Aaaand, she's back!

With a new favorite pair of socks...and the will to live (it's amazing how much better everything seems when you don't have a 102 degree fever)...



As for the socks, they're just plain old stockinette, in Trekking XXL (colorway 100). For basic stockinette socks, I have a standard sock recipe, just varying the number of cast-on stitches and heel flap length to suit the yarn and recipient.

This mostly works out ok (shut up - it does too).

Not so much with these socks, though. Upon finishing the second sock, I realized that the first sock was kinda short. By about two inches, in fact. That first sock could fit on my size 9.5 foot, but the heel turn was nowhere near the actual back of my heel.

I briefly considered leaving the socks mismatched, since it's awfully cold here in New England and maybe I'd get frostbite in one foot and all my toes would snap off. If that happened, I would totally need mismatched socks just like these. Added length would just be a bitter reminder that I used to have toes, as I hobbled around in my now-ill-fitting sock.

Crazy Fantasy Time lasted about ten seconds before I remembered these socks aren't actually for me, so I really did need to rip out the first toe. Stupid toe.

So I picked up stitches before the toe decreases all the way around the sock, using needles one size smaller than I was knitting with.



In a futile moment of first-sock-finishing glee, I had already woven in all the ends on the too-small sock. And I couldn't for the life of me un-weave the toe end, no matter how many different darning needles I used. So I just cut the stupid toe off....



...and frogged merrily....



A few hours later, I was done. Really done, this time.

I'd say the extra effort was worth it...

Verily, it sucketh

So I officially did not knit (much) for two weeks. I allowed myself to knit across one needle of the sock-in-progress per night, just to take the edge off. It didn’t work. The edge was very much on.

Though it did occur to me that if I knit socks using magic loop or two circs, knitting across “one needle” would afford me considerably more knitting each night. Much like “one glass of wine per day” can be served in a glass that more closely resembles a feed trough. If you live in my house, at least.

Anyway, this no-knitting edict coincided unfortunately with some really lousy stuff in my personal life. What, you may ask, is a sad librarian-in-training who suddenly has a whole lot of (non-knitting) free time to do? If you guessed “read” or “clean” or “exercise,” you’d be way off (though I'd certainly be flattered). If you guessed “watch TV and cry all the time,” you’d be getting warmer.

Thank goodness, then, that my two week knitting exile finally ended. And Monday was a holiday. I had a fully stocked refrigerator, delicious recipes to cook and a pair of socks to finish.

Which was a lovely plan. Except instead, I was completely knocked on my ass by the plague the flu and too sick to knit. And barely energetic enough to be pissed about it.

Expect a return to our regularly scheduled program of bad sizing decisions, irresponsible tweed lust, and staggeringly inept frogging errors any day now.

Just as soon as I have the energy to do more than cough and make tea.

Late again

The charming Kristy tagged me for a Make My Day award. So, belatedly, these are the some of the things and people that have made my day recently. Obviously, not in order of importance.

1. This warning:


Do not recharge? Ok. Do not discard in fire? Alright. But do not, um, use? That’s admirable ass-covering from a liability perspective (dude, we told them not to use it!), but probably leaves something to be desired from a product marketing perspective.

2.The guy in line in front of me at CVS Friday night, who bought a jumbo jug of Astroglide and two huge bags of beef jerky. He was clearly planning a much more exciting evening than I was. I was kind of tempted to high-five him. Except it probably would have been awkward and intrusive. And I'm not the high-fiving kind.

3. And, of course, these awesome bloggers:

Kristy: for being such a prolific and fearless knitter, and endlessly funny and encouraging.
Karen: for challenging herself to become a better knitter (though she's plenty good already) and inspiring me to actually *set* knitting goals.
The Daft Crafter: one of the funniest people I have ever met. And, missy, if you want to see this as a none-too-subtle request to blog more often, feel free.
The Craft Pirate: A super-talented knitter that I've taken to thinking of as my knitting Yoda. I promise, this is a compliment.
Life in Sarahland: a woman who knits what she damn well pleases, even if it's cutesy as all hell. And more power to her.
The Knit Sisters (I’m counting them as two): funny, funny, funny. And smart. It's a powerful combination.
Olga: entirely awesome.
Knitting in Pink: always up to something fabulous sock-wise.
Twin Knit: Lovely projects and yarn. Thoughtful, and funny, too.

The best part about this (besides opportunities for mutual flattery)? I have tons of new blogs to check out!

What was that about first do no harm?

I finally went to the doctor because my hands have been hurting.

When I mentioned that I knit, my doctor actually said: Well, have you tried not knitting? Yes, I have. And it sucked.

Undeterred, she informed me that I should not knit for two weeks. Two. Weeks.

BFF Quinn’s response to the whole thing? Whoa, she might as well have said “have you tried not breathing?” Bitch.

[I may have editorialized that bitch part.]

Doctor Killjoy also told me that the Quit Smoking pill I’m considering taking can have psychological side effects, including binge drinking, compulsive gambling and nymphomania.

So, I may end up blowing strangers for gambling money, but at least I won’t be smoking? Nice.

On second thought, if I’m not knitting, I do need something to fill up all that spare time...