Confessions of a Sock Addict

Houston, We have a Problem (or Two, or Three)

I obviously have pissed off the knitting goddess big time. VERY BIG TIME!!

The lovely, neverending shawl that I was trying to work on this weekend: big time f*#*$%! up. I was trying to fix a few rows of vine lace by tinking back when I realized that last 20+ rows are screwed up. Tinking back will take forever and probably introduce more errors into it. So off to the frogging pond with this project.

*Sob*

I so badly want to finish the shawl. The yarn is perfect. The pattern is honestly very easy. I just need to not take it to stitch n’ bitches.

Insult to injury:

I had just finished my Trekking XXL sock. Gorgeous, beautiful, soft, fit-like-a-dream socks. The best pair of socks I've made to date, hands down! Unfortunately, it is still too freakin hot for me to wear this socks. So I set them aside, promising to wear them as soon as the weather breaks!

True to my complex formula for picking what sock to knit next, I dug out some worsted weight Fantasy Naturula Cotton in Navy, cast it onto size 6 needles and almost immediately nearly sprained both wrists trying to knit with this yarn. Now normally when I knit with non-sock yarn, I read what size needles they recommend and drop down 1-2 sizes. The label for this yarn recommended a size 8, so I used a size 6. 6’s are too small, 7’s are too small. 8’s barely work! By the time I came to this stunning conclusion, I realize these socks are going to be bulky, really bulky. Wearing these socks are going to feel like walking on pebbles. I grumbled, I bitched, I cursed...and took them off the needles to find a different yarn.

Double insult to injury:

Yarn number two was some worsted weight cotton/acrylic yarn from LYS grand re-opening sale in a pale, creamy yellow. Not my cup of tea for colors, but I thought it make some lovely, slip-some-comfy socks to wear around the house for my mom when I got the yarn.

Working with this yarn SUCKS!! I now see why everyone curses cotton. My hands hurt, my wrists ache, I can barely hold the needles. The yarn would not slide across the needles very well even though I am using brand new metal needles that are so slick, black ice looks rough compared to these needles.

In case that wasn’t enough: As I am working on the foot, I realize that yet again I don’t have enough yarn for the pair. Considering that this was sale clearance yarn at the LYS, I wholeheartedly pretty sure there is not another skein in the clearance basket.

So I’m taking this as a sign that I should ditch this yarn and go to honest-to-goodness sock yarn. By now, one would think I would know what type of yarns would make good sock yarns. Obviously I have not learned this lesson since I am still trying to make socks out of yarns not suited to being socks.

*Sigh* Someone make me a Pepsi and rum. I’m going to go kick my feet up, ignore all my knitting and go buy myself some more sock yarn. That always makes me feel better. And would someone please pray to the knitting goddess for me? It seems my prayers are falling upon deaf ears.

2007-07-17 02:40:18 GMT

Comments (1 total)

Author:Anonymous

I'm sorry about the shawl. 20+ rows to correct a mistake is an awful lot of rows. If that was the shawl that was in the closet, maybe there was already a subconscious feeling that something was wrong with it. At any rate, that's happened to me. I've put projects aside (you can substitute the word abandoned) for reasons that I'm afraid to identify at the time, and later realized that it's because I knew I'd messed up and need to regroup.

So, is there any way that you can block it out where you can see it clearly and then use a needle and yarn to put a lifeline to frog back to anywhere? I've done that successfully.

And sorry about the yarn from the "LYS."My mother also bought yarn she didn't really want at the sale, and found out this past week that she hates knitting with it. I advised her to return it. I know the LYS owner will balk and get irritated, but why get stuck with something crappy? I told my mother to do what I'm going to try to practice in the future, which is to just buy accessories (needles, etc.) until she starts buying better yarn.
Re: the sticky yarn/needle problem--I've run across yarns that I've had great difficulties in finding just the right needle to knit them on. So much so, that at times I've had to just put the project aside. I swear that weather (heat and/or humidity) plays a role...I know it does when knitting silk and wools because they'll swell and stick. A couple suggestions that you probably have already tried: Sometimes I've found that knitting in a different style can make a difference (switching yarns from right hand to left). I've also heard suggestions for making needles easier to use; Lily Chin says she wipes her needles down with hair conditioner (which I find a bit suspect), and I've also read of wiping the needles with a bit of wax paper. I've never tried either. When I've run into that problem (and the humidity and weather conditions aren't suspect), I generally just try an array of needle materials--casein, aluminum, nickel, plastic, wood, bamboo, whatever--until I find a material that works, and then I go out and buy the size I need. Not much help there, but...I sympathize.

How was the trip to Mountain Knits?!?!?!?!
--Cary
<mailto:[email protected]>

2007-07-18 14:31:57 GMT

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