Let’s play that game – which ROCK STAR do you feel like today? I’m going with Keith Richards. Ugly. Curmudgeonly. Looking like death warmed over. Yeah. I went to bed with that tickle of doom in the back of my throat and woke up with a Ring of Fire. Give me stuffed nostrils and piles of snot filled tissues anyday – there is NOTHING I hate more than a sore throat. WWND?

The night wasn’t all bad though because I did have a dream about Springsteen. I was climbing up the stairs to my seat at a concert, but he was at the top of the stairs. I, of course, was moaning over and over again “I love him. I love him.” and when I got to the top of the stairs I was all like Hey Bruce what’s up and he gave me the jive handshake and said “Hey, how come you never sent me some of the flower cards?” And I was like, “You WANTED me to send you flower cards?” And he said, “Yeah. We’re redecorating the house and Stephanie wanted to see them.” I don’t think much more needs to be stated here, do you? Well, except that in my dreams Bruce and I have a long-running does he really know me kind of relationship. He always seems like he remembers me from the last concert, but I’m always surprised.

Anyway, so I woke up knowing full well my public awaits the unveiling of THE SOCKS. But, my throat is BURNING and I’m feeling all this pressure from the link (Hey all you new readers! Welcome to my blog!) and the weather SUCKS and the light is bad and I’m supposed to be photographer girl and all but I so don’t feel like taking pictures and then I hop on over to Grumperina where she has knit the most beautiful pair of socks for her grandma and has taken even prettier pictures. My loser-meter just exploded.

So then I thought, do I really need to take pictures? I’m sick. I have to go out in this world-ending NorEaster (notice how EASTER is in the name of the storm? Biblical proportions anyone?) to get my hair done. That’s right. My hair. I’ve needed a dye job for like two months and the roots are down to my knees and it’s long and greasy but do I really care about my hair when it’s just going to get all wet after spending a million dollars? NO. But I can’t disappoint. I really can’t.

Details:

SOCKS THAT ROCK, ROCK STAR colorway
Jaywalker pattern by Grumperina
Addi US #1s, two circulars
6″ cuff, 9.5″ foot

The only places I went off the pattern were dividing for the heel (because of the 2 circs) and the toe decreases. I was too lazy to figure out the place of the first decreases for the toe because of the whole dpn to 2 circ thing, so I just started decreasing. I LOVE this pattern. I love the fabric it creates. I love the look of it. I’m normally a non-chevron kind of girl – I hate the whole feather and fan thing – but this works for me. It’s tailored, but zippy. And it shows off the colorway so well. Thanks Kathy for a great pattern! I will for sure be using it again.

The yarn. Really, I think the socks speak for themselves. At a high-octane, punk, mosh pit kind of level.

Thanks to EVERYONE for hanging in there with me while I bit my nails to the quick about the yarn sitch. There was a point in the toe decreases that I was SURE I wasn’t going to have enough, and then suddenly it became clear that I wasn’t THAT close. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed it wasn’t more dramatic. I actually had to cut the yarn to do the kitchener.

Like I don’t have ENOUGH drama in my life.

DONE!
Socks started Wednesday, October 19th, 6:45.
Pair finished Monday, October 24th, 5:10.

That’s got to be some kind of land speed record, right? Somewhere? Somehow?

Full out photo shoot tomorrow. The light sucks and I’m tired. 😉

*Thanks to Stephanie for the ROCKIN’ Title and for breaking my sitemeter. Whoa…DUDE, did you see how many hits today?!

Click on the picture for a better view. 😉

Heh. Heh. Heh.
Okay, sports fans, I kicked ass yesterday on the sock front. I actually considered pulling an all nighter to finish it, but alas, I didn’t. 2:30’s late enough to go to bed and then I slept like shit. 87000 dreams. I don’t think I ever hit deep sleep to be honest. I’m exhausted. Back to the sock. I’ve done 44 pattern repeats (I’m counting the double decreases down the front of the sock) and the finished sock has 57. So I have 26 rows left before I start for the toe decreases and as the scale says, I have half an ounce left.

A word about the scale. There’s definitely something wrong with it and as soon as this sock is finished I’m returning it. I knew pretty much as soon as I opened the box that it was a return – the instructions were kind of wrinkly and there was a Duracell battery in it already. And the low battery indicator was on. In fact, after changing the battery to a fresh one, the low battery indicator is STILL on. I weighed another one of my STR skeins and it came out to 3.8 (or 3.9 depending where it sat on the scale) as well, so I’m not too concerned that I’m getting small skeins, I just think the scale is off. I will be buying a new one.

Regardless, I’ve been weighing the freaking yarn like every ten rows. Which is ridiculous because I have no idea how much the first sock weighed at any given point during the knitting. I only know what it weighed at the END of the knitting. I will probably finish the sock today (or as much as I can – you know – if I run out of yarn) because I CANNOT STAND THE SUSPENSE! It’s killing me not knowing if the yarn will make it to the end. The pathetic little ball looks so tiny.

In the meantime I’ve become convinced these socks are magic. I’m almost afraid to finish them for fear the White Sox will lose if I’m not knitting ROCK STAR socks. Ugh.

Now go back up there and click on the picture already. Lazy ass. 😉

I finished the first ROCK STAR sock. And it is indeed very ROCK STAR, although Georgie said it was pretty and well, that’s not quite what I was going for, but what does he know right?

Anyway, here’s the problem. Or maybe it’s not a problem and I’m getting all uptight for nothing.

I went out and bought myself a postage scale. I weighed the finished sock and got 1.9 oz. I weighed what’s left of the STR yarn and I get…wait for it… 1.9 oz. Exactly the same as the first sock. Does this mean I’ll have enough? This is decidedly less than the 4.25 oz. that are supposed to be there (according to the label.) That said, the wound ball of Koigu I’ve been comparing my STR to weighs only 1.8 oz.

Opinions please. Thank you very much. In the meantime, let’s all just sit back for a minute and talk about how it took me just over three days to finish one sock. (I cast on about 6:30 Wednesday night. But all the knitting was Thursday and Friday.) I don’t think the other one will go as fast unless I’m panicked the whole time about the yarn. If (and that’s a big if) I run out of yarn I think I have a solution. I have some very dark wine colored Koigu in the stash which might work for the toes. So that’s the plan if I run out. I’m going to cast on for the second sock. Pictures Monday.

Every once in a while, the Knit Gods smile.

I’m not sure I can put into words how much I LOVE this sock. I love everything about it. The yarn, the electric colors, the PATTERN! I think I have chosen the EXACT pattern this yarn needed. EXACTLY. There is NO OTHER pattern that would work. What do you think?

There’s just one problem. Beth left me a comment yesterday and upon receiving it I went and checked out her lovely blog. She had just finished her own pair of STR socks, which are gorgeous by the way, and in reading her re-cap she pointed out something that I had missed. THERE ARE ONLY 325 YDS IN THE BIG SKEIN OF SOCKS THAT ROCK. Please take note of this people! That’s 25 yds LESS than two skeins of Koigu. Cherry Tree Hill gives you 370 yds. DUDE! The socks still rock, but just a teensey bit less.

I guess if I was a toe-up kind of girl this wouldn’t matter too much, but alas, I’m a downer, so I’m in a little bit of a panic. Beth was gracious enough to give me the measurements for her socks and I decided that I would get to a 6″ cuff and start the heel. It actually is okay so far – I’m ready to turn the heel. I do like a longer sock, but it seems that this particular sock wants to stop where it has – and I’m okay with that. I will though be in a panic for the entire knitting process until both socks are done and I know I’ll have enough yarn. Blah!

The real, real problem is that I LOVE these socks so much I want to knit them forever until the are so long they will cover my whole body like a ROCK STAR BODY SOCK. They are that beautiful to me.

Okay. I’m giving away my allegiance. Even though some people will be nail-less watching their Killer Bees, in our house it’s SOX, SOCKS and more SOX.

When rooting locally, we’re Bronx bound. Should the Phils ever come close again, I’m right there. But in our heart of hearts, we’re South Side all the way. (And when I say our hearts know that I mean G’s heart, but since our hearts are permanently intertwined when he loves, I love. Ann – that was your cue! Run with it!) Why are we rooting for the Sox? You see, when Georgie was a wee one he lived in Chicago, for the first four years (or five – it varies in the telling) to be exact. Then they came to New Jersey. But the love of Chicago lived on in his older brother and sisters, so The Sox it is. And since they’ve never really had an opportunity to root for the team – here we go.

On to SOCKS! Guess who I talked to yesterday? Toni at The Fold. I missed her. And I needed more SOCKS THAT ROCK! I’m not kidding. I heard a certain someone gifted her STR to someone else and I couldn’t let her go STR-less so I took care of that right quick. And she’s a ROCK STAR so that’s what she’s getting. I LOVE YOU MAN! (And Toni totally seconded my notion of the Lendrum – she was quite encouraging. Now to find one to try. Hmmm. Where could I try a Lendrum? Anybody know anybody who can lend me a Lendrum?)

And since Margene told me yesterday in no uncertain terms that I was to drop everything and start a ROCK STAR SOCKS THAT ROCK, that’s just what I did:

Here’s the B-Side:

Funny how different, huh? I’m going with Kathy‘s Jaywalker pattern from MagKnits. I mean, c’mon! Who ever heard of a ROCK STAR that crosses at the light? Puhleese! I cast on for these socks while waiting for my class to show up last night. I’ve just started the pattern, so I can’t see how it’s going to shake out yet – and honestly – I can’t really tell from the pictures either, but we’re crossing our toes. GOAL: to have one sock finished by the end of the weekend.

I’m going to need to kick ass on this because there are more socks to be knit. I got my Sockapal2za angel recipient yesterday. This poor sole (hahahahaha) not only didn’t get socks from her pal, but wasn’t able to send out the socks she knit to her pal! Doesn’t that SUCK? So she’s going to get SOCKS THAT ROCK from me! YaY! And I found out that I WILL be getting a pair myself. I believe in the POWER OF THE SOCK!

Alrighty then. Enough is enough is enough. I’m going to take it easy today. Knitting. Some laundry. Straighten up a bit. Pay my NJ ST Taxes. (DO NOT FORGET TO PAY THE TAXES!!!!) You know. Stuff around the house. Tomorrow, I’m off to The Spinnery with Jen! Scary stuff I tell you. Sccaarry stuff.

*Anybody out there watch Elmo? You know how they always have “The ___ Channel” on Elmo’s TV? Like The Bicycle Channel or The Arm Channel or something. That’s what I’ve been thinking of. Little old kidless me has been thinking about Elmo. Kill me now.

It seems everytime I open my bloglines, Lolly‘s got a new Soctoberfest update! Did you see how many participants? And the prizes? And I’m all like shit. I need some sock yarn to start some socks. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The really sad thing is that I JUST started the second Sunshine Sock. With Vicki. On the couch Sunday night. I’ve got about ten rows of ribbing done. It’s a stockinette sock. And there’s still poor Retro Rib – I’m about ready to turn the heel on the first one, but I can’t even remember when I last picked that up. And let’s not forget that I’ve got a baby blanket to knit for a baby that could, in all reality, come any day and I need to just CHART my dad’s Aran for goodness sakes and the Powell 106 is feeling lonely. What’s a girl to do?

Wind up some SOCKS that ROCK, that’s what! This is pretty much what I did upon waking. Colorway: ROCK STAR. Dude! I’m all about the ROCKING these days. (Aren’t you all sick of me yet? Seriously. I will completely understand.) Anyway, the yarn’s all wound up, now I just need to find a pattern.

What’s that? Need some sock books to go with that sock yarn?

Lucky for me, some came in the mail just the other day! We’ve got (clockwise from the top) Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick, Holiday Knits by Sara Lucas, Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush and Simple Socks by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts.

I bought the two holiday knitting books solely for the ornament patterns. It’s coming pretty close to the holidays and I need to send out cards. Usually I use one of my flower/plant/tree pictures, but I’m running out of archives. And unless the weather turns really nasty really fast (read: snow) I’m not going to get a new one this year. So I thought I’d knit some ornaments, take them outside, and take a picture! Voila! I get to combine two of my loves and get a nice card this year. We hope! The best laid plans and all that.

I bought the sock books – well that should be obvious. (I really got the Nancy Bush because of Margene!) I haven’t really had a chance to look through any of them – they came Friday afternoon while I was frantic getting ready for the weekend. But the girls had a good look and they gave all of them a thumbs up. The Sensational Socks looks, well, sensational, from what I’ve seen. It’s a cross between an Ann Budd template book and a Harmony stitch guide. My favorite part – it’s got directions for 4 dpns, 5 dpns, and TWO CIRCULARS! Whippee! I’m sure I’ll be picking a pattern out of here for my socks that rock.

Alas, not sure it will be today. I’ve got class tonight that I’m woefully ill-prepared for and stuff to ship out (my business is really going crazy. WHICH IS GOOD! I AM NOT COMPLAINING! Just stating facts.) But Lolly, I really want Soctoberfest socks. Really, really really!

Before I sign off, I wanted to mention two women I met at Rhinebeck that I left off the big post. And not because they weren’t on my mind – they were – I guess I just didn’t know where to put them. Judy of Smatterings said hello to me at the meet-up and I am so glad. This woman is a REAL artist (who almost died for her art!) while I’m just faking it with a big camera, as Laurie so eloquently suggested. Judy – it was wonderful to meet you and talk with you and you are so beautiful and elegant – I can’t wait to buy some of your yarns! Thank you for saying hello!

And Terry – my kindred spirit – my worry sister! Parting was such sweet sorrow (how many times did we say goodbye?!) It was so great to meet you in person – I dare say there wouldn’t be a Flower Basket without you!

Gotta run! Really! It’s been over a week! L, C