Tropical Pooling

These socks, done toe-up, 2 at a time on one circular needle, are knit from Knit Picks Sock Landscape handpainted yarn in the "Tropical Sunrise" colourway, on size 2.5mm needles.

The pattern is a hybrid using my favourite rounded toe shape which is started with a "figure 8 cast on" and then using the gusset and heel of Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer's "Basic Toe-to-Cuff Sock", followed by a 1x1 ribbing for the leg and ending with a stretchy cast off. This hybrid has become my favourite basic sock. It fits well, is easy to knit, and doing two at a time on one circular means I actually get a pair, not one lonely sock that never finds a mate.

There are times though when perhaps I shouldn't use it. At least not the gusset and traditional heel style. The gradual increasing through the instep can cause striping yarns to pool unattractively over the instep.

I would have been better off using the Peasant Heel instead. No gusset shaping to throw off the striping sequence, a decent fit, very easy to make, and no pooling.