Some thoughts on entrelac

As some of you guessed (it wasn't that difficult) I am making Eunny Jang's Entrelac socks from the spring issue of IK. I am using a navy colour as the contrast and a light variegated blue for the MC. I have done the first two rows of blocks twice now. The first time I knew the set up triangles were ugly but wanted to get a feel for how the blocks went and to work on other problems. I then ripped and have redone the blocks and am much happier with the results.
A couple of comments so far:

• In the sock pattern as opposed to the tutorial you have to SSK on the set up triangles. This at first puzzled me but I now realize it is to decrease from the 72 sts for the toe (knit in St St) to the stitches needed for entrelac.
• Knitting backwards is slow but faster than turning the work all the time. I have also improved on this technique between the first set of triangles to the second set of triangles
• I like to twist my picked up stitches before knitting them. In the case of the navy blocks, I need to do this on a "purl" row, I haven't been able to accomplish knitting backward to give this twist so I twist the stitches individually before knitting them moving them back and forth between the needles. I was turning the work and purling them, however I think it is simplier to twist the stitches. Before these socks are done I might be able to do the knit backward and twist technique.
• I wish I had shorter dpns. I normally don't mind the Susan Bates that I have for length but there is just too much needle hanging around. Maybe it will get better.

Jenni is curious how the pattern will feel on the bottom of the foot. I am interested as well. If your bottom of the foot is sensitive this is probably not the best pattern for you as you will be walking on texture. I have been thinking of ways to give a plain foot. I have no idea how well these would work.

• Knit the entrelac on the cuff only.
  
• Knit the top of the foot in entrelac using a flat technique (with side triangles), then go back and knit the bottom of the foot in stockinette and seam the two pieces together (or maybe join as you go.
  
• I was trying to think of a way to do it in the round- knit the blocks (you would need side triangles still and then do short the instep but you would maybe need maybe 12 rows of sole for every row of blocks completed and since you don't get to the sides except when a row of blocks is done then you would have to do back and forth on the bottom but just in sections and this seems like a pain in the ass so you might as well use method 2 above.

Maybe when I get to the heel I will try the foot on and walk around and see if it bugs me. If it does then I will try something like method two above. I have a fairly high tolerance to these sorts of thing though - if I didn't I wouldn't try this pattern - so I may not be the best judge of this problem.

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