Shove that in your skein and knit it

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I am a yarn and sock dork.  I know that I’m not alone, and so I know that there will be at least a few of you who understand the wonder and the glory of what I am about to show you.

These socks match precisely, right down to the last stitch.

Not close,  not good enough,  not one of those things that only the knitter notices,  not close enough for company work,  not close enough for jazz — nope.  Perfectly.  Totally perfectly.  That almost never happens with a self patterning yarn.  I mean, what are the odds that everything – every row, every stitch…

everything, right down to starting the second sock in exactly the right spot, then beginning the heel on precisely the same row and placing the toe in the same spot would all work out and make every thing so completely matchy?  There wasn’t a knot that threw it out of whack (Noro I am looking right at you), there wasn’t one skein printed a little differently…

Nothing.  They are perfect. Absolutely perfect, and in a knitters world, there are just too many variables for that to happen much…  and in my world, a world full of holes in my house and rain in the basement and mud (oh, the mud) and teenagers and bills and books and one really weird cat and a husband who’s odd as fish really…. I almost never plan something to perfection and then have it come off without a hitch.  Mostly, I have to let go of my quest for total control.

Not this time.  Sure, other projects will go on to screw me over,  absolutely the next pair of self-patterning yarn will have a knot that means the toes are two different colours, and when that happens, I’ll  accept it, just the same way we all suck up  the worlds imperfections.  You can’t have things your way all the time.  Got it – but today?

Today I am a knitter, and my socks match anyway. 
Shazam. 

401 thoughts on “Shove that in your skein and knit it”

  1. Wow, that’s brilliant! Have a pair of socks on the go right now and aiming for that symetry, but doubt they’ll come close!

  4. I’m speechless. Okay, not speechless enough to say nothing, but sufficiently speechless you say “I’m speechless.” You know.

  6. Those are so beautiful, and that happens SO RARELY!! Congratulations — I hope this makes up for some of the other madness in your life! 🙂

  7. Awesome! I love it when they at least come out close! But these are amazing! You are the sock goddess!

  9. That is the Universe’s way of telling you that everything will be all right! Here’s to a hole-less house soon.

  11. I have the same socks. I have had them for years. They were a present from my mom and they make me happy to this day. I hope you enjoy them.

  15. I was just wondering today how to make 2 self striping socks match… your post makes me believe it must be a bit harder than it seems, eh? I’ve never done it, and now I don’t feel so bad!
    Gratz on the pretty socks! Your knitting speed turns me green with envy! 🙂

  16. If this happened to me I would be wondering why, if the universe was going to choose to be completely harmonious in one particular spot, it would be in a pair of self patterning socks.

  17. Good lord, they not only match, the zigzags in
    that first band are nicely opposing!
    And they’re beautiful colors as well.

  19. Holy crap!
    I’d suggest bronzing the pair, but that would destroy the Wonder Of It All. Lucite, maybe?

  20. Awesome! I just love it when that happens (rarely, though it does) in my own sock knitting. Congratulations and go ahead and celebrate these “small” victories. I’m right there with you dancing with my hands in the air.

  22. I’m glad the knitting gods have finally decided to give you a break 🙂
    oh, another hidey place to stash yarn: in the boxes for christmas/yule ornaments…. call it “protecting” the ornaments instead of using those foam popcorn things or bubble wrap….

  23. ROCK ON, sister. I wouldn’t have that happen if I knit the socks white and painted them later.

  24. See, perfection isn’t quite as elusive as we thought. Once in a while it happens. And I’ve noticed it’s usually the times when we aren’t fighting for it so hard that is shows up (which makes it all the more wonderful.)

  25. If Canada has a lottery, I’d go right out and buy a ticket. Just one. Apparently, with your luck today, that’s all you’ll need. Brava. Great socks. I am self-patterned with envy.

  26. Sock awesomeness in the nth degree. These are the socks that Christmas elves should wear! Love them!
    Eve from Carlisle

  27. I know the knitting gods will get me for this but–two at a time – toe up – magic loop — perfect every time.

  28. Wow! I’ve done lots of self-patterning color socks, and that’s *never* happened for me. Congratulations! (Better still, you have photographic evidence documenting the event ; ))

  30. I won’t buy Opal striping yarn any more because two different balls of Rain Forest had breaks in the color sequence that meant that, even though I started both socks in each pair at the same point, the socks didn’t end up matching.

  31. Holy self-patterning yarn, Batwoman!!! I always contend that the charm is in the fraternal twinning, but we all KNOW we strive for this perfection. You must have paid off some karmic debt. I bow.

  33. Knitting Folklore. “You know, the Harlot once got a pair of socks that were perfectly matched. It’s true, I read it on her blog.”

  34. Awesome. I achieved such perfection only once with Noro Silk Garden sock, the blue and electric green colourway. And every ball since has had a knot or two that throws off the symmetry, or in the case of one pair, shortened the skein severly, necessitating a bizarre mismatched toe from another skein of silk garden.

  38. I really, really hope those are for you and not a gift. You deserve to have such loveliness grace your feet as you dance around the house.
    I just finished a pair of self-striping and they almost came out perfect just the tippy top of the toes don’t match.

  39. Frame them. Seriously. They’re gorgeous, awesome, fantabulously matchy, everything you want in your socks. Not me; I mourn when winter arrives and my socks have to match so my toes don’t freeze off at work. I don’t have enough hand knit socks yet to wear mismatched socks every day, only a few days, but next winter I might.

  40. You certainly deserved that, with all the other glitches going on in your life. Just sit back and enjoy. Lovely. So, what’s your secret ???

  41. Shazam, indeed! I’ve heard rumors that something remotely like this had happened once but I always just assumed it was one of the urban legends that totally mess with reality. But I see it. It’s there. It’s not a legend, it’s not photoshop. The perfect pair of socks. I bow before the perfection.

  45. Is this going to go to your head? Are you going to start saying things like “my socks always match perfectly”? No one likes a persnickety little fussbudget with perfectly matched handknit socks, you know.
    Wait a minute…not gonna happen. Good job…and same luck next time.

  46. Uhhh, Steph….. doesn’t calling attention to such perfection guarantee that the universe or the knitting goddess will feel compelled to put you in your proper place with the next project? I think it might be wiser to gloat in private…. just sayin’. I hope the good karma continues.
    Once, a chimney repairman came up my stairs with a bemused look on his face. “Oh,no,” I said, “it’s even worse than you thought, isn’t it?” He looked at me and said, “All I can say is, you must have done something very good in a previous lifetime.” It was a very minor, very cheap, repair and I didn’t need to sell my firstborn child to pay for it, as he had predicted when he first examined the chimney. I think this perfect pair of socks is just reward for the hole in the side of the house!

  47. Shazam is right! Congratulations on a job perfectly done so, gloat about it with out shame. You deserve it! (Buy a lotto ticket too) All is right with the world…

  49. And the blue arrow/stripes even MIRROR each other properly!
    *thud*
    (That, best beloved, is the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.)

  50. Wow, the fact that those socks match so perfectly is not only a testament of quality of the yarn manufacturer but to your consistent knitting. If you had a slightly tighter gauge on one sock than the other, the socks wouldn’t have matched. Congrats!

  51. The matching is made even more remarkable by the fact that we all know you don’t do two socks on two circs. 🙂 That’s the only way I have ever managed to get that close to matching with self patterning yarn. Kudos to you!

  54. *Bursts into a round of applause*
    I can’t even remember how I turned the heel on the first sock. The second sock has, therefore, been stuck at the heel for a week.

  55. I know how you feel and congratulations. I guess you are not bothered that one pant leg is slightly shorter than the other???
    😉

  58. I am a sock and yarn dork too. I have been knitting socks just a few months because you inspired me. I overcame the mountain of confusion when it came to making socks and have lived to tell. They are my favorite thing to knit these days. Can’t ever have too many. Thank you for your blog. I look forward to reading it. You are amazing, Steph!

  60. Nice! How did you get those herringbones to go in opposite directions tho? I’ve never knit with self patterning yarn, much less noro. of course, I’ll have to check into ALL the options.
    I’m a lemming:-)

  61. Those look fantastic! You deserve some perfection after the year you’ve had.
    My first pair of socks not only had a knot, but the pattern was *reversed* on the other side of said knot. Very traumatic for someone who is “control oriented,” as Bonnie Hunter (of quiltville dot com) would call me.
    As an aside, I wore those socks to Thanksgiving dinner, and my boyfriend’s mother actually told me she didn’t like them! I only showed her one of them and told her I knit them myself. She’s definitely off the handmade sock list.

  63. amazing!!! I have a pair of socks that were matching perfectly right through the heel flap. I thought Wow – I am going to have a pair of identical twin socks. Of course, as soon as I thought that, I encountered a knot! And of course there was a big gap in the color sequencing. Actually, however, I don’t mind – now you can see all of the colorrs in the pattern through the tops of my Mary Janes.

  64. Holy striping string, Batman! They match!
    It’s always great when the Universe throws one your way.
    Consider it a reward for all you do and the Chrstmas insanity you are about to plunge into.

  65. I can’t talk to you now…if the knitting stars are aligned there are several second socks and mittens that must be cast on RIGHT NOW before this karma passes…

  68. Nice! I like the colors.
    I commented someplace else that my self striping socks didn’t match and no one knew what I was talking about. So I have a question because you have noticed the occurrence before. Is it caused by tension? I knit my socks separately, one at a time with dps.

  70. I have that exact yarn in my stash. I wonder if my stripes will line up, too? And, what if the stripes started in exactly the same place? What is probability of that happening?

  72. Impressive… I mean your tension must be perfect and everything! Congratulations, and wear them with pride! (Just make sure you don’t OVERwear them, or you’ll have to start all over with the sock stash quest and you don’t want these to be the first to go!)

  73. Brilliant – I’ve made lots of those socks and never had a pair match up that well – even the little chevrons going off in different directions – wow! I play on a women’s hockey team and we are not at all a skilled lot by any means -frankly we stink at hockey but we have a heck of a lot of fun and earn our post game beverage by trying hard. We went to PEI for a tournament one year and were in way over our heads but we all had hockey socks that matched our jerseys so our team cheer became “Our Socks Match!!” it was all we had going for us at the time – the cheer has stuck and so we use it every game now (even when sometimes they don’t). Hope the house renos are done soon.

  74. wow! so it IS possible for both socks to match!…. I haven’t been that lucky yet! It’s a good thing I like fraternal socks I guess.
    Great looking socks!

  75. And lovely socks they are. My socks don’t match at all today, but they, too, are new, so they’ve got that much going for them.

  76. Okay, I’ll admit it: when I saw the perfectly-matched, down-to-the-last-STITCH perfect socks…my jaw dropped a little 🙂
    Rock on!

  77. The last pair of socks I knit actually ended up matching exactly too!(Red Heart Heart and Soul-good cheap sock yarn-both started from the center of the skein)I know I won’t be able to do that one again.Hopefully Sir Washie won’t get hungry for yours-maybe hand washing is in order for them!

  78. With everything that is going on, I’m glad you had socks that match perfectly. I hope they are able to finish repairs quickly. It always seems to take longer especially when the weather turns.

  80. Um, what is that funny little loop of yarn sticking out of the toe of the right sock?
    I suppose I shouldn’t have mentioned that, should I?

  83. Shazam, indeed. As another sock dork, I am stunned. (Standing ovation commences..me, the cat and the large, furry dog)

  84. OMG they are freakin PERFECT!!!! I have got to get me some of that yarn and try it. SO glad it happened at this time for you what with all the rest you have to contend with. Cuddos!!

  87. Shazam, indeed. As another sock dork, I am stunned. (Standing ovation commences..me, the cat and the large, furry dog)

  88. Wow, I’m impressed! I’ll admit, I’ve been known to wind through a ball of self-striping sock yarn looking for the perfect spot in a repeat to match where I started the first sock. Even that doesn’t always work out this well (though it does get a funny reaction from the muggles at home)!

  95. Great job! I made a perfectly matching pair with self patterning yarn for my sister-in-law last year and even managed to avoid being thwarted by the fact that one of the skeins WAS knotted and then the patterning was reversed after the knot…grrrr (yes, I rewound the yarn in reverse after the knot and found the correct spot to continue). The only problem was that when I finished, I thought the socks looked too good, almost machine made, but still perfect for my SIL who is much to organized and well dressed to wear only semi-matching socks.

  96. Enjoy them in good health and happiness. You totally deserve it. Do they bring you beer too and not make you get up from eying the stash (even though I assume the refrigerator is now in the same room as the stash if i read your other recent posts correctly)? They should since they’re perfect.

  100. Tussu, tussu, tussu…
    [Whoosh]
    These are the sounds of my spitting three times and then running in a circle around you strewing salt. DAMN, girl, you’ve already got mud and rain and teenagers — are you trying to be hit by lightning?

  102. Holy s**t. The knitting gods have smiled upon you. Now might be the time to ask them for something really really really special — like a lace pattern that goes off without a hitch.

  104. wow, cool, that comes close to landing a jumbo jet on a river. (Showed it to hubby, he just doesn’t get the whole excitement about it… non-knitting guys *shrugs*)

  106. And how totally awesome to have a bunch of knitters who *understand* to share that with! Amazing! Congratulations!

  108. super duper matchy. I have a pair that will probably be completely matchy matchy once I finish them, but I will have to cut to match up the yarns for the second cast on. I’m hopeful, but will probably be bitten for my optimism. Huzzah. Knit on.

  109. Today you rock. Today you rule. Keep remembering today the next time you doubt your knitterly skills. Because today you are perfect!

  115. Oh, I totally understand! And only a knitter would! I pray I have the same good fortune on my current project…so far, so good.

  116. Love, Love, Love it! So wonderful. I am not sure I could wear them, maybe just put them on the shelf and look at them everyday.

  117. Love, Love, Love it! So wonderful. I am not sure I could wear them, maybe just put them on the shelf and look at them everyday.

  118. What yarn and colorway did you use? I used that yarn to knit my first pair of socks over 5 years ago and I was in love with the color and pattern. They have long since disinigrated and I want another pair.

  119. And that is why you are the Yarn Harlot! One knitter currently bowing in your honor, we are not worthy but you now that just rocks.

  120. Impressive! Just so you know that the universe is in balance – on my end of the knitting spectrum I have a pair (2 at a time) of socks for my husband that I have now run out of yarn for. Am contemplating making the last half of the foot and the toe a different color and wondering if he will notice….

  121. I totally love Rams, and I’ve never met her. I knew what she was doing before she explained it, as a similar thought had been whirring through my brain.
    But, yes… Shazam, indeed!

  122. Rock on, Harlot! I love the colors, they’re so cheery. May they spread joy every time you wear them!

  123. I don’t know, it seems somehow to be too good to be true. Especially those mirrored chevrons. Are we sure that Madam Harlot doesn’t have truly impressive photoshop skills? Could she not perhaps have made one sock, photographed it, flipped it round, and worked some magic? Perhaps the past years of computer frustrations have been a ruse meant to build up our credulity so she could play this trick on us. This seems far more likely than that yarn would behave so well.
    Or not.
    So glad they came out!

  125. Oh my, they are lovely, BUT……did you notice that the blue “arrows” on the white background go in different directions? (look at the white stripe over the ball of your feet in the first pic…..)
    *SORRY* I’m not trying to kill your buzz, just noting that they are exactly the same….(Damn engineering mind)…
    Mind you, I have never knit a pair anywhere near that close myself…LOL.
    Please don’t order me squirrel feet…….

  126. That is the best feeling on earth, isn’t it?
    The first pair of self-striping socks I knit came out in reverse from each other. I guess the two balls had been wound in different directions.
    But the second pair I knit totally came out as identical twins… even though I had to be seriously ridiculous about snipping out bits that didn’t match up properly.

  128. Absolutely fan-frickin’-tastic! Someday, after I’ve learned to do socks properly, I hope to have a pair of self-patterned identical twins 🙂

  129. The universe demands balance. With all the messy in your life right now (well, mostly in your house) these perfect little twins are exactly what was needed. Enjoy them, they are awesome.

  131. Wow! I didn’t think that ever happened. It has never happened to me or anyone I know. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person at a better time. Enjoy!

  133. I’m in awe of your knitterly talents! Even my husband (a GREAT guy, just doesn’t get the knitting thing…) Was rather impressed!

  137. Way to go!!!! I’m working on some jaquard socks right now, turning the heel on the first one, and I keep wondering how I’ll get them to match. Your matchy socks are a true knitting accomplishment! Yay!!

  140. Way to go, Sister!! I bow to your knitterly greatness… and to the knitting goddess who gave you the one perfectly dyed ball of sock yarn in the universe!

  141. You are a Master Knitter!!!
    I’m so impressed with your socks. I’ve come very close with this wool (I love it) but never had the cheverons identical like yours. Perfection is a rare thing on this earth, you’re right savour yours.

  143. HOW did you do that?
    All of my socks are fraternal and that’s ok, but HOW? I just have to know…. 🙂

  145. With a hole in your house, etc, THIS is justice. However, don’t recommend starting anything complicated for a while…that was some serious happy.

  146. OMG Stephanie, they’re gorgeous. I would never had knit socks until I read ‘Knitting Rules’ and now I’m hooked! Is there a colourway like this that is still available so I can have some too? – although less perfect :-).

  147. It’s a sock knitter’s Christmas miracle! I have given up the hope of having two perfectly matching socks like that some time ago. Nice work!

  149. Sock + dork = sork. We can all be sorks together which isn’t sorky at all. Sorky sorky sorky!

  151. All I can say is WOW! I’ve used the self patterning yarn before and love knitting with it but can never get the socks to match so beautifully!
    You rock Steph!

  153. You could never have fully appreciated your wondersocks without the ‘orrible ‘ole in your ‘ouse! Really nice that the socks are wonderful! You’ve earned a bit of wonderful!!!

  156. Helluva pair of socks! And I love the neatly mirror-imaging chevrons. In fact they’re so perfect that they are very slightly spooky … like Platonic Forms of perfectly matching self-striped socks.

  157. With all due respect, I would say you absolutely deserved this miracle. I now hope I can produce a pair of twins from your Lenore pattern using Tina’s Thraven colourway(I’m more into greens than purples). I haven’t knit a gusset for awhile because Cat converted me to her Riverbed sockitecture so I’m knitting and praying that I’ve “understood” how to do this on one long circular needle. Cheers and red wine, Hazel.

  158. I moved 10 days ago. I can’t thank you enough for showing me something COMPLETE and PERFECT. I close my eyes and breath.

  160. I…… am ………. in ……. awe! complete and total awe! thank god you have photographic proof! this is like haley’s comet or something! it may never come our way more than once in a lifetime!

  162. Mine matched perfectly, too. My very first pair. I thought I was a hot shot, and all of my socks would match forever after. NONE have matched. Not one, and I have been knitting socks for about three years. This yarn is magic.

  165. MOST impressive, especially the mirroring of the foot chevrons! I started to think that maybe you had a mirror in between your feet, but then noticed that the other blue/white sections are not mirror images of each other — way to go, girl.
    The best I’ve managed is off by a row at the tip of the toe. (And I was proud of my gauge consistency).
    I worship at your feet, Sock Dork Goddess.

  167. Oh. My. God. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again — You are a knitting rock god!

  168. Oh. My. God. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again — You are a knitting rock god!

  170. What’s most impressive, actually, is not just that the colours line up, but that the blue and white printed areas are exact mirrors of each other. I hope you bought yourself a lottery ticket today.

  171. I can’t think of anything original to type that also conveys my surprise and congatulations to you. You are definitely worthy, deserving, and due. I hope this is the beginning of a lot of things rolling your way. I still want to know what happened to your viper socks and see a picture of your wee Any Blatt mittens. If the vipers are worn out, I hope you think of a way to repurpose them and save the cuffs. I have NEVER seen a project more perfectly matched in yarn, pattern, and personal interests. I know I too am a dork since I obsessed over this. For the record, I am not even a Battlestar Galactica fan. Maybe I can have my own love affair with some Twilight/ Boyfriend Vampire socks. If I get a sparkly yarn like you, I can say it represents Edward’s sparkly skin.

  172. Good for you!! I’ve used the same yarn as you just did and a REGIA self striping and both are perfect to the toe. I had to remove a knot and waste a length of yarn to make it happen but voila! It’s so satisfying.
    I always write down where I begin the cast-on in the colorway and whether I put the long tail over my thumb or forefinger when casting on. When working with a skein that I have to wind myself, you need to be especially careful to wind them in the same direction.
    Enjoy the socks, they’re delightful.

  176. Beautiful – love the bright colorway. I also like identical socks, but not sure I can claim to have ever achieved such a degree of matchiness. Something to aspire to!
    I’ve put up with a bunch of crap from some in my knitting group who think fraternal socks are fine and I’m incredible anal with my desire for identical socks. Can’t wait to share my new inspiration with any who missed your blog (losers!).

  178. Count yourself very, very lucky, m’dear. My first pair of socks was knit of that very same yarn, there was a knot in the yarn halfway through the first sock, and the pattern REVERSED. Instead of ABCDEFG, it was ABCGFED. Of course I cut the yarn in the exact same place in sock #2 and rewound the rest of the skein backwards so the two socks would still match.

  180. I’m so glad your socks floated your boat so well! You’ve earned it by holding it together with your house’s various issues!

  182. I am so jealous! I am one of the sock knitters whose socks have to match. Sometimes I have to cut the yarn to come close to a match.
    Congratulations are in order. I am glad all is well with your sock universe.

  183. Love the matchy, matchiness of it all. I strive for that myself. You know, if you would come on over to the toe-up, two at a time side you would have a better chance of your socks matching at that all important toe area. Just sayin’.
    Of course to do that you would also have to embrace the long circular needle too. I’m guessing that having socks that don’t match bothers you less than having to put your beloved dpns down?

  185. Dear Stephanie-
    As someone who is currently wading through more uncertainty than she thought possible to have at one time I can relate to the magic that is perfectly matched self-striping yarn. I just finished a pair in Opal’s Huntertwasser and marvel that something in my life works out as I would like it to.
    Knitting – it really does make the world seem like a better place.

  187. I know a lot of people who obsess about having matching socks, and they get wound up (heh) about things like knots in Noro and whatnot. Me, meh. Life’s too short, and it’s not like I’m symmetrical anyway. If the socks match, yay, if they don’t, that’s cool too. But I SWEAR that me letting go is what gave me this: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/emy/cedar-creek-socks

  191. Congratulations!! I am completely and totally blown away by these cool socks. It’s really tempting to go hunt down the yarn and try to make these for myself, but now that perfection has been achieved, I’m thinking I should just leave it alone and admire them from afar. 🙂

  192. I have those same socks…in the same yarn…right up until the toe, where the pattern got off by two or three rows. It’s nice to see what could have been…*sigh*.
    Seriously, though, yours look great — enjoy!

  195. Being a sock dork myself ( ask any of my friends)—Wow!! I am from the school of “slight sock differences are just the world’s way of saying we are all different.” This allows me to sleep at night while continuing to produce pairs of socks that are “unique”. But when the planets align and the socks come out–well, let’s just say it–perfect—you go, girl. Nice job.

  196. you rock! I tried that with my 1st pair of socks and got it close. That’s it, just close…..but yours, wow, may we bow down to your greatness today! Knit on!

  197. Wow, who knew the Knitting Fates took holes in the foundation into account when parcelling out knitting perfection? I think these socks may be the Happy Place you have to go to when things are not quite so cosmic.

  199. Even someone like me who likes to wear two totally different socks to add to the color of my world can stand back in awe and reverence at the wonder which is two IDENTICAL magic striped socks.
    wow.

  200. I have had the same brilliant sock wonder with that exact same yarn!!!!! It is truly marvelous!!!

  203. Heh. I love that you wrote ‘Shazam’.
    I’ve been having mental cringes right along with you on all the house renovations, it will all turn out fine… (shhh, because I say so.. SHAZAM!)

  206. I opened the page and before i even read anythign, i said (outloud to the cats no less) WOW! Those socks match. What are the odds? very nice line up of the cosmos for you!

  207. Now when you are wearing them and admiring them you are going to notice all the differences between your left and right feet!

  208. Okay, so happy for you. Sounds like you needed that spot of sunshine… and karma. Good stuff.
    Had to chuckle though as a friend was once knitting with this yarn. We both agreed that shade of yellow was just NOT our cup of tea. Aftern listening to her moan (well, really, bitch) about it for quite a while I finally told that life was too short to knit yarn that did not make her happy. She ripped it off the needles, gifted the yarn to someone who loved it, and has been happier since.
    So glad for your perfect socks, really happy you love the yarn and sorry to hear about the mud.

  209. Woohoo!
    (Best I’ve done is half a round off.
    It’s close enough, and anyone who complains will be in position to be kicked, since they’ll have to be on their hands and knees to see the difference.)

  215. Stephanie, being the 217th commenter usually feels futile and invisible. However, today I’m so happy for you I must post, futile or not.
    It was your turn for a really great smile. Even better that the smile is attached to physical items you can hold in your hands and admire.
    You go, Grrl!

  219. congratulations on your matchy socks. That actually happened to me on the very first pair of socks I knit. I thought it was normal, I have sense learned that what I experienced was something like a hole in one. It’s incredible when it happens and deserves celebration! :o)

  221. Wow – identical socks. Mine are always fraternal – but hubby’s convinced that they’re cooler than identical.
    You certainly deserve this after all you’ve suffered lately.

  222. Truly amazing…stunning even! It will be so sad to cover them with shoes.
    What do you hear from the girl down under??

  223. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the socks. I just like that you said “shazam” … that is awesome. You are so awesome Stephanie!
    Have the 2010 calandar on my Christmas list (hubby never disapoints). Thanks for making me crack up on a regular basis! 🙂

  224. That happened with my first self-patterning socks, and I thought it was normal! Haven’t gotten close since. Drat!
    I certainly hope that the perfect socks offset all the chaos going on with your house!

  225. That is so awesome! I’ve yet to have that happen for me considering all of the factors that go into perfecting self patterning socks!
    Congratulations on your victory. 🙂

  226. I can’t believe it. Even the little chevrony bits mirror one another rather than go the same way on each sock. What sacrifice did you make to the knitting gods to have *that* happen?

  231. OK, but now — see, those match and that’s terrific. But I have to say: I think EVERY sock you make is magically beautiful; the ones which don’t match – and the ones that are lacy or vine-y and grape-y or rich and thick and sturdy or delicate and graceful. The socks I made are lumpy, bumpy and irregular. I love ’em because I made ’em, but YOURS? Oh, my dear Yarn Harlot. You are my Gold Standard.

  232. Wow! My socks NEVER turn out exactly the same. Rather than let this drive my completely bonkers, I now knit one sock from one end of the ball, and the second sock from the other end of the ball. Fraternal socks, ones that don’t look like I’ve tried to match them and fail, but ones that don’t really match. Yours are pure perfection – well done!

  234. I love it when that happens. Sometimes it needs a wee nudge (okay, maybe an hour, two tops) looking for the exact repeat to make it work, but sometimes, it really does feel like magic.

  238. Wow! I was going to say you should have them bronzed, but then no one could see that they matched……so maybe you should have them plexiglassed!

  239. I think that is the same and a “hole in one” in golf. Thanks to you, I know that there are more of us knitters than golfers.
    Good on ya!

  240. Shut. Up. I’ve never seen that in all my knitting years, nor have I been able to pull it off. I’ve gotten close…but not that. Lets hope the house repairs follow suit.

  241. “shazam” that brings back memories….
    i’m sure this perfect yarn alignment is only a sign of good things to come. the universe doesn’t make jokes about things like perfectly matching patterned sock yarn.

  248. Gasp ! I’m sitting here with my mouth open….and this is the FIRST thing I’ve seen today (having snuck down for a quick cuppa and blog catch up before the kids get up), must be a good omen 🙂

  250. Personally, I think the most amazing part is how you managed to get the “fair isle” sections to be kind of mirrored. Well played.

  251. How nice that amongst the holes and rain and band saws, you made a magical pair of socks! Congratulations to you.

  252. I made my first pair of socks from this yarn in a blue stripe and it came out pretty well. These last few postings made me go into my stash and dig out my last ball of the same yarn (different colorway). Good for you!
    Question for Kittysweaters though – What on earth would a perfect lace pattern be? I’m working on my first piece of lace weight lace and after the border was ripped twice I have reached the body of the scarf. After putting it away for six months I pulled it ut two days ago and have redone the first two inches four times. Did I mention I redesigned the pattern? Iv’e decided to be arachnaphobic and removed the small spiders row. I don’t believe even the yarn gods can knit a perfect, once only, without-a-hitch piece of lace!

  253. I love the thought that the balls had been sitting in your house waiting literally for years for their moment; sitting there holding on to all that potential. Then you discovered them just when you would really appretiate them. I wonder how many more little pieces of perfection we have hiding away in our lives just waiting to be discovered?

  254. I once made a pair of socks out of Noro that cam out perfectly matched like that. The only trouble was I didn’t check my gauge before starting and they swim around my ankles. At least they swim perfectly.

  256. I have socks made from that very same yarn. Mine, too, came out all matchy-matchy and I love that! (I’m a math geek at heart, so matchy-matchy is a desirable thing in my book.)
    Enjoy wearing them.

  258. We don’t suck it up with regard to knitting – we whine about it.
    And you are surely tempting the knitting gods…

  260. You know I’ve wondered for a while as to whether the Cat was still with you. I’d gone back and started reading your blog from the beginning (really interesting watching you go from 0-60 in the knitting world) and I knew you had a cat but it would appear that he/she is extremely well behaved, thus not inviting comment as well as being camera shy.
    I’ve been working with self patterning sock yarns (yes you managed to turn me to the dark side and I’m now enamored of sock knitting) and so far I’ve gotten matching pairs, perhaps only working with mass/mechanically dyed yarns from large scale companies gets this or maybe now that I’ve said this it will never happen again and it’s just beginners luck.

  261. That is amazing! I’ve never, ever knit a perfectly matched pair of socks. I gave up on self patterning yarn to avoid the disappointment of mis-matched, socks. Calling them “coordinating” rather than matching just really doesn’t work for me.

  262. I was making the same socks with the same yarn when you first posted about these… and I finished on the same day… and GUESS WHAT? Mine match perfectly, too!!!

  264. Oh! I had that happen with the first pair I knit on self-striping, BUT it was only one ball of yarn (in awe that you managed that with two balls with which to contend) and you really, really don’t want to know how many times I cast on the second sock in order for it to turn out that way.
    As in *really* don’t. (I’m a tad matching obssesive, apparently.)
    Anyway, GREAT socks! I love them!

  266. I am in complete and utter awe. That is AWESOME! And I like the way the blue arrows look all mirror-y and stuff. Nice! 😀

  268. Sometimes in life a pair of matching socks is exactly what you need. They’d make the perfect little secret, feel better, I’m having a rough day, just gotta look at them to make things a little bit easier socks. Something like that would make it possible to get through an otherwize impossible day… or at least it would help. I think we all need something like that.

  269. Wow. That is awesome is the strictest sense of the word. And I’m so happy for you. You really needed that right now. It was nice of the universe to throw you a bone. 🙂

  270. They are really awesome. I hope you are going to keep them for yourself. The watermelon socks I just finished were very, very close, but not the perfection of yours. Congratulations!

  271. I LOVE it when the socks match! My goal, every time I make a pair out of the self striping yarn.

  272. That was probably the universal karma clearinghouse at work just there…..
    They look very cool (if you weren’t entirely as adorable, providing us with a daily dose of smiles, I fear I would be jealous). The muggles will be totally dumbfounded (and so they should be).

  273. Congratulations! They look fabulous! I’ve only had that happen once (and with Noro sock yarn, no less); it is a glorious feeling. Makes me feel even smarter, too, which is always a bonus 🙂

  275. Yeah, I am working on an Entrelac scarf made of Noro and was SO mad when I found a knot – now one of my squares is two different colors. Boo, Noro! Your socks are awesome!

  276. Congratulations on the matching socks! Thats quite a feat. Go out right now, and buy a lottery ticket – it sounds as if its your lucky day.

  278. Congratulations!! What a great pair of socks! The knitting gods love you. I’m working on my very first pair of socks, and in the Schoeller Stahl Limbo Mexiko sock yarn. I will be happy just to have the socks to turn out looking like socks. You are such an inspiration!

  279. Quote from rosie: “Thats quite a feat.” Don’t you mean “feet”? I slay myself…….
    I did a pair of self-designing socks and although the colors did match, the design itself was different on the second skein I used. It was quite difficult for me to “let it go” and take it as artistic interpretation.

  281. I always think that perfectly matching socks are dull and I actively like fraternal socks, but each to their own. They are a very nice piece of knitting, Stephanie.

  282. What if my feet are different sizes? lol! Or if I have 2 left feet some days? lol I love your blog. I love yarn. I love to knit socks. All feet deserve them.

  283. So it can be achieved??? Way to go! You have inspired me to not give up on a quest for matched feet!

  284. not to brag, but i dug around my sock drawer, found socks knit out of the same yarn… and guess what… they look just like yours, perfect match. i think i remember feeling like you did… but not quite so well written. thanks for bringing that memory back.

  286. WOW ! Please, please, please create a “how-to” pattern and SELL IT ! You might pay for the basement ? !!! I would pay a fee for the explanation of this miraculous achievement ! Honestly Steff it’s astounding.

  287. WOW ! Please, please, please create a “how-to” pattern and SELL IT ! You might pay for the basement ? !!! I would pay a fee for the explanation of this miraculous achievement ! Honestly Steff it’s astounding.

  288. Awesome! As one who has a hole in her roof, rather than the basement, and heavy reain is expected tomorrow which means that it will be raining into my bedroom, and a (very expensive) new roof on order but waiting for our community association’s approval at their meeting tomorrow night (during the rain which will be coming into my bedroom) I fully understand the feeling you are having about your socks. I am knitting a pair of self-opatterning socks at the moment and since I am on sock number one I will have to wait to see how we finish up. God, I hope they are matching like yours!

  291. This is a top-ten post in my opinion. Particularly the last line (because I often feel mis-matched when I wear my knitwear). You summed “it” all up. Thanks, Stephanie.

  294. Congratulations! I was just finishing the second sock of a pair last night and came across a knot just before the toe decreases. Bummer, as the first sock had not one pattern repeat (in the self-patterning yarn) and the second sock began with the beginning of the same repeat as the first sock. Therefore, everything matches until the toe decreases and there wasn’t a color I could pull out from the remaining yarn to make them match. Does this make sense?

  295. Knitting nirvana–I’m not worthy–I’m not worthy, but apparently you are. May we all bask in your reflected glory, oh great one.
    ShaZam, indeed.

  296. A true thing of beauty! What a great early Christmas present. I’m just working on my first pair of socks now, and can only hope at some point to have a pair that matches up, both in size and patterning!

  298. Shazam is right! Holy cats, that’s impressive. That never (ever!) happens to me. Sure, there are plenty of close matches, but never exact matches. Good on you!

  299. Go you – that’s a wicked awesome event! What’s even dorkier is that there are 299 other dorks commenting before my dorky comment thinking that this is oh so cool. I’m expecting many more comments to come, too.

  300. Wow, you needed something to go perfectly right. I’ve had almost and very, very close but never down to the last stitch. Don’t ‘cha love how self patterning yarn makes ya feel so brilliant?

  301. This is why I never buy self-patterning yarn. I want to decide when the color changes, and even if I could let go and let the yarn do it… I don’t think I’d ever get over the shock of reading this post and finding that it could be done. (You make sure your cables all mirror each other, right? Of course you do.)

  303. Those are incredible. A once in a lifetime feat, or feet, as the case may be. You are gifted…how do you feel about fixing the US healthcare system?

  305. I’m in awe. I have tried many times and mostly I’m close, but never right on. Even so, it’s always a feeling of satisfaction …. at least there are some things in ones life that can be controlled.

  307. Wow, totally amazing. While you were knitting I kept thinking those socks are nice but it would drive me crazy when they don’t match. But… they do. Perfectly. Amazing. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer yarn harlot.

  308. I’m of the mindset that things must match perfectly, or be way off. No ‘almost’ for me!
    However, the yellow sections on the right sock seem a little bigger to me…

  309. That is the best thing ever. I love it when socks come out like that. And they are such great colors too!

  313. Take some of the credit for yourself, too – it means your gauge was perfectly consistent!

  318. I have managed to do that once, and ONLY once. It’s like…….all the stars align….snd somehow they invariably become one of your favorite pairs!!

  320. Very nice, but to be honest, I’d rather have non-matching socks rather than tempt the fates in this way, Stephanie. ; D

  321. I love it beyond all reason when that happens. Even more, I think, because it is so rare.
    We can control so little, really, and when things work out, the clouds part and the angels sing…
    Live is good indeed. (Disregarding holes and mud and children and such.)

  323. Ok, this is not relevent to your Spectacular Sock Sameness (Ah Adore Alliteration).
    I saw that Etsy link from yesterday…and I threw up a tiny bit in my mouth. Not cool, Harlot. Feet! EW! EW! And (I cannot stress this enough) – EW!

  324. and your toes….your toes!!! they look so happy.
    Happy toes!
    Happy feet!
    P.S. arrows are supposed to be in different direction. Like bookends. One side one way, t’other, t’other.
    sheesh!

  325. Awesome! They are so beautiful.
    On another note: I finished “Baby Yours” today for a baby due in January. I’m so proud to give this sweater to my friend. It was a beautifully written pattern. thank you!

  326. I have some of that yarn from the days before I knew about sock knitting. I only had 50 grams. I made one fingerless glove to keep my mouse hand warm when computing in the attic. These were also the days before fingerless gloves became something people wore outside the attic. I made something else too, but I don’t remember what. On occasion.I see the remainder of the yarn, a chestnut sized lump, many times knit and frogged, loitering in my stash The glove is long gone. I always liked that yarn.

  330. Wow! They’re beautiful, and after having a day that was 99% imperfect, it’s great to see a happy story of success and perfection at the top of your blog. Just stare down at your feet whenever you have to walk through the basement, and that hole won’t seem half as big…
    Much love,
    Shannon

  331. Wow! They’re beautiful, and after having a day that was 99% imperfect, it’s great to see a happy story of success and perfection at the top of your blog. Just stare down at your feet whenever you have to walk through the basement, and that hole won’t seem half as big…
    Much love,
    Shannon

  335. That’s cool. You are WAY too funny. I’d probably only wear them after gettin a pedicure. My dang socks get worn out quick in winter if I don’t. Here’s to you.

  339. I’m so glad that you had a little slice of perfect in the middle of your house havoc. Thanks for making me smile today!

  340. Fabulous! Everyone needs a little perfection occasionally and since the rest of your world is apparently doing exactly the opposite then this must be the world saying that it will all be right in the end. Congratulations, as a perfectionist I know that every time you see this pair of socks the smile you will wear will be in memory of this perfect moment.

  341. Oooh, lovely. Whatever happens don’t let anybody else put them in the wash! They are bound to put them in with something that’s not colourfast or something similar and the Law of Sod will come into operation.

  342. Love the socks! The picture of your socks said it all, I didn’t even need to read your comments to see how perfect they were! A+++++

  343. Miraculous! On order with a harmonic convergence of the planets. I would be dancing the tarantella, too, if I were you, in your perfectly matched pair!
    Ah, the joy socks can convey on so many different levels. I hope you will revel in your triumph every time you wear them!

  346. Congratulations on your perfect socks. I shall have to get some more self-patterning sock yarn soon and try for sock perfection too. You’re inspiring! Now, when everything in your basement seems to be going wrong, you can go to your happy place, look down at your socks, and know that it is possible to find perfection in this universe.

  348. Two skeins is the answer ! After my post I remembered seeing the picture of two skeins !
    At first I thought you did something miraculous to find the exact match in the middle of the skein … then, oh ho and ah ha, two of them !
    Still quite brilliant…

  349. Two skeins is the answer ! After my post I remembered seeing the picture of two skeins !
    At first I thought you did something miraculous to find the exact match in the middle of the skein … then, oh ho and ah ha, two of them !
    Still quite brilliant…

  350. Two skeins is the answer ! After my post I remembered seeing the picture of two skeins !
    At first I thought you did something miraculous to find the exact match in the middle of the skein … then, oh ho and ah ha, two of them !
    Still quite brilliant…

  351. Congratulations and joy! I love that colorway, too! I have done a couple of hats in the heavier weight.

  352. I think I am buying sock wool in the very near future; self patterning sock yarn.
    I Love those socks. Congradulations on perfectly matching socks. You are keeping them, right?

  353. Awesome. I’ve done one pair that really are different (and that’s okay) and have one pair nearly complete that are going to be darned close to as perfect as yours! That’s really exciting!

  354. If I was there, I’d loan you my Hello Kitty tiara to wear while you admire them. Amazing symmetry… Congrats! Hope that you are keeping this pair (how could you not?) and enjoy wearing them often. 🙂

  357. In your last photo the green stripe above the ankle on the right sock looks just a wee bit wider. I think it must be because the left sock is scrunched down a bit. Yeah, that’s it. Scrunched. That’s the ticket.

  359. You are awesome! I wish I could knit as fast as you do. As for the matchy-matchy, I prefer my socks to be fraternal, but hey that’s me & I’m glad you got yours they way you wanted :o)

  361. You know, of course, that so publicly declaring your victory is a direct challenge to the Knitting Goddess. You are now due for a major cosmic smackdown. I’m betting one lost sock. Or maybe a sudden and inexplicable hole in one toe. Or possibly a brightly colored sock mysteriously mixed in with the white-with-bleach load. Really, you’d better start a complex lace project in fuzzy black yarn with one skein too few…just to distract her from the socks.

  363. LOVE THOSE SOCKS! However, I am confused about something in your Twitter messages. What horrific thing happened in New York today?

  365. Wow. I’m over the moon when the bands match up.
    I can’t imagine all the little hilites lining up like that. You have made history

  372. Fabulous! How did you get the socks to be exact mirror image of each other? The blue/white stripes are going in the opposite direction. How in the world did you make that happen?

  373. I have some self-striping yarn, but they’re 100 gm balls, and I’m wondering how I’ll get two even sorta similar socks out of that? Should I try that 2 socks on one circular method?

  374. I has a happy for you! Lightening has struck my tree that way twice, and I can tell you that the joy does not lose its luster the second time around. My two pairs of sock perfection are the envy of my knitting friends. They occupy the top of my sock drawer so I can see them whenever it’s opened and give myself a smile. Here’s hoping for future sock perfection in your sock drawer.

  375. So amazing! Especially since I have a pair of socks from the SAME yarn on right now, and they don’t match.
    I bow to your powers!

  376. (bowing to your greatness!)
    I was especially floored to come to the blog this morning and find a picture of socks almost exactly like the ones on my feet right now! Yes, I did call some innocent muggle student over so I could say, “Look! She used the same yarn I did!” while wiggling my not so matching toes. My socks match down to the last inch, then they’re just a tiny bit off.

  377. (bowing to your greatness!)
    I was especially floored to come to the blog this morning and find a picture of socks almost exactly like the ones on my feet right now! Yes, I did call some innocent muggle student over so I could say, “Look! She used the same yarn I did!” while wiggling my not so matching toes. My socks match down to the last inch, then they’re just a tiny bit off.

  378. So sorry about the repeated posts! I clicked and nothing happened – at least at my end – so I clicked again and then previewed the different message.

  379. Hi,
    my current pair I threw off the twinliness by having a hugely different tenstion. Argh! Luckily they will go to a young boy, who in all likeliness will never notice.
    Karin

  380. Hi,
    my current pair I threw off the twinliness by having a hugely different tenstion. Argh! Luckily they will go to a young boy, who in all likeliness will never notice.
    Karin

  381. Hi,
    my current pair I threw off the twinliness by having a hugely different tenstion. Argh! Luckily they will go to a young boy, who in all likeliness will never notice.
    Karin

  383. I made a pair of fairly closely matched socks from self-patterning yarn and gave them to my husband. Who put them on, noticed the close match, looked puzzled and asked, “So did you do something to make them match like that?” (He knows me so well!) *g* Mine didn’t have the snazzy mirror-image chevrons though!

  384. Agreeing with those who want the tutorial on how to mirror the chevron rows! Pretty please with beer and chocolate on it?

  386. I embrace the imperfection of non-matchy socks. Matching is what mass production is for!
    Although, matching in a factory is easy – matching on the needles, not so.

  388. Gorgeous socks.
    I know what you mean about Noro. When I knit up the balls that I have, I will never buy another. A ball with a knot is a second.Every ball I have ever used has been filthy with knots. Boo on Noro

  390. My very first pair of socks were this yarn and colorway. Everything matched, then, they came apart in the heel, and clowns could wear them over theri shoes! After a bit of darning, now I slide around the house in them when my feet are cold. Thought of taking them apart now that I know better, but they are my first born of socks.

  392. And weren’t those skeins fortunate to find a knitter who wouldn’t make one single mistake. How rare is that! They were pretty lucky I’d say. But not just the yarn that’s lucky, you cast countless smiles and brighten many a day. Go ahead and be perfect. We won’t get bored.

  394. My first pair of socks were in a very similar color pattern, but it didn’t even occur to me that I should try to match them! They were so much fun to knit, and thanks to the climate in Austin, I still have them nine years later, and I love them.

  395. i actually enjoy non-matching socks! but i can see how many of you like your stripes to line up. i’m more of a whirlwind let-it-be kind of girl. but, it is nice when life works out the way you want!

  397. I completely get that. 🙂
    I am of the opinion that you should host a sock hop and only invite knitters – well, perhaps a select few non-knitters – but only if they are well conditioned to appreciate your cleverness.
    Well Done, You!
    Shawnea

  400. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN. And to be perfectly honest, it scares the living daylights out of me, because for every skein of yarn/pair of socks that behaves perfectly, I am absolutely positive that in my stash lurks its evil twin of a skein that will do its absolute best to make me weep in frustration.
    Hopefully, I have found all the evil skeins in my stash and now only the good twins still exist. . .

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