Maybe drunken knitting isn't such a good idea

I haven't finished the Koigu socks yet, but I'm sooooo close I can smell it on the first STR sock. Here I was all ready to graft the toe:

Can you tell that something's wrong? Here, let me give you a hint.

You can see a detail of the problem here. This has never happened to me before, I swear. I misaligned the side of the foot before starting the decreases, so the top started off with two less stitches than the bottom. Whoops!!!

And yes, I am anal enough that I am going to rip back and re-knit it. These socks will be for BMFA. I love the stitch pattern, but I'm not going to show that to you just yet.

Oh yes, and to answer Lolly's meme questions:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

As with all my knitting trends, Kristi started it. She got totally hooked on socks, so I figured I'd give it a whirl and whaddaya know it stuck like mad. She referred me to Wendy's toe-up sock pattern. This was about 2 years ago.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

The first pair I actually finished was knit with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Fall Foliage from my Secret Pal. They've held up very well, and I even wore them on my hike up Half Dome.

What would you have done differently?

I would have actually woven in the ends. Every time I wash these, I remember that the ends at the toe are just tucked inside, and I really should weave those suckers in.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

Socks That Rock, Fleece Artist, and Shelridge Farm all hold a special place in my heart. I've never met the Fleece Artist folks, but the women who run BMFA and Shelridge Farm are wonderful and that means a lot to me.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

I'm a 4 dpn kind of girl. Except for the gusset where I switch to 5. Any of my patterns that call for something else were written that way for simplicity. I assume that any sock knitter who has a preference will automatically convert the pattern to however they like to knit. I knit all my socks using 4/5 dpns.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

Flap, no doubt. Toe-up or top-down, it's gotta have a heel flap. Afterthought heels are nice in certain situations (striping yarn, different colored heel) but I prefer the fit of the heel flap.

How many pairs have you made?

Actual pairs? Not that many actually. More than a dozen, less than two. And a fair number of single socks, but most of those I have no plans to ever finish the pair. The sad thing is that as much as I like to design pretty socks, I really wear stockinette socks most of the time. They're just more comfortable. And one major perk of working from home is that I get to wear handknit socks all the time. I don't think I could fit my foot with sock into a non-athletic shoe.