The One About Sock Class, Talking Snow, and Sidewalk Bubbles
What a busy week! Seems like I’ve been on the go with one thing or another all week. Highlights include supper and a visit with friends, hanging with new folks in my building, lunch with friend Pat (lobster -YUM), a trip to the salon to get all blonded up for summer and a class at The Sow’s Ear on Tuesday night.
I took the Two-At-A-Time-Toe-Up-Socks-On-One-Ridiculously-Long-But-Not-Really-Long-Enough-As-It-Turns-Out-Needle class. There were tangles, confusion, tangles, near strangulation, tangles, tears, tangles and WTFs. A lot of WTFs. And tangles. We cast on and learned how to increase for the toe. Our assignment for next Tuesday is to have the toe and rest of the foot to the heel done. I’ve been working on it all week and have about an inch done. Sigh. It’s awkward and confusing but I’ll keep at it and see if it gets better. I guess after you’ve knit 45 giggabillion socks on double points, that’s just what your hands 'know' to do so the change in method is difficult. I’m trying to give it a fair shake but I have a nagging feeling that this isn’t going to stick.
Knit Night is tonight at The Sow’s Ear. Maybe I can pay Jen to do my homework since the Toe Up Fu is strong in her. Dale and Mary won’t be able to make it so Jen and Beth and I will have to be extra loud and obnoxious to make the Naughty Girls group what it’s truly meant to be. Hopefully Elizabeth will make it too or we may not be able to make a fetch of it.
In Bentley news, spring has sprung and a young dog’s nose turns to all of the new smells. Our walks are getting shorter in distance and longer in duration as he investigates every newly revealed blade of grass and puddle. We also have to stop if the sun is shining on the snow and it’s making ‘Rice Krispy’ sounds as it melts. He turns his head one way and then the other, staring psychotically at it. I’m not sure if he thinks there’s a mouse in there or if aliens are trying to communicate with him or what. And he WILL NOT move. If a dog that big wants to stand and communicate with Martians, there's nothing you can do about it. Just wait it out. It was amusing the first 80, 000 times it happened, but now I seriously considering making him wear ear muffs so we can just get on with it already!
Yesterday’s discovery was the bubbles that come up between some of the sidewalk cracks when there’s a lot of water under them. He pounces up and down on his front feet, howling like a banshee and snapping at them. It’s good to know that he’s turns into a Mad Dingo and will protect me against the dangerous things in life like snow whispering, bubbles, plastic shopping bars, garden gnomes, flags and the vacuum cleaner. However when strange men (Bob the maintenance guy) come into the apartment, Ben hides; a fact which is not comforting at all! Bob told me that it was a few weeks before he even knew I HAD a dog. Here does an 80# fur beast hide in a one bedroom place?
At any rate, must get packed for Knit Night, but I would love to hear from you about your preferred method of sock knitting and why you like one method over another! Enlighten me!
I took the Two-At-A-Time-Toe-Up-Socks-On-One-Ridiculously-Long-But-Not-Really-Long-Enough-As-It-Turns-Out-Needle class. There were tangles, confusion, tangles, near strangulation, tangles, tears, tangles and WTFs. A lot of WTFs. And tangles. We cast on and learned how to increase for the toe. Our assignment for next Tuesday is to have the toe and rest of the foot to the heel done. I’ve been working on it all week and have about an inch done. Sigh. It’s awkward and confusing but I’ll keep at it and see if it gets better. I guess after you’ve knit 45 giggabillion socks on double points, that’s just what your hands 'know' to do so the change in method is difficult. I’m trying to give it a fair shake but I have a nagging feeling that this isn’t going to stick.
Knit Night is tonight at The Sow’s Ear. Maybe I can pay Jen to do my homework since the Toe Up Fu is strong in her. Dale and Mary won’t be able to make it so Jen and Beth and I will have to be extra loud and obnoxious to make the Naughty Girls group what it’s truly meant to be. Hopefully Elizabeth will make it too or we may not be able to make a fetch of it.
In Bentley news, spring has sprung and a young dog’s nose turns to all of the new smells. Our walks are getting shorter in distance and longer in duration as he investigates every newly revealed blade of grass and puddle. We also have to stop if the sun is shining on the snow and it’s making ‘Rice Krispy’ sounds as it melts. He turns his head one way and then the other, staring psychotically at it. I’m not sure if he thinks there’s a mouse in there or if aliens are trying to communicate with him or what. And he WILL NOT move. If a dog that big wants to stand and communicate with Martians, there's nothing you can do about it. Just wait it out. It was amusing the first 80, 000 times it happened, but now I seriously considering making him wear ear muffs so we can just get on with it already!
Yesterday’s discovery was the bubbles that come up between some of the sidewalk cracks when there’s a lot of water under them. He pounces up and down on his front feet, howling like a banshee and snapping at them. It’s good to know that he’s turns into a Mad Dingo and will protect me against the dangerous things in life like snow whispering, bubbles, plastic shopping bars, garden gnomes, flags and the vacuum cleaner. However when strange men (Bob the maintenance guy) come into the apartment, Ben hides; a fact which is not comforting at all! Bob told me that it was a few weeks before he even knew I HAD a dog. Here does an 80# fur beast hide in a one bedroom place?
At any rate, must get packed for Knit Night, but I would love to hear from you about your preferred method of sock knitting and why you like one method over another! Enlighten me!
Comments
Obviously, Ben doesn't want his owner getting all the laughs....
Still practice works wonders.
I *did* force myself to make one full pair of socks from the toe up using magic loop two socks at the same time, and it was aggravating, because it seemed like I was spending a lot of time organizing where my yarn was, and which sock was supposed to be where, etc... It worked, but I really think it slowed me down...
Long way of saying that I like knitting my socks from the toe up, magic loop. Easier to take on the bus, because I don't have to worry about dropping a dpn and having it roll around on the grimy floor of the bus...and only two potential places for the "laddering" instead of three or four...
Good luck! Pics?
I'm a one-at-a-time on 2 circs sock knitter. I prefer a pair of 16" circs (preferably Hiya Hiya). I don't have a problem with second sock syndrome ... I like figuring out the difficult bits on the first sock, then having the second sock fly by in comparison. I prefer toe-up, using a garter toe rather than a standard toe. And I'm quite partial to "New Pathways for Sock Knitters," but I know Cat Bordhi is not everyone's cup of tea.
Then again, I firmly believe that knitters should have all three techniques (DPNs, 2 circs, ML) in their "toolbox." They all have their uses!