TTL Mystery Socks

So, I completed a pair of socks today...



And I hate them!!

I don't hate them for their colours...



I don't hate them because of the pattern (Through the Loops Mystery Sock's!) in fact I'm pretty proud of that bit which I'll explain further in a moment...



In fact there's nothing about the socks themselves that I don't like. I hate them because they're completely different, and it's all my fault for not paying close enough attention!



This photo shows the differences between them the clearest.
I had started these over a year ago; when Kristen Kapur was first releasing the different segments of the pattern.(*) I had chosen to try the "hard" version of the pattern; that is the one including the two beautiful cable patterns.
Because she is a wonderful and clever woman, Kristen had released different sizes; each pattern tailored to the different amount of stitches on the needles it required.
When I started knitting these socks, I can now see that I must have gone with the smallest size (because I have small feet). I completed the sock, celebrated my cleverness at figuring out the pattern and managing to be more then competent taking on the "hard" version over the easy... and then promptly hit the Second Sock Syndrome(**), put it aside and in my stash it lay as a Work In Progress for months to come... until the beginning of this year, that is, when I had a massive airing of my WIPs and decided that before I start something new, I should finish up some of these in-progress.

Unfortunately I had lost my original print-out for these socks somewhere along the way (as well as all the notes I end up writing on my patterns). The pattern is free online though, so I just re-printed and happily went on my way. "Logically" I cast on with the Large size for the second sock (because I have big ankles) and happily went on my way knit, knit, knitting.

And on down the leg... and then I hit the heels.



Uh oh! Now, I know what I had done to the first sock wasn't the heel flap that went with the pattern; I didn't like how the pattern one looked, so I decided to go with another I knew of. But when it came around time on the second sock I had no idea which pattern I had gotten that pretty slip-stitch heel flap pattern from(!!!) So; just wanting to get it done and thinking nobody would be looking at my heels anyways, I just went with a generic version and marched onwards.

Turned the heel.. knitting most of the foot.. admiring once again how the cables are coming together when.... WHAT THE!!?!!?!11



I only JUST THEN noticed that the patterns for the small and large sized socks were so completely different. On one pair the cables come right up next to each other, and on the other there's always a strip of the lacey bit in between the cables.

AUGH!!!!

By that point I'm almost at the toes, and so the thought of ripping it ALL THE WAY back to the beginning and starting again is far too daunting, so I just finish. But unfortunately now it just makes me angry to see them(!)

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do about them; I'm trying to embrace their individualities (some people pay lots of money for mis-matched socks!), accept that other people will simply not notice (hey, I did!) and just focus on what I DO like (LOVE the colours! And the yarn is so soft! And the pattern (individually) IS so beautiful...)
But right now, it just ain't working...

I'm half tempted to give them away to a friend with short feet who won't mind their differences as much as I do right now... any takers?


(*) For those who don't follow the craft, a "Mystery Knit Along" is when a designer releases a pattern bit by bit over a period of time (typically a new segment every week), and us crafters following along have no clue what the final design will look like (except that we know it will be a sock/scarf/gloves/etc.) It's LOTS of fun!

(**) Second Sock Syndrome - when all of your energy and enthusiasm for the project gets thrown into knitting the first half of a pair (socks, mittens, etc.) and when it comes to knitting the matching pair... you're over it and can't work up the enthusiasm to do it!!!