Ugly

Lame, lame, lame to be posting this on the blog as a current work in progress (WIP). The fact is, I'm working on a couple big projects right now that are intended as gifts for people that might be reading this, and I want to keep those on the hush-hush. You'll see them eventually, and I think it will be well worth the wait.

So, back to the ugly. What the heck IS that? A wound skein of varigated sport-weight yarn, 50% mohair, 50% hemp, purchased three or four years back. God only knows what my original intent was. It's been languishing in my stash ever since with its cousins -- the same blend in natural, teal and pinky mauve. Did Suze really buy that yarn? Yes, she did, and she must have been seriously tripped out on caffeine at the time because there's a lot of it, though thankfully only one skein of the fugly stuff you see before you. Those other colors wouldn't be half-bad used in the right context; some of the pinky mauve was made into a baby sweater and turned out nice and pretty.

This yarn has been bugging me for a while, popping up in cartoon form over my shoulder every time I buy yarn to say "Hey, what are you doing? Don't buy more! Knit me!" The problem is, I don't really know how it will behave in the long run. It's nice and soft, soft enough for a baby cardigan at any rate, and once upon a time I did a guage swatch so I know I get 6 stitches to 1" on #5 needles, but I don't know how it will hold up over time. The colors aren't right for a sweater, and I could always do hats for charity, but I have a pile of charity hats already and well, hats are kind of boring.

So of all things, I'm trying socks. Why socks? In a yarn that's soft but not particularly springy and may fall apart? Why, indeed. Well, socks go fast, socks are okay in variagated yarn, and if they fall apart after three wearings, then at least I know about the durability of the yarn. They may just end up being house slippers. I'm using #2 needles for a tighter guage and denser fabric than what the label (which I lost long ago) suggested.

This little project may be doomed from the start. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it to the heel. But if I do finish the pair, given my attitude, perhaps I shall call them "Eeyore."

Now, what should I do with the rest?