They Sell Socks at Walmart, You Know!

This is the second sock I have started for Carl's birthday, now almost two weeks ago.  "Good", you say.  "You are already on the second sock!"  Well, not exactly.  I have been plugging along on the sock with the tiny needles and thin yarn.  Two night ago, I finished down to where I needed to start the toe shaping.  I tried the sock on Carl, carefully, because I still had my needles in the sock.  It didn't fit really all that great around the ankle area, but we both thought it might be better after washing.  I divided the stitches, and started the shaping.  The toe had to be closed using the Kitchener Stitch, which is a bit tricky for me and requires a bunch of concentration, but looks good when finished.  Got the toe woven in, and it looked pretty good.  I was just ready to hold the sock up for the "ta-da" moment, when I noticed something was very, very wrong.  Okay, picture this:  the ribbed cuff, the rib detailing down the front of the sock and down the back of the sock, the double stitched heel for extra padding, the flat bed of the sole....the toe should be just beyond that flat sole bed, also flat and horizontal.  Well, somehow  when I divided the stitches for the toe, I did a 180 and now the toe area is sticking straight up, vertically, from the sole.  Hmmm.  Not good.  I used to be in the shoe business, and I have never seen a foot that would fit this style sock.  Darn it.  I decided the only thing to do was to frog the whole sock and try to save the yarn.  We didn't like how the ankle fit anyway, so I found a new pattern to try.  Thus, sock #2, shown above.  This whole process reminds me of the time I was taking a wire class at a bead shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I was sitting making earring wires.  An older lady came over, observed what I was trying to do, and in a very Southern, drawly stage whisper said, "Darlin', they sell those things already made, you know!"  Jerilynn