Socktoberfest meme - because all the cool kids are doing it

When I first started to knit back in 2000, the wee little English Lady who was teaching the class showed us a sock she was knitting. The yarn seemed so threadlike, and the dpns were tiny. It seemed like an exotic and difficult project. When I picked up my needles again, I kept hearing more and more about knitting socks. While checking out the wares offered by the vendors the Seattle Fibre Fest this April, I decided all of a sudden that I would take the plunge. I bought a skein of hand-dyed sock yarn - the seller reassured me that 450 yards was enough even for a pair of size 11 socks, and told me to knit them on size 0 or size 1 needles. I also picked up a copy of Cat Bohrdi's book on knitting socks on 2 circs, and got it autographed by Cat. I was beginning to see the light... When did you start making socks? This summer - Sarah Janet(Secret Pal extraordinaire) sent me a magic loop booklet, a skein of Socks That Rock, an addi circ, and the inspiration to give it a try. Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? I taught myself using online tutorials What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? I used Wendy's toe up cast on tutorial and her generic toe up pattern to knit a very basic pair of socks with the STR. I ummm haven't finished weaving the ends in yet, so they haven't been worn officially. What would you have done differently? The first sock is a little too long; should have made it a bit shorter. I had intended to use the Mata Hari pattern, but wimped out and did a simple stockinette stitch; I should have attempted the pattern. What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? The Socks that rock is lovely to work with - I started working on some socks out of Opal yarn, and it was a shock how splitty and scratchy it was. I used some DK cotton/microfibre yarn for SockWars - it was great to knit with because it went so quickly Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? I don't crochet. [I can't even do a crochet cast on. My mom tried to teach me crochet and I kept sliding the stitches along the needle as if I was knitting.] I have used dpns for some socks that I started (like the ill-fated Jaywalkers in the previous post), as well as for a pair of "pedicure socks". The Sock Wars socks, and one of the 2 pairs I am working on right now are Magic Loop. I heart Magic Loop big time, although if Somerset is feeling frisky, she tries to chew on the cable while I am knitting. I can see myself saving dpns for patterns like Jaywalker where it is easier to keep track of the pattern if you have the sock on 4 needles. Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) I like a flap heel because I find it difficult to pick up the stitches when they are double wrapped when shortrowing. I also have problems with gaps when I pick up stitches with the heel flap, but I try to minimize this by twisting stitches. How many pairs have you made? 2 pairs of "real socks", 1 pair of pedicure socks. Right now I have 2 pairs on the go - the one that is seeing the most action is a pair I am knitting for a Secret Pal.