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Uh oh…here we go (Full-on sock addict now.) « »
So, ok. If you’ve been reading this blog for a few years, you know that I tend to have waves of obsession. I mean, I get reeeeeally into something for a while, get all the gear, figure out how to dissect it and remake it from every possible angle.
And, fair readers, I think we have another obsession in the making. I really thought I’d been there and back already, didn’t need to Do Socks any more, but there’s just something about teeny tiny needles, teeny tiny yarn, and then all of the leeeetle accessories, small batches of hand-dyed yarns, and the rabid sock-knitting communities. It’s all so perfectly set up for people with even the slightest tendency to obsess.
I know I’m a good 2 years late for the real bandwagon here. I’m like the guy who comes along after the parade, cleaning up after the bandwagon. So, you’ll have seen all of my oohs and aahs before, many many times, I’m sure.
HowEVer…I’m going to write about it like you haven’t. Otherwise, every sentence will start with, “Ok, you guys probably already KNOW this, BUT…” or, “Somebody stop me if you’ve heard about this…” And that kind of self-depreciating attitude is just too hard to keep up. So I’m just going to pretend this is all new…to everyone.
In response to the TWO people who asked for a pattern for the socks I made last time, I’ve written a pattern and am just waiting on the digitized cable charts. So that’ll be up soon. (BTW: the Cleo pattern is with the graphic designer whose laptop had to be rushed to the apple store for emergency surgery) I don’t know if that Glampyre sock yarn is available any more, but any sock yarn will work (you probably already KNOW that…) < -- see? Annoying.
OK, so here I start talking about stuff that people have already figured out many many times…
I’m going crazy with lust for self-striping sock yarn.
I mean, I am really losing sleep over it.
I think I’ve read all of the blog posts, googled all the images and how-tos, and I’m almost ready to try it for myself.
I’ve got a GORGEOUS hank of Morehouse Merino Laceweight (8 sts / inch) that their GORGEOUS rep gave me at the last TNNA. (She’s a redhead, and we think we may actually know each other from our past lives in NYC in the mid-late 90s…but that’s another story…) At ANY rate…There’s 880 yards, which will make TWO pair of big-footed socks.
(OH! Another aside: when you see the INSOMNIA sock pattern, you’re going to laugh because I wrote it for my big feet. The short-row heel starts at 8.5 inches and the foot length…10 inches. BUT…as you know…you just plug in your own measurements. I just thought it’d be fun to have my own size 11 foot be the ‘model’ for that one.)
So, what I’m gonna do is wind the gorgeous merino hank into a ball or 2, wind THAT around my two metal patio chairs, mark off my stripes, and then just try dyeing it. I’ll let you know what happens.
Oh yeah, I’m past the heel on my first “Jaded” sock:
Do you ever, while you knit socks, notice that your yarn stops flowing over the needle as smoothly? My metal needles (and this happens when I knit big, too) seem to get sort of dirty and sticky…not like glue sticky, but just that the yarn seems to stop flowing across them as nicely. I’m pretty sure it’s not that my hands are filthy…I wash my hands 100s of times a day with a new baby in the house.
I keep a jeweler’s cloth in my sewing bag, and use that to periodically wipe off my needles. Something about it is a lot better than just plain flannel or t-shirt. Whatever they put on it to clean jewelry works great for cleaning Addis, too.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under just chit chat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
6 Responses to “Uh oh…here we go (Full-on sock addict now.)”
Oh, what a great tip about the jewelery cloth! I wonder if a microfiber cloth or class-cleaning cloth would work too–I think I have some of those lying around.
It’s ok… I’ve been knitting large square/rectangular objects for 20 some odd years and only about 3 years ago did I discover socks, t-shirts, sweaters and all sorts of other wonderful knits. So I’m with you on picking up socks WAY late.
-Notsofluffynotsokira
I love this pattern the sock bandwagon is ongoing, i joined a year ago and I just met a sock OCD the other day. It can be like you are the first person to EVER knit socks and you need t tell the world
Mardi
* can’t wait for the pattern
Good gods, you knit fast. You cast on those Jaded socks like, what, twenty minutes ago?
This is why I have a hard time actually WRITING my sock patterns: Because they all fit MY feet! You and I should have a secret giant-feet sock-pattern-trading society.
I resisted the sock thing for a few years…but yes…once you open up to it it’s really all-encompassing. I just love knitting them. They’re the perfect little easy thing to have on the needles in between larger projects.