Thank you for the replies! Donna--I understand what you mean about finding what is "right" vs "wrong" for me in my own techniques. But I suspect there is something "wrong" with my first join because I just can't find ANY reference to it, or demonstration of it, in the internet knitting world. That leads me to believe that my method will cause some kind of--not sure what to call it--geometric abnormality? Like, it will knock one row off and mess up the pattern? Something like that? I don't know... To recap (because I'm probably not explaining myself very well): my first join is similar to the technique of switching the positions of the first and last stitch. Only, instead of switching them, I actually knitted them together. Because I am doing a K2P2 ribbing, I counted that as my first knit. Then I got my fourth needle, and proceeded to knit, starting with the second K stitch, then 2 purls, etc. Was I wrong to count the knitted join as the first knit stitch? To avoid ladders (since tightening wasn't working too well), I just repeated my joining technique of knitting (or purling) together the last stitch on one needle with the first stitch on the next needle. Then I brought in needle #4 and continued. That made those ladder junctions into stairsteps. Is that ok? Or will that majorly mess up a more complicated pattern that I might want to do someday? Oh--I think I figured out what I'm disliking so much about this process. It isn't the dpns, per se, it is the teensy weensy sock yarn. It is so wispy that I cannot for the life of me get the tension right. It is too wispy for my fingers to hold on to, so my tension is always loose. I think I have tried wrapping it around my hand, fingers, elbow, arm, shoulder, etc. about 37 different ways to no avail. The only technique I haven't tried is routing it around my neck. I'll try that one tonight after I get the kids to bed! If that doesn't work, there's always teeth! Wishing I would have used worsted weight for my first socks! Thank you again for your help. I hope my questions/problems made sense. I'm not too good with the knitting lingo yet. :-) Francy

Great socks, Socks! I get mine closer to the same size by working on both socks at the same time. I start them both at the same time on different sets of needles, which helps me get them to match, also. I do a couple of inches on one, then on the other. That way, my gauge stays almost the same on each sock. When I have a ball of yarn that will make two socks, instead of needing two balls, I get out the kitchen scale and weigh it, then wind another ball out of it until I get equal balls. You may have to pull out almost a golf ball size ball until the ends match, but you can use it up at the toe if you run out on one sock. There, no one will ever know they don't match! Keep up the good work. I no longer consider you a novice!!! Tami

My mother had a sock basket; she made us sort them. Either we had to pick out our own pair when we needed one, or periodically she'd decide it was too full, and make one of us sort them, and then we'd put our own away. She had a marking system for all the white socks & underwear (eventually other clothes too)--lines for boys, circles for girls. The oldest boy (dad) was one line; add a line as you move down the row. Theoretically, if dad outgrew socks, mom could add a line and pass them on to older brother, etc. I think that sorting socks helped me develop a "noticing eye." My DH couldn't sort out 3 brands of white socks if his life depended on it. I also do that "buy all one brand" for each person, except for DD (we haven't found one she likes; so she's the one w/ the weird socks--easy enough, actually). And I put the stray socks in the drawer, and when its made shows up, they get back together. Since they're all ,the same brand eventually it gets "married" again, even if it marries a "widower."

I got yesterday's half right, I said socks :) Shopping spree (always worked for me) A good cry Ice cream