But will you love me tomorrow?

I have come to realize something.

The first time I tried lace knitting it was a disaster.  Ugly, painful, impossibly difficult.  Unsatisfying.  Very Peggy Lee (Is that all there is?).

I threw it in the closet and swore never again.  The I met Cassie and her Highland Triangle shawl and honestly, I'm not sure which of them has been more influential.

I mean, human connection with marvelous and essential friend on the one hand, but on the other, learned to knit lace.  And I really love that shawl.  How DO you choose?

So I was wrong about lace - though not about that pattern.  Madli's Shawl. Fucking nupps. Never again.

But I have come to realize something....and I hope you will still respect me in the  morning.

I.....I am not a sock knitter. And I don't want to be.

I love hand knit socks.  Love them deeply.  And sock yarn has all the seductive charm of a leather jacketed bad boy when you were 17. 

(OK, I just read that over, and I think there might be something a little bit wrong with me.  Because the comparison still seems reasonable.  Although, actually...cashmere is more like the bad boy - sock yarn is a box of cookies eaten too quickly.  And therein lies the problem.  Or one of them.)

But when I've tried to knit socks, I haven't gotten anywhere.  I make stupid mistakes.  My wrist - the one I had surgery on last year - hurts like it hasn't hurt for 12 months.  My hands and the little bitty needles feel awkward.  And most of all, a little voice in my head says - you know, you could be working on something you like. 

It feels like a waste of my time.   I'd rather knit a sleeve.

This is not to say I will never knit a sock - I have some sock yarn I couldn't bear to give up, and two partial socks I'm not ready to quit on.  And those stockings in Handknit Holidays turn me on in a major way.  Never say never, you know?

But progress will be slow.  And I will never be a default sock knitter.

In the meantime, wanna buy some sock yarn?

Hand dyed by Candace Eisner Strick - 3 skeins - $28 for all  CLAIMED

Koigu KPM - 3 skeins - $28 for all  CLAIMED

Patons Kroy - 2 balls - $2.50 each   CLAIMED

Patons Kroy - 3 balls - $2.50 each  CLAIMED

Patons Kroy - 2 balls - $2.50 each  CLAIMED

Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock Mineshaft - 2 skeins - $20 for both  CLAIMED

Self-striping Opal - 1 ball - $14  CLAIMED

Sock it to me Esprit - 3 balls - $ 2 each  CLAIMED

Sock it to me Esprit - 3 balls - $ 2 each  CLAIMED

Sockotta - 1 ball - $8  CLAIMED

Trekking XXL -  1 ball - $8  CLAIMED

Paypal cash funding only or send me a check - shipping will be additional.

Any takers?

(Don't worry, I still have a box of potential socks.   I think one box for a non sock knitter is better than two, plus a variety of assorted balls all over the house.  Don't you?)

Also, a long time ago, I posted about needing a new home for a lot of dark olive White Buffalo.  A couple of people emailed about it, but I flaked it and lost the email(s).

If one of them was you, and you're still interested - let me know. 

Comments

[Chris]

That'll teach me to get so far behind in my bloglines... Dang it.

[benedetta]

yeah, i think the sock yarns are so cool that one buys them anyway, even though knitting socks is more of a chore for me than fun!
and i totally agree on the stockings in handknit holidays. i just know it will take me many many months, but if you are game, let me know, and we launch into this together.
my philosophy regarding hamd knit socks (and the death penalty/rights to your thoughts too, for that matter) are exactly like yours...

[Dharma]

Damn it all to hell. I missed all the great yarn. Teach me to be too busy to keep up on blogs.

[Kellee]

Is there a teeny tiny chance that you might be able to love them in sport or worsted weight....and maybe on circs instead of DPN's? Just checking.

[Cindy Ericsson]

I may be with you on the sock thing. I've done one, as in 1/2 a pair, and I'm glad I know how. It was nice for the short row experience, and to learn how to use all those needles at once. But a sock has probably as many stitches as a sleeve! Although there is the plus of the extremely portable project. This is probably why I leave the second sock in my van, to act as the emergency knitting.

[JoVE]

How come stuff like this always happens when I am too busy to read blogs? I was just complaining the other day about how I had no sock yarn stash.

Lace is good. Other people can knit you socks. But you should probably advertise your shoe size if you want that to happen.

[Jinxsa]

My ISP cut me off on the 28th until just this am. The buttmunchers. Now they owe me a free month AND sock yarn!

[Barbara from Nova Scotia]

Holy @%$&*!, that went fast!!! Congrats!

[lanea]

Doh! Stupid new job (which I loved until just this very second) kept me from the post until it was too late to get any of that fine yarn. Oh, the lamentations! Crap.

See you this weekend in MD! Woot. WOOT I SAY! I am going to spend a bajillion dollars on yarn, and I don't care who knows it.

[Cassie]

I still maintain that we're gonna git ya in the sock dept. But regardless, can you now explain to me just precisely why you're insisting on having one of my sock kits? Considering the post and all, y'know?

Also - the lace is good. I may bring my Madli to MD just to tweak your nose. ;-)

[Jenny]

Good destashing strategy. I really should do the same with some of mine! I've got a bunch of alpaca top that I'll probably never get through at this rate... Socks are not for everyone, and if they don't relax you then they're just not your bag. And you're still a good person!

[Imbrium]

Poo. Obviously, I got here too late. *sigh*

It's okay that you don't like knitting socks. Really. We all have a little something about us that makes us a freak. ;)

[Shelby]

CRAP...I wish I'd have seen this before everyone else got to it...!!! I am obsessed with knitting socks...but too broke to buy pretty yarn...lol

[Margaret]

If/when you get back around to socks, or any other small diameter knitting, try two circs instead of dpns. I think the two circs hurt my wrist a lot less since there is more needle to hold onto. But knitting tightly to get dense sock gauge does hurt more than, say, lace.

[Gina]

Now and again, I attempt a sock, but I'm really not a sock knitter. I'm definately not a sock wearer, so why I even bother with the knitting part is strange.

[Yvonne]

hell, that must've been snatched up FAST! It was like WHOOOSH the yarn tornado swooped down and spun it all away!!

[Cheryl]

Aha, I feel strangely validated! I don't knit socks either. Not that I have anything against doing it. In fact, I'd sort of like to love knitting socks. Because, really, the yarn can be pretty amazing and they become FO's at an amazing rate. But I just don't love it.

[gale (she shoots sheep shots)]

Oh fer crying out loud. I took an hour or so to think about your destash sale..and now they're all gone. (congrats).
Good news, on the grand planetary knitting scale I'm making things balance for you, I just took up sock knitting this week. All is even.

[Diane]

Now that it looks like I just grabbed the rest of your stash...

Anywho, maybe you try a different method of knitting socks. A friend showed me how to do magic loop (booklet publlished by fiber trends). Since you can use longer circulars, you may find you have more needle to hold on to (which might make your hands feel better). Haven't personally tried it yet, but I have some Lorna's Laces waiting for me at home that I'll try it out on.

[Diane]

I wasn't fast enough to get what appealled to me most, but I'll take the Sockotta,the Opal and all the Sock it to me. I'm a yarn pig and a sucker for sock yarn!

[mamacate]

I understand. I knit socks because, well, they don't make me think too hard and are easy to carry, but for a long time I resisted. I am too much of an extrovert to be a devoted socknitter--I like to show off too much to hide my light under a bushel--I mean, my socks under my shoes. Ya know?

Anyway, you're in good company. There are two very firmly-held camps on the GLBT-knit list. You would be a "lightsider" by their taxonomy.

[AuntyNin]

Hey, if you don't enjoy knitting socks, then don't do it! There's too much angst in this world already without making yourself spend leisure time doing something you don't enjoy.

[maryse]

can i take the opal off of your hands?

[julia fc]

It is a sign of maturity to recognize when jumping off the cliff with everyone else may not be for you.
Me: I love to jump, but I still love you.

[Carole]

I need more sock yarn like I need a hole in the head. Or another wheel. Good luck with the destashing.