I still remember my first finished sock project. It provides a pretty good lesson for anyone who is thinking of taking up knitting socks.

First off, I didn't check my gauge. I just assumed because I was knitting the pattern that was on the ball band and with the needles that it suggested that I'd be able to get the right gauge.

Of course my sock ended up way bigger than it needed to be. But I got into that place of denial that we knitters sometimes get into where we think we can outsmart gauge (or something, I don't really know what we're thinking) and I decided to knit the second sock in exactly the same way. Same needles, same size. I was sure I could just knit tighter and everything would be OK.

The second sock did come out a little smaller, but still not so small that I can't wear these socks on top of another pair of socks. I still keep them around because they were my first, and because they provide such a clear reminder that we shouldn't be so excited to be getting socks that we forget to make sure the socks are actually going to fit us when we're done.

I'd love to hear your first sock stories, or any story you have related to socks, whether kind of disastrous and funny, or if you knew you were hooked from the beginning. I was still hooked, even though mine didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped!