Harlequin Sock — A Correction

I was eager to start the second Harlequin sock from New Directions in Sock Knitting to check out the heel instructions. If you remember from my earlier post, I got mixed up at the heel and my right-side rows became wrong-side rows. Because I wasn’t paying close attention to the chart, I wasn’t sure if the problem was me or the instructions.

It turns out that there is an error on page 77. At the top of the left column, under “First Half,” Short-Row 1 is incorrect. It should read:

Short-Row 1: (RS) K11 (13) MC, k5 D, k11 (13) MC, k2A, k1B, k2A, sl 1 pwise with yarn in front (wyf), turn work.

The rest of the instructions are fine. The problem was that the original instructions failed to talk into account that the round begins at the heavy black line along the left side of the chart, not at the right edge as is normal. This detail was overlooked by several of us who make it our jobs to ensure that the instructions are all correct. Please forgive me. I’m glad that I was the first to find it.

I’m now past the heel and everything is working out well.

Other notes:

• I normally hold the stitches on 3 double-pointed needles, but I found it easier to work the wrong-side rows if I divided the stitches between 4 needles and knitted with a fifth.
• I stopped in the middle of each colored diamond motif to weave in the ends. That got the extras out of the way and will make finishing a breeze when I’m done.
• When working the heel, I tucked the butterflies of yarn attached to the instep stitches inside the sock. That kept them out of the way and made it easier to grab just the strands that were needed for the heel stitches.
• I found it easiest to find my place if I put the work down when I was in the middle of a color block, not at the boundary between two colors. Otherwise, I got confused about whether I was on a right- or wrong-side row and where, exactly, I had paused.

The correction has been forwarded to Interweave to be posted on their website. I’m looking forward to smooth sailing up the leg, which I hope to do in between teaching classes at Interweave’s Yarn Fest this weekend!