Socks ADD

For someone with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), vanilla socks are a nearly perfect knitting project. Why you say?  

Well, think about it. You pick a beautiful yarn - self patterning or self striping is best because the pretty colors and patterns that are continually changing will keep your attention.  

You grab your circular needles, or needle if you prefer magic looping, and using Judy Becker’s Magic Cast On, you cast on a small number of stitches. The magic begins. Oooh! What’s not to love?

You begin increasing every other round until you have doubled your number of stitches and are tired of remembering which round you are on -- is this an increase round or a plain round? This section has been just interesting enough to keep from being distracted. Plus the yarn is still changing pretty colors. Yeah, I’m simple that way!

Next after all this casting on, counting and increasing, you can settle down for a few inches of plain knitting. Aaah! Oh wait, even though the colors are changing, this is starting to get a little booooooring.  

Time to do something else.  Just in time, the gusset appears. You place pretty markers and increase only on one needle. Oooh! look at the nice triangles forming. Then, you are suddenly sick and tired of increasing, counting and trying to remember which round you are on. Did I increase this round or is this a plain round?

Enough of this!  Ooooh! It’s time to turn the heel. Where is my pattern?  Quiet everyone, this is serious business. No interruptions, please. Knit, turn, slip, count, purl, turn, slip, count, knit, turn, slip, count. . . . Aaah! . . . .oh!. . . ktog, count, slip, turn, ptog, should I be counting or slipping. Why did the pattern slip to the floor? “Somebody, answer the phone! Can’t you see that I’m turning a heel?”

Phew! done! now only have to knit a slip stitch heel flap. Kind of relaxing after the heel turn. 

Boy! am I tired of this slipping and knitting.  Oh, look! Time to knit plain for the leg. And, . . . . .when you are sick and tired of knitting plain, it’s time to knit the ribbed cuff. Aaah! knit one, purl one, knit one, purl one, knit one, purl one, . . . . .

Yeah! cuff is done. Now enough of this knitting. Time for the sewn bind off. Where is my yarn needle? Oh, there it is. Now, where are my scissors? 

Weave in the ends. Oooooh! how pretty! Admire. Show to everyone. And . . . .You grab your circular needles, or needle if you prefer magic looping, and using Judy Becker’s Magic Cast On, you cast on a small number of stitches. The magic begins. Oooh! What’s not to love?

Until next time . . . .  

What Lucy Doesn't Know Can't Hurt Her

Last blog - Lucy was everything. I could think of nothing else. Today, and for the last few days, she has sat waiting in the project bag. It’s not so much that I don’t like her anymore, but that the passion has waned. 

Well, not really.  I still love her and want to finish her before it gets 100 degrees F (37 degrees C) here. Unfortunately, a few things have come between me and my love.

Many may not know, but I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). I have never been diagnosed. They didn’t do that when I was growing up. Over the years, I have worked hard to channel my thoughts long enough to complete a project, a meal, a book, or even a thought. It usually goes unnoticed. 

I try very hard to only have a few knitting projects on the needles. Right now I have three -Lucy, a beautiful alpaca cabled cardigan, and a cotton baby blanket.  But, I digress.... back to Lucy.

Everything was going swimmingly. She was growing at a marvelous rate. Good for a sweater, not so good for a girl. Only have three inches of sleeve left before it is time to knit the cuff. 

Then it began! The issues!  First, Lucy is a jealous lover and doesn’t like anyone around. As the sleeve progresses, there is a decrease every inch which needs to be measured or counted and a coilless safety pin used to mark it. With all the counting and measuring and pinning, there is little time for anyone else. Not a good knitting circle project. Lucy doesn’t like to share!

Second, as the sleeve got longer, and a coilless safety pin was placed every inch at the decreases to ensure that when the second sleeve is knitted that the decreases will match. (At least, that is the theory.) Imagine the horror as the sleeve progressed and it was noticed that there were no more pins. And, no stitch markers that open. And, the LYS is closed. Yeah, Yeah,Yeah. I could have gone old school and used yarn loops. But, really! On my new love? Never!

I put her lovingly down in a beautiful project bag and picked up my laptop to catch up on my favorite podcasts. After all, I didn’t want to be unfaithful to her with another knitting project.

As I was watching the podcasts, I received a call from Karen at my LYS. (What was she doing there after hours?!) The yarn to work the cuffs and borders of Lucy is on backorder! Another horror! What am I to do?

Should I finish her up to the point where she only needs cuffs and border? Or wait and finish her in a whirl wind of knitting after the yarn comes in?

I have to blame my favorite podcasters for what happened next.  As I was watching Suzee and Lisa and Vicki and Claire and Wendy and Sheila and Laura and Leslie and Carin and Steve and Callie and Heather and Katie and Dawn and Aimee and Darren and Nicole and Diane and Erin and ......., I  saw socks, socks, socks! All being finished and so beautiful!

But, I didn’t want to start a long project when a trip to the store for more pins was near. So, I followed Katie’s lead. Learn about the Fleegle heel and cast on baby socks. In an hour the first was finished. Another hour, and I had two! Oh, the joy of small needles, fingering self patterning yarn and a completed project. 

Maybe, Lucy didn’t see.

Until next time . . . . 

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do."

I was innocently minding my own business, when Lucy came along and messed up my nice, almost, ordered life. I am the one who knits a pair of socks and at least one baby item for the gift drawer each month. Now, I don’t even want to look at anything but Lucy. 

Lucy, the cardigan, that is.  A wonderful topdown, seamless, shawl-collar cardigan designed by c2knits, knitted out of Cascade Luna and Luna Paints. 

It was a normal day when I walked into my LYS, and sat down at the table. There were a few other knitters around the table flipping through the binders of individual patterns. I joined them. How was I to know that this would be the beginning of the end. After all,  it was just a little look. What could that hurt? Flip. . . “Oh, that’s a nice one.”; flip . . .  “oh, look at this one.”; flip  . . . . “oh, my! I have to have that one!”, NOW! 

Yep! I saw the pattern and knew I was sunk. Bought Lucy and the 12 skeins of yarn in lightening speed. Couldn't  wait to get her home and swatch her. Oooh! she slides so smoothly around the size US 7 (4.5 mm) Knitter's Pride Symfonie Wood Dreamz needles. I am in loooove! 

Goodbye Hermione’s Everyday Socks, Goodbye Striped Baby Blanket, Goodbye Stephen West's Bedrock, Don’t even think about it, Summer Flies Shawl. You are no longer the loves of my life. I’m sorry. I don’t have time for any of you. Lucy is my love now.

She has taken over my life. I haven’t been cooking, cleaning, running errands, visiting friends. Nothing. I only want to spend time with her. First it was the neck, then after only a what seemed like a few rows, dividing for the sleeves and then binding off the body. Now the right sleeve is on the needles. She is luscious. She is smooth. She is a joy to behold.

I guess I have it bad!  I will be spending all my time with Lucy.

Until next time . . . .