Death to Socks

I finally finished the first of the Sleepy Socks last night. I should probably inform you that this is version 3 of socks knitted with this yarn. And, no, that doesn't mean I'm using up massive amounts of skeins of the same yarn. I mean I'm literally using the same yarn for the third time. Version 1 was an attempt at toe socks, modifying two different patterns and morphing it into my own. It worked fine, I even finished the sock. But it was way too loose so I decided I'd rip the whole thing apart and start over on smaller needles. Sock duly ripped. Attempt at reknit on smaller? Never happened. I then switched to a different pattern, a pretty lace pattern called Peaks and Valleys from Knit Socks! Enter version 2.0.

All was going well until I remembered I tend to knit socks inside out through the leg and heel flap and end up having to turn it right side out to finish it as I'm too lazy to try and figure out the backwards version of a pattern written for right side out. :p So, I got to the heel flap and realize that something is just off. Waiting to turn right side out after the heel flap just won't work, says I. So I turn it out and continue. All is well until I get to the gusset and foot and realize the pattern is now not going to match what's on the leg. *sigh* I soldier on thinking, who cares, I'll just wear them to sleep. But as I near the end of the foot section the pattern inversion is just too much for me. So I rip the sock apart again. I'll start over correctly with a different yarn or switch to a different pattern again. Not.

Enter version 3, the current version. I traveled to the UK for my six month sojourn and packed my sticks with me and a three projects worth of yarn, including the recycled sock yarn. I unpack and realize, I've left my bedtime socks back in the States. Well, here we go. This time I decide nothing fancy, just your basic Starter Sock out of Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circs book. I've got the smaller needles with me and away I go. Last night I was cruising along the foot nearing the toe decreases and kept measuring to make sure I wasn't making the sock too long. Despite repeated measurements, I was so engrossed in whatever I was watching that I knit an extra five rows in the foot portion. Bother. As I didn't feel like taking the time to tink 5 rows back (hahaha!) I decide to rip out carefully and reinsert needles. Good plan, bad execution for 8 of 60 stitches. That's right, 8. Eight bastard stitches that unraveled and in a very bizarre way. I fixed all but three of them correctly since they were just doing their own thing.

Dude. I cried. My first crying over knitting experience in the two years I've been at this. Granted I've gotten mightily frustrated before but have always been able to calm myself down and fix everything. This, however, was just ridiculous. In the salvage process I also increased 1! Well, I finally decided there was no way I was ripping out everything when I was so near the end, so I k2tog, left the funkiness in--there were no holes, I'll deal with sleeping in irregular socks. Hrmph. And so the first sock is complete. Bastard.

I'll cast on for #2 today as there is no way that bastard sock is staying alone.

Knitting blog!

I finally gave in and started a place to blather on about my knitting triumphs and woes. Currently more woe-y than triumph-y probably, heh. However, since I just got my invite to ravelry, I had to do it. I mean, really.

To tell you a little about me, I'm a Literature Nerd. Seriously. These days when I'm not knitting I'm somewhere working on my dissertation. And my stash and needles are conveniently located next to (or in between, lol) my books and pens, hence the blog name. So you can call me Pen if you have the inkling (omg pun! sorry :p), I don't mind.


Ta ta for now!