When is a pair of socks *NOT* a pair of socks?

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

I finished knitting two socks. You may remember that I ripped back sock #2 because the striping on the heel was very different from sock #1...

Well....then I decided that I didn't like the fit of sock #1, nor the gusset heel...so when I re-knit the heel of sock #2, I switched to a short row heel. It's not obvious in this first photo, though you can tell that the sock on my right foot (#1) looks a little baggy compared to the left (#2):

Here's a view of both socks in which you can compare the heels. Short row heel on the left (#2), gusset heel on the right (#1):
The astute among you also noticed that the right sock is a bit longer than the left... I prefer the shorter length. I generally fold the sock at the back of the heel and knit until the leg portion is as long as the foot portion -- that is the perfect length for me.

Side by side, the difference between the heel styles is perhaps more obvious, with short row on left (#2) and gusset heel on right (#1):
Also notice how the sock on the left maintains the stripe sequence all the way up the front of the sock. So, I have a "pair" of socks, but the one on the right (aka sock #1) is going to be ripped back to the point just before knitting the heel, and I will re-knit it to be just like sock #2... That is the plan, anyway, until something quirkly happens with the striping sequence and that gets messed up again... I think I've spent more time on this pair of socks than any other pair I've ever knit, because after I rip out the one on the right, I'll be knitting my fourth heel on this pair... On the upside, it turns out that socks are much easier to knit during baseball games than lace...AND easier to rip back...but ripping back the lace is a story for a different day...

I am halfway through with summer school already; my kids and I are having a busy summer, and it seems like it is blowing by us pretty fast. The boys have had two weeks of summer vacation: Week 1 = honeymoon period; Week 2 = constant bickering; Week 3 = hopefully we will be more accustomed to spending so much time together so that we all get along better and know how to handle the days having less structure than what they were used to at school. Thankfully, swim team, baseball, music lessons, and the summer reading program at the library break up our days...

....so, I suppose I should rip out that sock now so that I can be all set up to re-knit the heel and leg part of it during baseball games this week... I hope you're having a nice weekend!

Warm regards,

Laura (YarnThrower)