Perhaps I Should Do the Noble Thing

and realize that maybe I really should throw in the towel. With tomorrow's KO deadline looming, I think it might be best if I realized that my second sock won't be realized in time. I have a birthday party at four and then tomorrow about 50 composition papers will be staring at me in addition to the mountain of books I'm supposed to be reading. Oh, yes, and there is a fellowship application I should be working on. The good news is that I managed to eliminate a gusset hole on one side of the sock by wrapping and turning before working the heel flap. The bad news is that I didn't know I should have also wrapped and turned at the other end of the heel flap. So one side of the gusset looks great, but the other side has not one but three holes! So, I'll probably be stitching up those holes when I finish this sock. I keep staring at my Lorna's Laces and promising that I'll be careful and make the best socks that I can. The distance that I have until closing this sock makes me feel as if I'm on a mountain of sighs.

Sock One Officially Done

What I love about knitting is the awe that I feel when I've completed a challenging project. After making a sock with worsted weight yarn on dpns, I really enjoyed teaching myself the magic loop and using sock yarn. I don't know if I really like the colors and feel of this Supersocke yarn, but it wasn't terrible to work with. Not only did I teach myself a new sock-making method, I also forced myself to knit by grabbing the yarn instead of wrapping it. Once I got the rhythm down, the sock began to fly. I think it's going to be a real challenge, however, to finish the other sock by the close of the Olympics. I'm already getting antsy to teach myself toe-up socks with short-row heels. I don't like the way the kitchner graft makes the toe look, so I'm hoping to learn a round toe or toe-up socks. So, my dreaded second sock syndrome has more to do with redoing a method than actually making the second sock.

When I showed my boyfriend my completed sock, he said it looked like a giant sock and that it also looked like an aardvark. It does. The way the sock is angled at the toes does make it look like a snout-nosed animal. He also asked me about my gusset holes and if I could fix them. So, I know that if he noticed them that the holes must be mighty noticable. A special thanks goes out to the A.D.D. Knitter for saying that the holes weren't so noticable.

It Looks Like a Sock...

so it must be a sock, I tell myself, but I'm not satisfied with this sock. Not in the least. I didn't take a picture of the side with the really huge gusset hole. I'm just going to pretend as if the huge, gaping gusset hole isn't there. Next time I'll remember to wrap and turn before working the heel flap. I was really impressed with Leslie's short-row heel and thought about giving it a go, but thought against it because I was really scared that I wouldn't be able to do it. I also really enjoy making heel flaps; I find them springy and bouncy and they hug the heel so nicely. But I do plan on eventually learning the short-row heel because it does look so pretty. I wanted so much to be able to cast on for my second sock tonight, but I've given myself a new goal: finish this sock tonight. It's Friday. I shouldn't be home knitting.

What I Woke To; KO Continued

Despite the blizzard and the cabin fever, I could not, did not get much knitting done, although I did try to do a few rounds between grading. I woke to a wintry scene that seemed to promise prime knitting, but I still did not reach my goal of six inches. Outside, there was 18 inches of snow, and last night before I went to bed, I had only five inches of knitting.


Cheers to Leslie, who has already finished one sock!

Not What I Really Wanted; Day 1 Knitting Olympics

Well, perhaps I should start with the good news. The good news is that I have the magic loop down. I don't know just yet if I prefer it to working with dpns, but I must say that it is a delight, absolute delight, to knit socks with Addis. I was using bamboo dpns and the Addis just make the stitches fall and form like butter.


The bad news is that I should have practiced better for the Knitting Olympics. After knitting almost 2.5 inches of my sock in k3 p1 rib over 56 stitches on size 2 needles, I realized that I hated it. Hated it. The sock was too "airy" for me. I wanted a tighter knit. I also hated the way the Supersocke was patterning. So, frog I did, much to the terror of my boyfriend who said that I should trek on for the sake of the Knitting Olympics. But, alas, if I'm going to make socks and spend two weeks on making socks, then I want them to be socks that I'm going to love.

So, I cast on twice last night. The second cast on was on size 1 needles over 64 stitches. I'm going to do a 1.5 inch cuff over 1x1 rib and then switch to stockinette.

I have much reading/grading/cleaning to do today and I really want to indulge in some potatoes and pork chops. Lucky for me that the weather is going to blow over into a blizzard tonight and my knitting will call.

Wedding Bells and an Orchid

I didn't get much knitting done this past week, but did have a fabulous time at my friend's wedding in Louisiana. The bridesmaids' spa day was awesome. We had tiny wedding cakes with charms and a daisy, a massage, a manicure, a foot-soak, a facial, and a champagne brunch with all sorts of Southern comfort: bacon and cheesy grits. Before I left, my orchid, after a year, bloomed.