Sock Wear

So, I posted on the LJ Sock Knitters group about my frustrations with my socks wearing out and got some interesting feedback.

1. Apparently, 8 stitches per inch (which seems fairly standard in sock patterns) is, according to one commenter, way too loose, and will not result in a dense-enough fabric that will wear well. Hmm. Sadly, I like the 8 sts per inch fabric so I don't think I'm going to totally change what gauge I am knitting at (nice grammar there, KWAP).

2. Pure merino wears out more quickly than yarn with nylon in it. Yes, I knew this, and the socks that are starting to wear are not pure merino, they're knit with Felici, which is 25% nylon.

3. Perhaps your shoes are too tight? Hmm. This might make sense. I've been wearing my Calistogas a lot, and they do rub more on the heel. In addition, I believe that my three pregnancies may have transformed my dainty, elf-like feet into something a tad...larger. Thank god I've gotten over the vanity thing and now I'm pretty much mainly about comfort. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still about the cute shoes, but just in a larger size.

My thought is that perhaps these Calistogas aren't the perfect shoe for me, especially in this size. (These brown ones are the replacements for my black ones that got all hoarked - I don't think I blogged about it here, but Keen's customer service ROCKS.) Perhaps I need some new shoes? I think I'm going to get these in the fall, in Soy. I think they're really cute, and I think I like them better than the slide version of the Calistogas. I like the ballet flats too, but they may have that heel issue. (I also love these, but I'm not sure they really GO with handmade socks, you know?) I'm also interested in these and these, but I think I'd have to see them in person and on before deciding. It's funny, I'm not really a SHOE person, you know? I tend to have two pairs (one brown, one black) that I wear all the time, and that's about it. I am in love with those slides though...I just wonder if they'll be warm enough in NE in the Fall.

All this to say, I did finish the Mini Mochi sock, did I tell you all that (you know, all five people who read this blog! ;) I'm trying to plug away on some other projects but it's tough when you're tired. I am sick of the Mini Mochi yarn, so I may start another vanilla sock out of something not so...annoying, before I come back and finish it. We'll see.