I might knit some socks
I'll be the first to admit I'm not much of a sock knitter. I've made probably ten pairs since my friend Autumn taught me how to knit socks in 2002. I own several books of sock patterns and techniques, and I admire the nice socks on all the knitting blogs, but when it really comes down to my own knitting projects, I'd almost always rather be knitting something else. Something that won't be hidden in a shoe, like a sweater or hat or (yawn) a scarf.
But every once in a while, the sock bug bites, and it's biting me now. I think the last pair of socks I knit was the Embossed Leaves socks (scroll down a bit in that entry) in Dale of Norway Baby Ull. I made those last spring, so maybe it's something about leaving winter behind, and the hope that one day thick, heavy sweaters won't be necessary for basic survival.
Come to think of it, I did make Daniel some socks last fall, so maybe the cycle is every six months. Of course he's grown out of them already.
Today my dear little knitting group met at an LYS not far from where I live. I always bring Daniel and Anya with me, and today was one of those days I just shouldn't have bothered to go. I never get any knitting done when I meet this group, mind you. The whole point of going is to get us out of the house and get me some adult social time. Sometimes Daniel plays nicely on the floor with the toys the store owner keeps in the back for just such situations, and sometimes he wants to run around and play peek-a-boo in the classroom space and generally be anywhere but where I want to be, which is sitting around the table talking to my friends. Today was one of the latter; Daniel was happy playing with the toys for, oh, a good five minutes before he was up and running around. I know that he's two years old and it's not really his fault that running around and exploring is way more fun than sitting nicely on the floor with the toys that have long since lost their novelty. But I was frustrated all the same.
You know what did keep Daniel occupied for about five minutes, though? Watching one of the employees (she's a manager, actually) wind some sock yarn for me:
See, here's how it's all relevant. Because I'm not a regular sock knitter, I don't have any sock yarn in the stash. That's right - none. (Unless you count some green tweedy yarn that I made one sock out of, but no mate. And I'd rather not count that.) When I want to knit socks, I have to go out and purchase yarn to do so. So today, I was at a yarn shop and thinking about how I'd like to knit a pair of socks again and at the same time getting increasingly exasperated at chasing my son around while my friends got to talk to each other, and then I saw some oh-so-pretty and not-so-expensive (less than $7 per hank, and you need two of them for a pair of socks) yarn, and I thought, heck with it, I'm buying this. And, unlike just about every pair of socks I've ever made, I'm keeping them. These socks are for ME. ME ME ME.
But I think I really should finish something else first, like that sweater for Anya, or that sweater for me, or that red scarf that's been languishing...
But every once in a while, the sock bug bites, and it's biting me now. I think the last pair of socks I knit was the Embossed Leaves socks (scroll down a bit in that entry) in Dale of Norway Baby Ull. I made those last spring, so maybe it's something about leaving winter behind, and the hope that one day thick, heavy sweaters won't be necessary for basic survival.
Come to think of it, I did make Daniel some socks last fall, so maybe the cycle is every six months. Of course he's grown out of them already.
Today my dear little knitting group met at an LYS not far from where I live. I always bring Daniel and Anya with me, and today was one of those days I just shouldn't have bothered to go. I never get any knitting done when I meet this group, mind you. The whole point of going is to get us out of the house and get me some adult social time. Sometimes Daniel plays nicely on the floor with the toys the store owner keeps in the back for just such situations, and sometimes he wants to run around and play peek-a-boo in the classroom space and generally be anywhere but where I want to be, which is sitting around the table talking to my friends. Today was one of the latter; Daniel was happy playing with the toys for, oh, a good five minutes before he was up and running around. I know that he's two years old and it's not really his fault that running around and exploring is way more fun than sitting nicely on the floor with the toys that have long since lost their novelty. But I was frustrated all the same.
You know what did keep Daniel occupied for about five minutes, though? Watching one of the employees (she's a manager, actually) wind some sock yarn for me:
See, here's how it's all relevant. Because I'm not a regular sock knitter, I don't have any sock yarn in the stash. That's right - none. (Unless you count some green tweedy yarn that I made one sock out of, but no mate. And I'd rather not count that.) When I want to knit socks, I have to go out and purchase yarn to do so. So today, I was at a yarn shop and thinking about how I'd like to knit a pair of socks again and at the same time getting increasingly exasperated at chasing my son around while my friends got to talk to each other, and then I saw some oh-so-pretty and not-so-expensive (less than $7 per hank, and you need two of them for a pair of socks) yarn, and I thought, heck with it, I'm buying this. And, unlike just about every pair of socks I've ever made, I'm keeping them. These socks are for ME. ME ME ME.
But I think I really should finish something else first, like that sweater for Anya, or that sweater for me, or that red scarf that's been languishing...
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