Mine has been a life of dabbling in crafts. Usually I attack a craft long before it becomes popular…or appears in a kit. Like doing decoupage when it was necessary to apply one coat of varnish a day for 30 days, taking care to rub thoroughly with steel wool between coats to achieve the perfectly clear, dust-free finish that gives decoupage its depth of finish. And then came modpodge…just slap it on and you’re done! Now what fun is that?
Anyway…I have been knitting for years. I have knitted hats, scarves, vests, sweaters, egg cozies, afghans, and more hats. No shortcuts here, just a life of knit and purl. Well, when I found out Linn was knitting socks and helping others in the “Dropped Stitch” group knit socks, I just couldn’t resist the temptation to join in! In my mind, knitting socks had always looked too difficult to try! (Too difficult for someone who could do 30 coats of varnish, etc.) So I jumped right in.
Struggling for hours to use the double point needles (like knitting with 4 or 5 overlong toothpicks) I completed the ribbed cuff of the first sock. With a lot of knit, rip out, knit, rip out, and so on. Next came “turning the heel” which is a bit of magic when done properly. My first, second, and third attempts were
less than magic, but I finally got it. The next sock was too tight, the next WAY too big. Finally, an acceptable pair of socks! I was so proud. Even if it did take knitting 6 socks to get the first pair, I could consider myself a knitter of socks. And I am on pair #3. Wonderful!
But then I realized there was more than one way to knit socks. Knit them starting at the cuff, knit them from the toe up, knit them two at a time…so I guess I will have to try them all. But first, where will I find the yarn?
Now that’s another story…did I tell you about my search for yarn…?
