I finally finished something. I was beginning to doubt myself, doubt my ability to focus, doubt whether I had any sense of discipline. I had, still have, such great hopes and plans.... and yet nothing. Until now. Does this signify a shift, or just a blip? Who knows,
Presenting a pair of socks. These are long songs, longer than any socks I have previously knit. They also took longer to knit than any pair of socks I can recall, considering I started them three months ago with the intention of finishing a quick project. This is only partially due to their length. There is also the fact that I jumped in with only a vague sense of what I was doing. I knit the top of the first sock through the heel, decided I didn't like it, ripped it all out, abandoned the project, came back to it, started over. That has been pretty much my story this spring, thinking I wanted one thing, deciding otherwise, moving forward, moving backward, beginning again and again.
In the meantime, after I reknit the leg of the first sock, turned the heel, and finished the sock, I decided I had made another design error. My original intention had been to have several rows of the deep purple stripes before beginning the toe. I forgot however, knitted one row of purple and then began the toe. I also realized that, in my eagerness to just finish, the socks were also a tad too short.
Rather than ripping back however, I simply used two circular needles to pick up two rows of stitches, and then cut the sock apart where I wished to insert some additional rows. I did need to perform this operation underneath the magnifying mirror that resides in the studio, and which I had heretofore used pretty much exclusively for fine embroidery and needlepoint, However, it made picking up small stitches on size one needles quite simple, and I wondered why I hadn't thought of this before.
Here are the two pieces, waiting for alteration and rejoining. They had to sit a bit because I had already begun the second sock. This time however, knowing what I wanted, the second sock progressed quickly and the alterations to the first sock were a breeze. Kitchener stitch in a small tight circle near the toe was a little tricky due to space considerations, not because I couldn't see. I did not need the magnifying mirror, but I did stay up late to finish simply because once I started, I didn't think it wise to stop before everything was done.
I also knit my first fish lips kiss heels on these socks. I have knit short-row heels for years, and I tend to prefer them, they seem to slip around on my feet less than flap heels, but this could just be because I haven't taken the time to perfect my flap heel technique for my narrow heels. Short row heels also offer the option of being knit as an afterthought if one's mental state is somehow only up to simple mindless knitting and simple tubes. It requires little effort, although a tiny bit of thought, to add half a row of waste yarn stitches where a heel is meant to go, and continue on mindlessly. I tend to keep a tiny bit of contrast yarn in my project bag when knitting socks, just in case.
Actually the fish lips heel is no different from my normal technique except in the way the wrap is performed. I liked this wrap, it is easy to memorize, looks neat, and does not gape, making these heels pretty much as mindless as a short row heel can be. I did knit these heels under the magnifying mirror. Seeing the wraps, and picking up stitches in a very dark eggplant colored yarn on tiny needles is beyond the capability of my aging eyes. Under the magnifying mirror however, I felt like I was doing wraps in aran-weight yarn and the heels moved very quickly and very smoothly. Apparently I can still learn new things. Perhaps I no longer will even need to knit afterthought heels.
I ended up with a pair of socks I love. I don't yet know if I will love wearing them, but I suspect they will be perfect for my needs. They were knit long to accommodate two pairs of boots I wear all fall and winter. The pair of socks that were formerly my longest pair of socks, the green sock seen in the photo above, are, when pulled up to their full length, exactly the height of the boots in question. But we all know that socks don't stay pulled up, or at least mine never have, and I hate the feeling of the leather of a boot rubbing against my skin. I believe these will work well. In which case there will eventually be another pair this length.
Details:
Basic sock (no pattern). I cast on 64 stitches on size 1 needles and went from there. Fish Lips Kiss heel.
Yarn: All yarns are remnants from Shawlography.
Mominoki FinnWool in Coral
Mominoki Sock Fine in Copper, Nasu, and Cassis.
The Finnwool and the Sock Fine are slightly different in gauge, However, since the Finnwool predominates and the areas using the Sock Fine are small, it worked out.
I have only finished a pair of simple socks, and yet, through this convoluted process, I feel like I have gotten my knitting mojo back.
