Born to Be Difficult

Socks in Progress

I think I might need some serious help.  I have decided to knit my first pair of socks, learn how to knit continental style, and do all of this on two circular needles.  At the same time.  Any of these things would be a great challenge in and of itself, but me?  I choose to do all three.

I haven’t been knitting lately, and we had a few cool days here in Virginia that put me in the mood for wool.  I broke out the longies for baby B, dressed the wee ones in long sleeves – I even got to wear a snuggly sweater.  Then I hit the stash.

There is a reason knitters call their supply of yarn “the stash” and anyone who knows what I am talking about surely doesn’t need it explained that drug users also call their supply – you guessed it – their stash.  I realized long ago that my yarn habit was filling an emotional void, meeting needs that weren’t getting met elsewhere.  Of course, now my needs are being met for the most part, so what do I do with all this wool?  I press on, folks.  After all, obssession is as much about discipline as it is about misdirected, maladaptive instinct, and I am nothing if not disciplined.

So the socks – a great quickie pattern from Knitty called Thuja, they use worsted weight yarn, which means super thick, springy socks that I cannot wait to get on my feet.  Okay, they are supposed to be for men, but I’m thinking I can live with them a little loose plus I knit pretty tightly.  Anything, ANYTHING, to avoid using sock yarn.  Isn’t that the definition of madness?  Sock yarn is like golf – everything is impossibly small and far, far away (in distance or time).

I have high hopes that these socks will be ready in time for fall, along with the shawl I started in July.  With any luck, I can even make myself a hat to cover the still-nearly-bald head before winter.

Tags: addiction, humor, Knitting, longies, procrastination, stash, worsted, yarn