A Knitting Interloper

I was perusing the blogs and I saw a number of good-looking socks. Every time I asked where the patterns came from, people said "Sensational Knitted Socks". (This is also where the patterns came from for many ugly socks, but never mind that.) I got one of those urges where I would scale mountains and scuba dive to get my hands on the book ASAP. You see, my crab yarn and the pool that formed in my sock brought great shame into my life. I needed a pattern that better expressed the yarn.

Here's where I might get too high strung. I went to the trusty neighborhood Borders to look for my book. What did I find? I found a knitter camped out in the knitting section with her UFO. She had copied a pattern into a notepad and sat there knitting it! I was furious. First of all I had to climb over the freeloader to get my book. Then, the idea that someone would be so bold as to move into an aisle in a bookstore to copy someone's labor of love really pissed me off. I didn't say anything as I couldn't think of anything civil to say. At least this woman could've bought a coffee and looked at the book in the cafe. But no, there she was in the foot space of an actual customer all nonchalant. I hope her project gets moths.

I wasn't too happy to cough up the hefty price tag for the sock book, but if it helps pad Ms. Schurch's wallet, I'm glad to support her genius. Maybe I could say that sometimes a book only has one good pattern, but even that case, one decides whether that one pattern is worth the price of the book or one finds another pattern. I was so upset.

ZZZ

I am half dead today. I still haven't figured out how to pick up stitches and do the gusset. (Do the gusset. It sounds like do the hustle, or do the humpty dance, here's your chance.) Anyway. I was unhappy with a gusset I made over the weekend so I ripped back and sat up last night knitting frantically. Then I woke up an hour late this morning. Caffeine has done nothing. Maybe there will be one sole, loud thunderclap to shake the buildings, set off the car alarms and wake me up from a sound slumber this afternoon as there was last night.

Nightime Knitting

Yesterday I was out after work and starving! I decided I needed some gorditas of rajas y queso (sliced green pepper and cheese). I was in the neighborhood and went to get some. They usually run big so the plan was to only get one. But I decided I was really hungry and got one with rajas and cactus as well. Then I doused those bad boys with hot sauce and scarfed them both down about an hour before bed.

Needless to say I had some sorry insomnia. My body decided that it was more important to digest than to sleep. I got up and drank 3 glasses of water trying to flush the stupid food down. I felt every enzyme-food particle interaction and sat up unable to sleep. So I pulled out the crab yarn.

The crab yarn is supposed to be worked on size 2s, but I knit really floppy so I thought I'd break in a pair of zeros. I've never knit on zeros before. I liked the tiny stitches. Unfortunately my crab yarn was starting to pool. I was very upset, but the pool is turning into a swirl now, so I'm interested in what will transpire in the end. No two socks at once folly for this crab yarn. I only have 1 ball to work with.

To' Up Sock

At the latest SNB meeting someone was talking about their toe up sock. Mind you, I've only knit a pair and 1/3 of socks, so I don't know about the toe up sock strategy. I thought this woman was referring to her to' up sock, as in short for torn up or wrecked in some way. I was like, what happened to this poor lady's sock that it's to' up? Did the cat get it? Did she have to frog? I didn't get it. I had a feeling I was missing some important part of the conversation. Finally the light bulb came on and I realized that she meant she was starting the sock from the toe. DUH! Some day I will get it together.

No More Method

There I was merrily knitting along with my so called two socks at once magic loop method. All was well. I was so practical knitting two socks at once. Then I got to the heel flaps.

Um. My method wasn't working. I'm trying to chug along now with two circular needles, but I'm afraid I might already be off by a row. I find I can't remember when to alternate and work on the other sock. My sock memory sucks.

So I'll be doing the research and figure out how to string these puppies up on one needle again. So much for invention.

Wish List

Perhaps I am strengthening my resolve, but the last couple of Knit Picks catalogues have not rung my bell. I have a very short wish list this time.

On page 5 there is a hand knit lace dress. Now I'm not one for lace or crochet wear, but this piece is a thing of great beauty. I wish they would provide knitting credits on the samples so that I could marvel at the knitter's glory and maybe hate a little as well.

Then on page 10 there's an Elizabeth Zimmerman page. She seems like a foundational addition to my library. Should any benevolent knitanthropist out there want to contribute to my collection. . .I would probably consider it a bit stalkerish.

I'm pretending there's no yarn section at the back of the catalogue.

Spring?

I was reading blogs back in the days when I had time to blog. People were starting to talk about Spring and their gardening. I live in a condo and actually feel quite relieved that I don't have a lawn to attend. I would be the neighbor with "that lawn": the long patchy grass, the shapeless shrubs, dead leaves. Nevertheless I like plants and flowers so I started knitting from my flowers book. It is my feeble attempt to pretend that it's Spring even though it's been snowing every day for a week and this morning I actually had to wipe down my car.

Some Kinda Method

My imported sock yarn arrived. In my excitement to get started, I strung these bad boys up myself. I know there's some "official" way to knit two socks at once using a magic loop. Whether I'm knitting 2 at a time correctly or not, I don't know. I've been too frazzled to investigate the correct method.

My last pair had different colored toes. That bugged me enough to want to knit these simultaneously. And the yellow pair (now delivered to my Grandma who loves them) had a suspiciously longer gusset on one sock than the other. So I hope these socks will be more matchy.