches go all the way across to imitate the smocked effect.

On an unrelated note, it seems autumn has arrived after an odd and most unseasonal heatwave. I shall be digging out my hand knits and lighting the fire tonight, hot chocolate ahoy!

Year of project- In which I started the second sock

The second kilt hose sock is under way, but as you can see I have not made a great deal of progress on it so far. I have been busy with my A-Z challenge and one a day project. Plus I have started some slippers and frogged them twice so far so these have not had much of a look in, hopefully I will get more done this week as the weather is heading in the boots and woolly socks direction.

On the first cuff I had a nightmare getting the lace portion set up. It is an incredibly simple bit of lace, but for some reason it just didn't want to work out, fortunately this time round it was much simpler, no idea why.

I have weighed the finished sock and the ball of yarn I am using, it will be a close thing, but there should be just the right amount, hopefully I will not have changed my gauge at all. 

FO Friday- S socks

Th first pattern I picked for my S socks was the Sideways socks from the Sock Yarn one skein wonders book, notice that word first? Remember that, it is important.

I have had the book and yarn for this since Christmas, just waiting for S to roll around so I could make them.

The general idea is you knit a flat piece of knitting, using a provisional cast on in the centre with some increases for the heel, then kitchener the two edges together to make a tube, like this:

Picking up around the edges means you can work a toe and some ribbing for the top and tada! A magic vertical stripe sock.

Except I didn't have the right size needle, or make gauge (when counted on the work, I didn't do a gauge swatch, because, well I never do). So I added a few rows in each section to make a wider bit of fabric before the kitchener bit.

It did seem rather wide when the knitting was done, but I was stuck somewhere with no other knitting and nothing else to do, so I kitchenered it together anyway, that's 300 stitches, or 150 pairs, yup, a lot of kitchener, good job I like it!

Something I like less is this:

That's right, possibly the World's baggiest sock!

I think if I had not added the extra rows it would have been ok, but I didn't have time to pull it apart and rework it for my S socks. This tube of ugh is sitting in time out until I pull it to bits. Unless I NEED the yarn for my A-Z challenge I will have another go at this pattern with the same yarn when I find some time.

I raided my stash bin and Ravelry favourites list to find a second S sock.

Pattern: Shur'tugal by Alice Yu

Yarn: Crazy Zauberball

Needles: 2.5mm

I like this pattern, but not really in this yarn, You can't see the stitch pattern unless you are right up close. In a solid or semisolid these would be some super socks. It is even non fancy enough that you could use it as a man sock.

The stitch pattern itself is easy to work, twisted stitches are used rather than cabling, which is much faster. I did struggle to memorise the pattern, it is not complicated, but I did need to glance at it at the start of each row to remind me what was needed, this might just be me having a tiny brain fail.

There is a different heel on these, it is a typical flap and gusset (snigger here) but with slipped stitches which make three vertical ridges down the flap. I like it as a technique, but would not do it on a heel, it would be better as a leg design feature. I would just do a normal slipped stitch heel if I made the pattern again. 

My attempt at showing you the stitch pattern, see what I mean about the bad pattern/yarn combo choice?

The yarn I love, a lot. In fact it is in the running for my favourite yarn of my A-Z socks. It is much less fluffy that a standard Zauberball, I suspect this is because it is plied, but it makes it much nicer to work with.

The colours are great. Fairly long colour changes and the handspun candy stripe effect are some of my favourites. As mentioned above it is not really ideal for complicated patterns. It might be ok on something lacy but it would be best for a plain vanilla sock, maybe with some ribbing for fit. The colours can do all the work of making an interesting sock with simple knitting.

It should be machine washable, but my macihne is a destroyer of socks so I will not be testing this, I imagine it would be fine in a normal machine that does not have a taste for felting.

Pricewise it is ok, a little more expensive than a standard Zauberball, but cheaper than a lot of sock yarn. I think I paid about £9 and have made socks with lots left for my sock yarn blanket or something else small. 

The only downside is that there are the odd fluffy unspun bits, a few thinner sections and one or two bits that are not quite evenly plied so it feels like one plied is wrapped around the other (does that make sense?). This makes it feel more like handspun and is not really an issue, you just knit past it and it all seems to work out in the end.

I have my T socks picked out, they have been in my favourites for ages and hopefully they will be more straightforward than the S socks as I want to get some slipper made too before it gets too cold.

Year of projects- In which there is one sock

My Year of Projects yarn has not really been getting much attention this week, but I took my boot sock to knit night and managed to finish the first one. It is nice and cosy, I put it on in the cafe, so all the non knitters there probably think I am extremely odd.

A not terribly good close up photo of the lace panel at the top.

I will get the second sock started this week, so hopefully I will have a lovely cosy pair for the cold weather.

FO Friday- The socks of indecision

More socks, it really is all about the feet around here, although I am feeling urgings to knit something different, but I have a number of socky related plans to finish first.

I am glad to have these finished as they have been hanging around for ages.

Yarn: Regia 6 ply in fairly dull brown
Needles: 3mm
Pattern: K3p2 rib with short row heel

I started these ages ago, and blogged about whether I should frog them and change the heel to a flap and gusset (snort, that sounds sooooo rude). They were meant to be a Christmas present for my dad but after a trial run on a similar sized foot (a clean one) I decided they would be too tight on the portion opposite the heel. In the end I finished them for a smaller sized foot, so now I either have socks for me or can put them in the knitted gift pile.

My S socks have been causing me problems, but hopefully they will be done for next week and I can tell you all about it.

Year of projects- In which there is an almost sock

The knee high socks are progressing nicely, almost at the toe on the first one.

The thick yarn means they work up really really quickly so I am working on them in between other projects, don't want to work through my year of projects yarn too fast!

FO Friday- R socks

Friday seems to sneak around so quickly, fortunately some car knitting last weekend meant I had these done before the last minute this week.

Pattern: Rick by Cookie A from Sock Innovation

Yarn: Regia World Circus

Needles: 2.25

The pattern is interesting, rounds of decreases and yarnovers give a spiralling pattern around the leg and top of the foot.

I have to be honest, I don't love it as much as I thought I would. All the decreases take a lot of stretch out of the fabric, so it is a tight fit to get on, I think it would have been better worked on 2.25mm needles over 72 stitches. It would not be a good choice as a gift as you need the foot around to try it on as you go. It does go on, and fits ok when it is on so I did not bother ripping it out and restarting.

The pattern is fairly slow to work but the changes on the foot make it a little more interesting at the point where you would be getting bored. You need to keep an eye on the book for changes of direction as they sneak up on you! So don't take the project when you are returning a car rental and sitting around for an hour without the book then merrily knit away, missing the direction change and having to tink back, um, not that I did that.

I am also a little worried about how robust all the little yarnovers will be during wear.

There is, of course, good things about the pattern. It is well written and an interesting design concept, I like the spiralling nature, I just think I would find another way to do it. The pattern is quite easy to memorise once you have done a few rounds, although the change from left to right confused my brain a little and I kept working past the decrease poitn and having to go back (tiny brain issue rather than pattern fault).

I like the yarn a lot more than I like the pattern, I would use it again happily. It seems softer than standard Regia 4 ply, but in most other ways is the same (weight, smoothness). It is a little more expensive but I would not mind paying the extra as I am really happy with the self striping of this colourway. The stripes are not obtrusive, so you can use it to work a textured or lace pattern without losing the stitch work in the colours, but it is a little more interesting than a solid colourway. I suspect it would wash ok in the machine, however since mine is a "Destroyer of Socks" (like a "Destroyer of Worlds" but more socky) they will have to be handwashed, plus with the tight fit I can't risk shrinkage or they will never fit back on my feet.

Pattern close up:

Next up will be the S sock, I am excited about this as I have had the pattern and yarn since Christmas and have been saving them.

Year of projects- In which I have a sock leg and am posting late

There has been some progress on my knee high socks. I am working the calf shaping and so far it is going well. It works up fairly quickly because of the thick yarn and large needles (relatively speaking, in the world of socks 3.75mm are large!)

Shown with the decorative cuff folded over the funtional ribbing this time.

I have tried these on and have to admit they are not hugely flattering (remember shire horse not thoroughbred legs). However, they are for wearing in welly boots so no one will see them.

My YOP choices seem to be turning into process projects, where I want to make a pattern (Hemlock ring) or type of project (knee high socks) and I am not overly interested in what comes out at the end. I will try to choose my next project more carefully so that I love the process and the finished object.

Year of projects- In which there has been a subsititution and some socks

I have chosen a pattern that was not on my original list, but since my personal challenge is to knit through the 2kg of aran yarn that I was gifted that is within my own rules for the challenge. I had planned to make the Irish Boot socks, I thought they were knee high wellington boot socks but it turns out they are ankle length socks. I subbed in Toirneach Kilt Hose instead as I want to make some knee highs, but am too lazy to make them in 4 ply sock yarn.

They are going well, I have done a little more than in the picture, I am part way down the k5p1 rib section that makes up the leg, but it was not really interesting enough to warrant another photo.

The decorative cuff folds down over the top of the k1p1 ribbing that holds the sock up. To make this work you have to work the ribbing then turn the work inside out, I added a wrap around the last stitch of the round before making the turn to help close the gap that appears.

I am using the sizing from the pattern, but will reduce the length of the leg after doing the calf decreases. I have chubby legs that it seems are not far off the measurements for a fully grown adult male (think shire horse rather than thoroughbred, actually think shetland pony, I am short too!), ah well, never mind.

I secretly suspect these will not be flattering, but they are for wearing inside wellies so no one will actually see them.

In other YOP news I am a little concerned about my Hemlock ring blanket, I tried to lay it flat this week and it is seriously lumpy, I can't see how I will ever block it flat. I am toying with the idea of blocking it first as I would hate to dye it and then find it can't be blocked out and has to be frogged. I had a little look on other Ravelry projects for it (I LOVE Ravelry!) and generally a lot of scruchy things were blocked to be beautiful, but one knitter did frog hers, so it could still go either way.