Resolving the mystery of socks

I am currently working on my first pair of socks - and they are surprisingly much simpler than I had expected. But I didn't get to this point of awareness by simply reading a sock pattern.

In fact, I bought a book on sock knitting, and watched videos about sock knitting online - and still, it all seemed a bit strange. I also struggled because I was seeing socks being knit with double-point needles (DPNs) and also with circular needles. I also, being young in my knitting journey, was not yet familiar with knitting with circular needles in general.

Above all of these challenges, however, I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to knit socks. I reminded myself that if they were truly THAT difficult, so many thousands of others would not be knitting them today.

So, I ended up taking some sock knitting lessons at a local LYS - The Black Sheep - with a wonderful instructor named Julie. She gave me step by step instructions written like a human is speaking (versus a seasoned knitter using jargon-laden paragraphs often found in books), and I am now in the process of going through the construction of my first pair of socks.

Using Opal's Harry Potter-branded sock yarn in "Dumbledore," I made a 2x2 ribbing, then simple stockinette stitch for the leg - I've created the heel and am picking up stitches now. My next lesson in July 11 to continue, so in the meantime, I've started my 2nd sock (using a 2nd ball of and 2nd set of needles) just so that I can get a head start on the second sock.

There are very clear sections of a sock and, from what I am gathering, despite the patterns and stitches used, they are constructed in a very similar fashion from sock to sock.

Living in Florida, I don't have the luxury of wearing scarves and other winter wear for too long of a time in a given year - but to be able to wear socks that I hand knit would be nice. I love their compact size (versus toting a blanket-in-progress around) and I like that they are fairly short projects, not taking more than couple of weeks (if you know what you are doing and are able to make time to devote to the project).

I'll post photos of my first completed pair as soon as they are done - and I've already ordered handmade sock blockers online so they'll be here when I'm ready to block my first finished pair of hand knitted socks.

What do you love most about sock knitting?