Thursday, April 10, 2008

Misery loves ... yarn

Writing comps sucks. I'll spare you the gory details. But I just found myself wanting to look at every single lace shawl on Ravelry instead of writing about the political implications of representation, so it seemed like a good time to pop in and say hello.

I've been knitting a bit. I'm about halfway through the second repeat of Chart 3 on Ene's Scarf, and I finished one Narragansett Bay Sock (from A Fine Fleece). Astute readers may wonder if I'm using the same yarn for these socks as I did for Clessidra, and the answer is yes. And no, it's not just the same colour of the same brand of yarn; it's actually the same yarn. Yep, that sock you see there used to be Clessidra. I enjoyed knitting cabled knee-highs, but I didn't wear them and just wasn't going to, and that to me is just a waste of perfectly good sock yarn. So last week I ripped out Clessidra, washed the yarn, wound it into balls, and cast on for Narragansett Bay. Shocking, I know, but it was the right thing to do and I'm happy with the decision. Happy with my new sock, too.

Other than a bit of knitting, I'm basically shopping my way through the pain of comps. On their way to me through the mail are one skein of merino laceweight yarn from Yarn Chef and three skeins of Blackberry Ridge silk/wool laceweight, as well as a copy of Knitting Lace Triangles by Evelyn Clark. (Any guesses as to what I plan to knit this summer?) Online shopping: it's the desperate activity of a person miserably chained to her computer all day long for four weeks. (Two and a half weeks down, a week and a half to go.)

16 comments:

Gaile said...

you're more than halfway there! WOot!!! You go! Just think, when you're done, you're gonna have so much free time you won't know what to do with yourself! ;-)

Marnie said...

love the springy green sock!!

Prof. Askey said...

Ok, so you may not be a sports fan, but baseball--which JUST started up again for the spring--helped me survive my comps. It was a nice background noise to type to and gave me the excuse to get out of my chair once in a while to see what was going on--otherwise I was afraid my ass would become a permanent part of the furniture.
Of course, I wasn't a knitter back in those halcyon days of comp writing. Now I knit with baseball on in the background--not as good for my tenure case as writing!

Chris said...

Pretty not-Clessidra. :)

Now, back to writing.

Anonymous said...

hey we all need an outlet right? if yours happen to be yarn buying to release the mental agony, then so be it.

good luck with the writing. and do flash that new stash when it comes in.

Anonymous said...

Oooh, that's a pretty sock.

Veronique said...

Hang in there! You're almost done :)

Seanna Lea said...

I love the new sock. It's good to recycle it rather than letting the socks languish.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with retail therapy.

Anonymous said...

I love Knitting Lace Triangles. I bought a copy back in October and it has been worth every penny.

spajonas said...

love the sock! good for you on ripping and reusing. i don't think that i could bring myself to do the same :) you're almost done.. and then summer will be upon you!

Anonymous said...

Yummy! Yarn Chef does gorgeous things with colour.

Stacey said...

I've done that with sweaters, why not rip out a sock you aren't going to wear??? The new socks are beautiful! Looking forward to all the lace...

shannon said...

i was just having this chat with a friend about ripping out things that are not being worn. another of our friends is holding onto a sweater that has grown huge, she only wears around the house IF she has on a long sleeved cotton turtle neck. and that is no joke.

we're all about the peer pressure now. :) call us evil.

love the new sock!!!

Anonymous said...

keep plugging away, girl! :) (p.s. nice sock!)

Scrappy Raven said...

Online shopping will be my downfall someday. Good luck with your work and great sock (love that fresh springy green).

Anonymous said...

Nice sock! Hey if you're not going to wear it, then why not rip it out and knit something else. You're past the halfway point with your comps!