A Homeric effort

Nobody else in the knitblog world takes three stinking months to finish a pair of simple socks. Even though it was only my second pair. And during these particular three months my job became more complex and unpleasant than any job I've ever had before. Those socks were my only appreciable project during that time (Olympic knitting notwithstanding). I worked on them whenever I could stand to do something remotely fiddly -- they were a kind of solace, but the work went slowly. Now I can hold my head up again.

The Wildfoote Socks are finished. Note their move from "still in the grind" to "in the done pile."

Now I'll start the Pink Sockotta Socks and get ready for summer, and think some more about the next Non-Sock Project.

Why the emphasis on socks? For me socks have always been a kind of knitterly measure of skill. As an avowed non-knitter, I always admired women who could turn out those small and mysterious foot covers. My high-school sweetheart's mother could knit and knit beautifully, and one of the projects I ended up with over the years was a pair of higher-than-knee-high lipstick red worsted-weight socks. I don't know what she made them for, but they were given to me for some reason that I can't remember. They became my winter bed socks and I kept them until they completely dissolved with use, which took about fifteen years.

My first self-made socks were crocheted with worsted-weight acrylic. I made a pair for myself as an experiment, and then a pair for The Emperor of the Garage because he wanted some. We use them for slippers when we travel. But knitting eluded me until January of 2005 and the knitting of socks was a total mystery until December 1, 2005, when as a relatively new knitter I took a class at the LYS. A whole new world opened up to me and I can now see why so many knit bloggers keep a pair on the needles all the time. Eminently practical because of what they are, portable because of their size, socks also keep you on your toes -- you have a lot of different things going on from cuff to toe, and although you have to pay attention sometimes, you can let go and just do lots of teentsy stockinette when you're at that point.

On to more solace knitting.