First Time*

The first time I knit a sock I didn't realize it was such a big deal for people. I decided to make a birthday stocking (like a Christmas stocking) for Isobel, so just a really big sock in worsted weight yarn: shocking pink Malabrigo to be exact. So soft and shockingly pink. I followed the pattern I had for normal socks (the great Family Socks from Yankee Knitter), using bigger yarn and needles but the same stitch counts for the sake of my sanity.

Seemed kind of like no big deal. Why were some people so obsessed with knitting socks? And why were others so flummoxed by "turning the heel"? I guess I turned the heel. I mean, the thing had a place for a heel. Well, if you were a giant anyway.

It's kind of like cooking. Why are people so impressed with a home-cooked meal. If you follow the recipe (and don't lose your head), you should come up with a reasonable facsimile of dinner. But people are so impressed when you follow directions. Does no one else follow directions? I'm the only one, aren't I. Being the good girl isn't always easy, but I do end up with a tasty dinner. And socks with heels.

There are heel-less socks, though, called bed socks. Just a tube with a closed toe. They don't fit well in shoes but are cosy for bed or padding around the house.

I haven't knit any of those yet, though I'm finally (three years later) making a pair of socks for myself. The yarn is a gorgeous colorway from Madeline Tosh called Twilight, with shocking pink (again with that color), navy, and brown and green in between: the pink of sunset-tinged clouds, the blue of the night sky, and the dusky shade of the trees as the light fades.

These will be special socks just for me, unlike the socks I made for Peter. He was in rehab, and it seemed like the right thing to do, make him a pair of socks. I even followed the old wives' tale and knit a strand of my hair and one of Isobel's into the socks. It's supposed to bind the recipient to you. (Should have noticed the other one about knitting socks for your boyfriend: he'll walk out, but he was my husband.) So, it seemed like the right thing to do, since he was going to come back home. No one had asked me if I wanted him to. The good girl would, of course. Funny how that didn't work out. Making that pair for him. Does he still have them? Does it matter?

The pair for me are knit differently, toe-up to use as much of the gorgeous yarn as possible and with a short row heel to avoid picking up stitches, which I tend to do badly. His were just a lesson in construction, and I've learned a lot since then.

*I've just started a memoir writing class, and one of the exercises we did was to write about something we did for the first time. This was my essay. The photo is of the start of my second sock. I used Judy's Magic Cast-On, which I learned knitting up the Amy March Slippers around Mother's Day. It creates a toe that fits my pointy feet very nicely. And I used a short-row heel gleaned from various places online, including Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock.

FO: BSJ and Bootees

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket [Ravel it.] and Bootees [Ravel it.] by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club 2007 Bella Coola/Nuxalk Mediumweight
Needles: US5
Notions: Buttons from Purl Diva
Mods: Dispensed with ties on bootees, as I was almost out of yarn

Ah, the BSJ. Such a fun pattern once you conquer the double increases and decreases (it can be difficult to see exactly where they go, but I can read my knitting well enough now to see where they should happen). And the Bootees are equally fun and much quicker, of course. Not much else to say on this one. I loved the yarn and think it's one of those colorways that would work for a boy or girl. Penelope is modeling, but they are going to her cousin John who was born a month ago.

In other news, we're licensed to wed! I don't think we'll wait for the new NYC Marriage Bureau, lovely as it sounds. We'll keep you posted :)

FO: Knotty Gloves

Pattern: Knotty Gloves by Julia Meuller
Yarn: Rio De La Plata sock yarn in Coral Rose
Needle: US1
Mods: None, aside from dropping a needle size (I'm learning that as a thrower, my knitting is a little loose, so I often need to go down a needle or two to get gauge). Oh, I did make the fingers longer, as we Wilsons have loooong fingers and toes.

I liked this pattern and plan to knit Julia's Entangled for myself when I wrap up Holiday Gift Knitting (hereafter referred to as HKG). My original plan for this yarn had been socks for my grandmother, as she told me the Amy March Slippers I knit her for Mother's Day never even went in the drawer but right onto her feet. But then I heard some felting stories from folks who had knit socks with this supposedly superwash yarn only to end up with ornaments and didn't want that to happen. So for HKG I may knit Grandma a pair of socks from my STR stash.

Yes, I may knit socks. In fact I'm knitting myself a pair now, and it's not as tedious as I thought. I'm doing toe-up with Judy's Magic Cast On and plan to do a short row heel. The yarn is some gorgeous Madeline Tosh in the Twilight colorway from Purl Diva.

Tomorrow I'll try to blog the Surprise Jacket and Bootees for my nephew, but Penelope has had a cold, so it's a piecrust promise: Easily made, easily broken. Wish me luck.

A moment in knitting/parenting

The kids just came and asked me for yarn and needles.

They're almost four and five-and-a-half, so they're not knitting yet. But soon!

The Big D

Divorce, that is. Nick's divorce is finally final! We can get hitched! We're still processing the fact that we are both finally free to be together, but once we get a plan together, I'll let you know what it is. Something down at City Hall with a family celebration in the Windy City at Christmastime, so my sister can be there (she's still in Afghanistan but leaving her job there at the end of October to travel some).

There are also quite a few FOs to share, but I need to snap pics, and it was too rainy for that this weekend. I prefer shooting with natural light. So, this week stay tuned for a pair of gloves, a BSJ and BSBs (Baby Surprise Booties), a beret, a February Lady Sweater (hopefully with buttons), and probably another beret (Christmas presents).

Gotta go. Pen is waking up from another nap.

...And We're Back

Whew! So far, so good. Should you ever be foolish enough to spill water on your laptop, shut it down right away and/or remove the battery, then turn it over so the water can drain out and let it dry for a couple of days before trying anything. I'm backing up everything that matters (photos and knitting patterns) right now, which hadn't been done for a while, and am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't need a new, expensive piece of hardware until I am gainfully employed. Ugh. At least it wasn't coffee or juice.
And at least I did it rather than one of the kids or something. Only myself to blame.

On to more fun things, like Christmas knitting. Luckily, I think I've found the perfect yarns for some family members right in my very own stash. As Stephanie so wisely said in one of her books, it's best to have a large yarn stash so you can go shopping at 3am if needed.

Offline

Having spilled water on my laptop, I'm offline for a little while with only occasional access to the interwebs on Nick's laptop (he has actual work to do on it). I have FOs to tell you about and holiday knitting plans to share, but it will have to wait a little.