I guess I might as well admit it. I’m a sock knitter. I know you all think I’m a sock knitter, but I’ve been avoiding the label because, well, I DO knit other things besides socks. Although it might not seem like it these days.
I finished three socks while I was at my sister’s. The first one I’m going to talk about is a mate – so now I have a pair.
Yes, yes. I ran out of yarn. I’m still using the old put up – I’ve got a lot of STR skeins to get through – but it wasn’t all the fault of the yarn. The colorway is a RARE GEM, which means no one else in the world has it but me! Sometimes mistakes are made in the dye pot and Tina transforms these “mistakes” into gorgeous unique colorways through overdyeing. I was worried from the start that I’d run out and in this world of self-fulfilling prophecies I did. The funny thing? I made a mistake in the pattern. I hope you’re laughing because I certainly did – this is my 11th pair of jaywalkers? I’ve lost count to be honest. So here I am knitting on this sock and I decide to do a stitch count and I realize that somewhere I added an extra stitch. The best part is that I made the mistake in a place that’s completely obliterated by the pattern! That’s why I couldn’t see it. (For those of you intimately acquainted with the jaywalker pattern, I added the second ktfbl on a knit row down the middle of the sock so on the next row the pattern was unchanged for the first ktfbl. And if you understand that – maybe it’s time to find a new sock pattern. 😉 ) When it became clear to me that I was going to run out of yarn, I called my favorite dyer Tina and asked for some Spinel, which I thought would work perfect for the toe.
And I think I was right! I love the sock. Then I had to decide whether or not I wanted both socks to match, since I had already finished the first sock with the Rare Gems yarn. I decided I liked them different. Truly a pair of Rare Gem socks.
I love them. They will sit in my (soon to be determined) sock drawer and wait for the cold feet of fall.
I also finished one of my Hot Flash jaywalkers:
OH MY GOD! I have GOT to start counting more. This time I made a very similar mistake (left out a ktfbl) and ended up a stitch short. I’m getting better with the whole perfectionism thing though because I didn’t rip it out and fix it at the source (the mistake was on the cuff and when I figured it out I was on the foot.) I fixed it where I found the mistake. Same as the Rare Gems sock. Love the sock. Will be making another one.
And in the biggest news of the day, I finished sock ONE of my Sockapaloooza socks:
LOVE the yarn. LOVE the pattern. LOVE the sock. (That’s three loves for sockapalOOOza.) It is SO hard knitting socks for someone other than yourself – especially someone far away that can’t try them on for you. They are pretty loose on me so and a bit long so I’ve got all my toes crossed that they will fit the recipient.
I think it’s pretty funny that the jaywalker looks bigger than the sock pal sock. So not the case.
Anyway. That’s what I knit while I was away. It was excellent to see the kids and hang with my sister but I’m VERY glad to be home. Look for lots of black and bead lace knitting to come and another sock pal sock. That’s going to be pretty much it until the end of April. Deadlines loom. Oh and if anyone has any ideas about sending expensive and IRREPLACEABLE jewelry through the mail (fedex, etc.) please let me know. I left my fancy wedding ring at my sister’s and I want it back in my possession ASAP. I don’t feel like going back down there to pick it up and I’m missing it desperately. But can you really send that kind of stuff?
I’ve heard you can send jewelry but insure it for ton and they will make sure to take care of it and get it to you quickly.
The socks look fabu! I LOVE Hot Flash (as you know) and your Rare Gem is just that. Good fix. It maybe time to start making and wearing mismatched socks. What a good way to kill the funk!
Love the socks! What is the pattern of the sock pal sock. I love it too!
Bead lace? I’m looking forward to seeing that already.
You want to send it insured and Registered Mail. I’ve had heirloom jewelry shipped to me this way, and it arrived quickly and safely.
I was so hoping that 1) the Rare Gems were the sock pal socks 2) I would by some fluke turn out to be your sock pal. Another dream shattered. All of the socks are gorgeous.
(I wouldn’t give them away either.)
I would insure the ring for a ton, too, and have something signed — delivery confirmation, registered mail, something(s) to make it impossible to lose, possible to track.
You have the luckiest feet in the whole wide world. I absolutely adore the Hot Flash Jaywalker. Love the OOO socks, too.
My rings all came from a jeweler out of state and she sent them to me FedEx overnight and didn’t waive deliver confirmation and insured it. I did that 3 times and didn’t have any trouble. I’m less enamoured with USPS, but that could just be where I live.
Gorgeous socks – all of them.
I have a funny story about mailing jewelry, but no advice as to how to do it. Just don’t do the following. My sister used to work at a call center that took calls for the USPS, so she was always taking complaints about everything. One day, she took a call from a guy who was very upset, apparently he had put an extremely expensive diamond ring in an envelope and mailed it, and was then surprised when said ring to did not make it to it’s destination.
She asked what kind of envelope it had been in, and did he have it insured and have someone sign for it? This guy put it in a plain envelope, the kind you would mail a letter in. Not even a padded envelope, just a plain old run-of-the-mill envelope. No insurance. No confirmation of delivery. I don’t even remember what happened to the guy, because I always get hung up on “He put a couple thousand dollar ring in an envelope and mailed it????”
So yeah. Don’t do that.
And I forgot to mention in all my rambling that your socks? Are gorgeous. Can I be your sockpal? Please?
My husband had his parents send my engagement ring to him in the mail. I think they put the box in a bubble mailer, sent it registered mail, insured it, and had delivery confirmation. It got to him fine. Good luck getting your ring back! Also, all the socks are lovely, rare gems indeed.
I’m not a proliferate as you but I’ve finished 7 pairs of socks so far in 2006. All I want to knit is socks. Not typical for me but it’s making me happy right now and that’s okay.
I’ll second (or third) the USPS and Registered Mail. That way, only the person whose name is on the slip can sign for it (not just anyone who happens to be standing around a la UPS – learned this the hard way!) Socks look beautiful!
You have a very lucky sockpal!
Go the FedEx route, with as quick as possible delivery (like the next morning sted of the next afternoon). We ordered my diamond off BlueNile, and that’s what they do. Also, do NOT list the contents on the outside of the box — list “personal items” or “mementos” or just say “packing list enclosed”. The BlueNile folks said that if you list diamond or ring on the outside, it’s more prone to theivery. Good luck!
I love your rare gem socks. It’ll be your fun little secret since usually you’re wearing shoes when other people would see your socks. Is the sockapalooza sock that one from the latest Interweave? Very cute. Your pal will be very happy! I hope you get your wedding ring back right away.
I’ve sent jewelry with FedEx and had it insured for $10,000 – just be warned that it is expensive. USPS will insure for up to $3000 but can arrange for more if needed.
ack, i am trying to stay away from socks for a while (the thin needles hurt my hand) but you are not helping! love them all! the rare gems are GORGEOUS. amazing colours.
use FedEx! my husband’s wedding band got crushed when we moved (but his finger did not: that symbol of the circle of life saved him!). he sent it back to the shop and they fixed it and fedexed it back. no problems. get delivery confirmation and insurance, just to be safe.
sox are grand, BTW
ohhh, I want to be your sock pal! I’m in love with the red socks. So in love.
Oooh, I love the blue toe of the rare gems socks! I might even do something like that deliberately–I think it’s that cool. A happy accident!
I see that a lot of people are suggesting FedEx for your ring shipping, but if I understand it correctly, FedEx doesn’t insure packages the same way that USPS does. In a lot of instances, FedEx won’t pay out when USPS will, to have something replaced. Our jeweler is in the Midwest and he insists on sending everything USPS to us on the east coast because he can insure it for the full amount (even pieces over $10,000) and he says that if the USPS messes up, they almost always pay on the insurance. I’d have it insured fully and express registered mail through the USPS. Just my two cents …
Your sock pal is so lucky!
Yum, YUm and YUM!
What beautiful socks! The Rare Gems are my favorite.
Cara, YOU are a rare gem! I love all three socks…how do you get your picot edge so perfect?! After the Jaywalker KAL, I think everyone knows what you mean in that pattern, and most of us have probably done the same thing! They look great.
So your Rare Gem is even more rare!
You knit things other than socks????? No way, really? If you’re knitting other things in addition to all of those socks, you must be a knitting whiz. I could never get that much done!
They all look great. I love the pattern your doing for sockapalooze.
Oh man…I have been away too long. Love all the socks. Seriously…how have you cranked out that many?! I have given the ubiquitous Jaywalkers a chance…but I keep having problems with gauge. Very, very frustrating. *sigh*
love love love the hot flash jaywalkers! They look different somehow….around the cuff.. than other jaywalkers. love em. and I love the blue toe on the rare gem. you are the sock queen!
The socks are nice, but I want to know more about the scary medium you’re working with that you talked about in the “ghosty” post!
love love love them! i FINALLY am finishing up my jaywalkers from Oooh i dunno, last December??? you are so right, the pattern is great and goes fast, but seriously how fast do you knit?? 😉
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I love the pattern you’re using for the Sockapaloooza socks. Your pal is one lucky chica!
Rare Gems looks remarkably like Lorna’s Laces Mixed Berries, only without the greenish part…
Which was cool because I could look at your socks and think perhaps I might finish mine. Someday. When my mother is eighty-five….
Well, you are my hero too. I had to make plain brown toes on sock #2 of Dear Husband’s Cherry Tree Hill socks… and I’d never heard anybody admit (let alone PHOTOGRAPH) a sock with, um, odd toes.) Well done… and the growth photos are amazing.