Yarn Along: Operation Sock Drawer

A few days ago I had a crazy thought just as I woke up.  What if I took the one pair of hand knitted socks in my drawer, socks that were much too tight for me to wear comfortably, and converted them into socks for Lucy?  I jumped out of bed and snatched them up to study them.  Inevitably, duty called and the project went to the back burner, where it stayed all day until after bedtime.

I was completely exhausted by this time, but stubbornly refused to go to bed on principle.  Usually this kind of overtired zealousness is a recipe for disaster, but in this case it gave me the courage I needed to try something most would baulk at.  

I cut my knitting.  This was not the careful snip of a single stitch that I intended--which would have worked had the sock in question not been a bit felted from an errant trip through the washer and dryer.  This was full on sock butchery, a heel-ectomy.  I cut through hours of careful knitting, never quite certain it would really work.  It made me feel reckless and powerful--and nauseated.  

In the end, the cuffs and toes came back together with some unevenly executed kitchener, and the resulting pair of tube socks will get so much more use than they ever could in their previous incarnation.

After a false start, I'm back to knitting Sebastian a coordinating handspun hooded jacket out of the leftovers from Lucy's, which I did indeed finish.

I've been hoping to block the button bands before documenting it, but she has been wearing it every day.  A good problem to have.

In another evening stupor, I turned the heel on these exciting socks, and keep meaning to double-check my work in the clear light of day.

Out of desperation, I stumbled upon a great method for yarn management when knitting stripes in the round and carrying the yarns up instead of cutting them with each color change.  Now I tuck the ball that isn't in use inside the work in progress so that I can zip around quickly without pausing to detangle every minute.

This adorable hat is on the docket as well.  I want to make two for the kids so I've been fiddling with the chart and numbers for the cast on.  I forgot to take the decreases into account so I've been stalled out until I can give it a second look.

The kids keep pulling out the bookmark in Demelza.  I need to read faster.