What is it with this sock thing? Why are so many of us so enamoured of knitting them? I went two or three years without knitting a single sock, and now I can't imagine not having at least one on the needles. They're incredibly addictive. A little while back I taught a sock making workshop at Three Bags Full and a few days later one of the participants called us saying "I can't stop thinking about knitting socks!"
It's hard to explain their appeal to the uninitiated. Hannah, the store owner, doesn't see why anyone would spend so much time knitting on tiny needles to make something that will just go on your feet. Fortunately, she's a fine businesswoman so she has stocked the store recently with a large array of sock yarn in spite of her skepticism.
It's even harder to explain to a non-knitter. Just the other day I was trying to explain the joy and beauty of hand-knit socks to my dear friend Sara, who was making fun of me about it. She is into poetry, maybe Pablo Neruda's Ode to a Pair of Socks would help sway her. (Or maybe I'll just have to knit her some.)
Here's my latest finished pair:
Yarn: J.Knits Superwash Me Light Sock in Massachusetts; Needles: 2.25mm Double-Points; Pattern: my own design.
You can sort of see in the picture that the two socks are really different colors. I was originally alternating skeins, but found that too annoying for socks and had to start over because they didn't fit well, so I resigned myself to having them different colors. Julie, the dyer, was in my Toe-Up Socks on Two Circulars class on Saturday, and I brought them to show her. She figured out why these two hanks, which were actually dyed as one big hank, came out so different and has ideas about how to fix it. But frankly, I don't really care that they're different because I looooooove them.
And I want more. More sock yarn. More socks. More time to knit socks. More more more.
i,m with you.i am absolutely addicted to making socks.i am now knitting a pair with cherry hill yarn.i love the feel and texture of ie.edna.bye the way ,let me know what i owe you for fixing my sweater
Posted by: edna somma | May 23, 2006 at 02:13 PM
It took me a while, but I am now a sock knitter too! Some days, I sit at my desk at work, just itching to knit a few rounds. I knit my first sock (yes, singular), and then a few months later I nit a pair for the husband. Then, several months after that I started another one, which languished for some time. But, last fall I got hooked and have made several pairs since then!!! Love the handknit socks. (I'm even wearing a pair right now!)
Posted by: Danielle | May 24, 2006 at 02:46 PM
Wow, you ARE on a roll. It's going to be too warm to knit much else soon (except for wedding shawls), so why not?
Posted by: julia fc | May 25, 2006 at 08:45 AM
Your *dear friend Sara* concedes your point, but only based upon the outstanding advocacy powers of Pablo Neruda :-)))
Posted by: Sara | May 26, 2006 at 02:32 PM