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September 16, 2007
I'm not a SockapaLOSER!
I was so worried I'd never finish my socks for my sock pal. Let's just say the last month or so has been not at all what I expected (details to come later, when I can say something more conclusive). Finally, a little over a week ago, I finished the second sock. I proudly blocked them, and delighted in my vision of me at the post office, sending them off to their waiting owner. But alas, there was a problem. One sock was about an inch longer than the other!
How could this happen?! I had been so careful with the second sock, measuring it up to the first over and over and over again. Now, if they were socks for my mother, she would wear them proudly, never minding that one sock was significantly longer than the other. My loving husband looked at them and said, "Oh, maybe she won't notice." Muggle! Of course a sock knitter would notice! And, I didn't go for his hopeful comment that maybe one leg is longer than the other, either.
After several long moment in the fetal position, I contemplated my choices. The way I saw it, I had three choices:
1. Knit a whole new pair of socks, this time much more carefully. This did not seem reasonable given it was already September and it had taken me all summer to knit one pair of socks. Chances are, no one would want their Sockapalooza socks to arrive in December.
2. Frog that long sock and start over. I had already been suffering a bit from Second Sock Syndrome, so the thought of knitting a whole other sock again did not sound like a good idea at all.
3. Give the socks to my mother, who would accept them graciously. Tell Alison I needed a sock savior. This option seemed the most reasonable, especially given the circumstances of the last month of so.
These choices did not seem so spectacular to me. How could I ever wear my socks from Nan--those gorgeous Monkeys in STR Downpour--if I did not send socks to my sock pal. And besides, I had two finished socks. It's not like I hadn't started yet, or something. I thought some more. I contemplated throwing my problem out here on the blogosphere, to see what suggestions I might get. Instead, it came to me in a flash--call my LYS! They would know what to do.
It turned out they had a free clinic that very day! I took my socks in, embarrassed to show them my mistake. Of course, I quickly lost that feeling when I saw that I was not alone and that there are other knitters out there with greater knitting problems than I. Plus, it didn't hurt that people admired my socks. The helpful knitter at the clinic observed that i had done an extra pattern repeat, and then she taught me how to do sock surgery. Yep, you guessed it (because you're much smarter than I am, and you already knew that I just needed to cut that extra pattern repeat right outta there). I would cut off the top and reknit the cuff.
Now, cutting one's knitting is not something to go into lightly. I practiced. And, I practiced. And, I worried too much about the fact that it was a lace pattern and what might happen if I cut the wrong row. In the end, it was all very simple (if you haven't had to take out several rows this way, I assure you, it IS very simple). The only minor issue is that the two cuffs look a little different, since one was a cast-on row and one ended up being a cast-off row. So, here they are, right before jumping into the package to go to my Sock Pal:
Sorry for the photo quality. You can't really see the subtle variegation of green and yellow. It's a very pretty color, in my opinion. We have a habit of losing our digital camera, so this was the best I could do under the circumstances. The socks didn't turn out quite as great as I wanted them to, but hopefully my sock pal won't mind. The yarn is Yarni, a locally dyed yarn. I included another colorway of Yarni in the care package to my sock pal, so she can make another pair of Yarni socks if she wants.
Now, I can move on to other knitting, guilt-free. Or nearly guilt-free. There IS that thing called a dissertation to work on too.
Stay tuned for first day of kindergarten pics!
Posted by chri1010 at September 16, 2007 8:36 AM | Because knitting rocks my socks!
Comments
GOOD JOB. THEY LOOK GREAT.
I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY IF YOU WERE MY SOCK PAL.
Posted by: NATÃ?LIA at September 17, 2007 10:19 AM
The socks are beautiful. I am sure your sock pal will love it and will be enjoy being spoiled by you.
Posted by: Nan at September 17, 2007 11:53 AM
Thanks, Nan! But I have to say, they AREN'T as nice as the ones you made for me. That might be partly because STR is a slightly nicer sock yarn, but I think it's also because you're an excellent knitter!
Posted by: Minneapolismama at September 18, 2007 8:06 PM
Way to go! You are brave to cut your sock apart and sew it back together and resourceful to go to your LYS to get help doing it.
Posted by: Emmie at September 20, 2007 3:47 PM
Beautiful save! Not only did you finish your socks, you got to finish them with a story!
Posted by: Jennifer at September 21, 2007 7:42 AM
Wear Dress Penney Loafer And Dress Pants And Dress Socks And Dress Boxer Briefs And Dress Belt And Shirt From 7:am to 3:Pm From Monday To Friday
Posted by: Steve Fleisher at August 16, 2009 10:06 PM