07.22.07

Hmmm…sockapaloozer.

Posted in books, knitting, socks at 8:38 pm by wendy

I have to admit, I haven’t been following the Tour. I’ve checked the paper every once in a while, but I’m not seeing much around, not like last year where it seemed the Tour was everywhere. I guess the lack of Lance is a biggie for the networks. Or I’m just oblivious. Equally likely.

So, I took my rest day yesterday, and the day before was a slacker day, maybe only a half hour of spinning. Instead, I started on my Sockapalooza socks. I cast on on Sunday, knit the picot edging Monday, and here it is Wednesday:

I haven’t felt like I’ve had much knitting time, so in my opinion, I’ve been whizzing along. As of writing this sentence (the above was written Wednesday, at a cafe with wifi, & now we’re back home with my wonderful own broadband wifi) I’ve finished the heel flap and am picking up stitches for the gusset.

I love this pattern–it’s the Cedar Creek Socks designed by Kaci Kyler Hayes, and it’s the perfect pattern for variegated yarn. Simple enough you memorize it quickly so it’s good take-along knitting. But between the four row repeat and the variegation in your yarn, it’s still not a dull knit. I’ve not done a right twist slant the way this pattern has it before, it’s ingenious and creates a wonderful depth and texture–and flexibility.
I originally took this yarn with me to Oregon as my only knitting. Carefully I packed the yarn, the needles, made a photocopy of the stitch repeat I wanted to use on the toe-up socks I planned…and left the the 16 row stitch pattern behind. So on the plane, at 9am, making reassuring mooing sounds to the alcoholic bull next to me from Kansas City, I tried to decide on a new plan. I was wearing my favorite cabled sweater, so I mimicked those in the sock after making the requisite increases. Meh. Cables are not as flexible, and flexible is important when making socks for a stranger. But ribbing is blah. And then I was there, and present in the moment and…
So I started my Sockapalooza socks for reals this time on Sunday, the 15th, and they are due August the 2nd. I am hosed. Other knitters would be fine, but me, yeah I’m hosed. I’m still going to try, and August 1st, I will contact my sockapalooza partner again and let her know that I am a lame-o, but just a slow sock knitting lame-o, not a swap finking lame-o.
Not like my Sockapalooza pal, who sent hers early–I got these beauties in an envelope from Canada:

It looks just as cool inside out. (sock on left is inside out)
So between this and Harry Potter (I’m done, but no spoilers here, since I bought a copy for Nick too we now have a spare–if you’re local and you want it, holla), I stopped caring about the Tour de Fleece. Whoopsie. Still, in tribute to my fallen goal, when I spin, it will be the merino-possum, and I won’t spin anything else until it is all spun up.

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