Stretchy Portland

So, I mentioned yesterday that I managed to finish two pairs of socks in June. But, I only got around to sharing pictures of one pair. Here, my friends, is the second pair:

Portland Gussets Socks

They are The Portland Gussets Socks by Yarnissima, and the pattern is available from Three Irish Girls. The yarn is Panda Cotton (big surprise), in colourway Vanilla Cream.

The Portland Gussets Socks

These are toe up socks with a bit of a different construction: the gussets are one the top of the foot. The socks mirror each other, so not only were they interesting to knit, but they were also a but more exciting than your usual pair where both socks are the same.

Now, I generally prefer to knit my socks from the top down because I have run into problems in the past with getting toe up socks on and off. It can be difficult to bind off the top so that it is stretchy enough to make it over the heel. I’ve been using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind off, and have found it to be a wee bit to tight. This time I tried Judy’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, and it is perfect. The cuff goes from this:

Unstretched Bind Off

To this:

Streeeetttccchhheeeddd

Yeah, I think I will be able to get that over my heel no problem.