First project - not so plain sailing!

It had to happen. I started my first project of the year full of enthusiasm, and have gone awry. Well, not completely, because I wouldn't class this as a disaster, more of a learning experience.

I had decided to make a pair of Jaywalker socks. After all, it seems everyone else had made a pair, and they looked good too. I had some Plymouth Sockotta yarn in the stash that was perfect for the job.

According to the pattern, I measured the width of my foot (91/2") and cast on the required no of stitches, 92. I thought this was a lot of stitches, but it says that the pattern is quite tight fitting, so I carried on.

I called the socks Rhubarb and Custard because the colours of the yarn remind me of the sweets I used to buy as a child. mmm.

So far, so good, they looked ok:

A bit on the large side, I thought, but sure trust the pattern.

Alas, all went downhill. Here is the sock after the heel flap:

I'm going to have to rip these and start again. They're just HUGE. They'd fit a giants feet and still have some room! That heel flap wraps almost all the way around my foot. Crazy.

On the plus side, Alice has fallen in love with the yarn and begged me to make her some socks with it.

So, should I:

A) rip and try the pattern again for me

B) rip and try to scale the pattern for Alice's feet

C) not rip, continue and use as house socks

D) rip and make something completely different

I'm not liking the amount of options that require ripping. I hate ripping. Maybe I can do a McGyver and turn them into a pair of curtains with a toothpick.

In the meantime, until I decide what to do, these puppies are going in time out and I'm going to try and find a communion cardigan/bolero pattern for Alice. Or start the colourwork afghan I've always wanted to make. Or make that sweater for my Dad.

To finish on a happy note; look what a good pal of mine gave me for Christmas:

400 Knitting Stitches
Woot! I can now start looking at stitiches for the pattern I want to design! Perfect timing.