brainylady

The Sock Muse and a thrift score

I am tentatively pleased to report that the Sock Muse is back! Perhaps it was from the one-week Kroy binge that became those orange socks. In any case, I'm back on the sockwagon. The Sock Muse wasn't alone, either; she brought along the Finishing Fairy. I know, it's unbelievable, but I feel a tiny urge to rescue a few things from the Drawer of Languishing Knits. How convenient, then, that my very oldest languishing project was a pair of socks! I started knitting the lace panel socks from the Pull Up Your Socks pattern booklet a loooong time ago, in Taipei. I finished one lovely sock and then, for some reason, moved on. Well, I'm back. Fortunately, I had put the finished sock, the second ball of yarn, and the dpns in an envelope together. Unfortunately, I'm knitting on dpns. I didn't want to risk a wild difference in gauge from the first sock to the second, but man, now I remember why I switched to one long circular.

I love lace socks because they are fast. They look complex, but they take no time. I started the second lace panel sock the day before yesterday, and last night I got halfway through the heel flap! Maybe knowing that I only have to make one is giving me sock-knitting superpowers of speed.

I thought a lot about my knitting while I was among knitters in NYC last weekend. Other than my brief visit a few years ago with the lovely and talented Jo and Veronik, this was the first time I'd actually physically been among knitters. I could watch how they held the yarn, I could pester them with questions like "Is that Continental?" Anyway (and I'm not sure how this is related), I'm realizing that I'm happiest knitting accessories. I've made some good sweaters, but now I have enough, really. What I really love is wearing handknitted socks and mitts. I'm scoping out lace shawl patterns at the moment, too.

Anyway, thrifting! I was reminded by Nadia's recent post on bargain yarn shopping that I scored a couple of weeks ago at la boutique V.V. Behold the two balls of Emu sock yarn (machine washable 100% wool) that together cost me $1.99:



But wait, there's more! Behold the chunky Pingouin Mohican (60% wool + acrylic/viscose) -- four 50-g balls for a mere $3.98:



Bargains make me giddy. But don't get me wrong -- full-priced, brand-new yarn is pretty good, too. I bought one lonely, gorgeous skein of Manos del Uruguay when I was in NYC:



And all of it destined to become accessories. Fact is, I'm not a picky knitter; I don't swatch, and I'll only rip to fix a major disaster. I'm anal about punctuation and grammar, but not so much with knitting. Could it be that I'm just six months late with some kind of new year's knitting resolution? Yes, I shall knit accessories!*

* Resolution subject to change without notice.