Shirley Anne’s Heart

Posted By drsao on October 8, 2012

Some of you who follow me may recall FOUR YEARS…..(yes at least four years) of tales about my pitiful and unsuccessful attempts to knit a pair of socks.    Every New Year’s Eve I make a SUGGESTED TO DO LIST (kind of like a bucket list) for the upcoming year.  In 2009 I really got SERIOUS about the “KNIT SOCKS” entry on my yearly to do list.  That was the year………  and around October, I gave up and put this on my TO DO LIST for 2010……..

To make a long story short I have purchased MULTIPLE SOCK PATTERNS, have received favorite patterns from 4 friends, bought two SOCK KNITTING BOOKS and have purchased size 2 needles in every variety – bamboo, bakelite, aluminum, double loop, magic loop – you name it.  AND I have purchased several skeins of yarn looking for the RIGHT COMBINATION that would lead me into the SUCCESS COLUMN next to my “KNIT SOCKS” on my TO DO LIST.  (I have started, ripped, started again, ripped, started again…..so many times that I have lost count.)  

AND TA DA….two years ago I actually knit ONE SOCK (while recovering from surgery and while taking pain pills which must have made me FEARLESS) by using 3 DIFFERENT PATTERNS and a combination of needles.  HERE IT IS….my beautiful sock.

My BEAUTIFUL SOCK….

Ok, so beautiful may not be the appropriate adjective for this sock….but beauty is in the eye of the beholder!  AND I DID IT!  Here is the problem……two years later I decided to make the other sock, but I could not FIGURE OUT how I made the first one. (I can’t really go to the doctor and ask for a script for pain pills so that I can knit a pair of socks!)  …and to make matters worse……I could not FIND THE FIRST SOCK….where did I put it!  I know it is in a safe place – I just haven’t located it yet…..it is SAFE FROM ME!    LOL

When Judy Laquidara  (Patchworktimes.com) announced that she was hosting  SOCKTOBERFEST – challenging everyone to make as many  pairs of socks as possible during the month of October using OPAL YARN (from Germany) – I decided that my time had come and I PLEDGED TO MYSELF that I would make a pair of socks THIS MONTH.  So, with positive attitude and high hopes in gear, I began my journey….    

READY SET GO….

I decided to use the YANKEE KNITTER DESIGNS pattern for classic socks (this is Judy’s favorite pattern and one that she has used successfully for years.)   Because this yarn is DK weight and not Sock Weight I used Size 3 insted of Size 2 needles.  I took Judy’s advice and used DPN’s instead of all of the fancy LOOPY ones (because part of my problem involved entanglement in all of the LOOPS!)  I used a yellow needle to be NEEDLE 2 so that I could distinguish it from Needles 1 and 3 (and this really helped too!)

I cast on 56 and did a KNIT 2 PURL 2 ribbing….but after ONE INCH I realized that these socks were going to be large enough for BOTH MY FEET with ROOM FOR MY PET HIPPO as well.  SO……I tinked (that is knit spelled backwards and was less discouraging to me than saying I ripped it out.)

 Amazingly enough I had such a positive attitude that I was not discouraged…..    Other than my problem with size, this time I was having NO PROBLEM doing the knitting or understanding the instructions.    I LOVE THIS YANKEE DESIGN PATTERN!  I love using DPN’s too!

Three days later – sock one is beginning to take shape….

I have to admit that I was  a bit CONCERNED because the leg of this sock shows some INCONSISTENCIES (AKA bulges and dips in unexpected places)….but I decided to plug on because I couldn’t I shrink, stretch,  or just block it later?

SO with renewed courage I began Sock 2.

Sock 2 – SO CUTE!

I was PRETTY HAPPY until I decided to compare SOCK 1 with SOCK 2 – uh oh – Houston, we have a problem.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!!???  I used the same needles….the same yarn……the same number of stitches……..the same person…..I was even sitting in the SAME CHAIR……but no, these socks DO NOT LOOK LIKE THEY GO TOGETHER.

Then on to SOCK 2…….but OH NO……

What should I do?  Which sock do I UNKNIT?  If I make two socks that do not go together and CANNOT BE WORN BY THE SAME PERSON – are they still considered to be a PAIR OF SOCKS???

So, like Scarlett O’Hara (one of my literary heroes)  in “GONE WITH THE WIND”   I decided to keep knitting and think about this another day!

 TODAY I FINISHED KNITTING SOCK 2…..OH HAPPY DAY!  BUT NOW I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT LITTLE DILEMMA!

With a little bit of tugging and a LOT OF STRETCHING…….I came up with this PAIR.  I decided that I am going to call these a pair of socks…..I really am….and they are called “MILLION DOLLAR BABIES!”

ta da…..DO THESE SOCKS LOOK LIKE A PAIR?

OK – so to CHEER MYSELF UP – I decided that I would put them on my FEET….maybe if I wore them with shoes and only with jeans or long pants,  their differences would not be noticeable and maybe  they would FEEL like a pair of socks?  DO YOU THINK THIS WILL WORK?

My Million Dollar Babies

OK – so now I am doing the happy SNOOPY DANCE – I just learned this from Bonnie Tucker……..YEAH, I did it…….sort of……LOL

SHE DID IT!!!!

Now that I have DECIDED to cross this off my TO DO LIST and COUNT THESE SOCKS as a pair…..I am indeed happy.  THANKS JUDY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT!   Now I just need to work on being consistent!!!  

Categories: Knitting Socks and Quilting, Million Dollar Babies, sao's socks
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