I have just completed my first ever pair of socks. I cannot tell you how worried I was about turning the heels etc but it was surprisingly easy and straight forward. So without any further ado here they are!
Please ignore the cat hair on my leg! As you can see they are ankle socks, I knitted them more as practise really, I'll wear them around the house mostly as they are a bit thick to wear with my usual boots.
I made a few "rookie" mistakes, I was so excited at having turned a heel successfully, that I misread the pattern for the gusset and neglected to do a knit round in-between each decrease, instead of ripping back and correcting this, I decided I didn't really need to do that and carried on regardless. I did the exact same thing with the toe. As a result of this the socks have come up a touch short, not so much so that its noticeable but enough that its obvious (to me anyway) that they don't fit properly. Lesson learned. Always do the knit row in-between the decreases.
I used Debs Super Simple Sock Pattern to knit them, which I think is a really good starter pattern, if I'd paid more attention they would have been perfect! You can find it here.
I used Yarnfair Stripes DK yarn which I picked up at Wilkinsons at around £1.70 for 50g. I managed to get both socks out of the one 50g ball, I wouldn't of managed this if I'd done the extra rows I missed out. If you have smaller feet than me (I'm a 7-8), say up to a 5 or 6 you would probably be able to use the one ball. I'd get two though, to be on the safe side. Its really cheap and you can always use it to knit up a pair of socks as a gift for someone, if you don't end up using it yourself!
I will definitely be knitting more socks, they are fun to make and make great gifts! I just need to remember to pay more attention next time!