Monday, November 15, 2004

Now all I need to do is throw an end-weaving party, write up my notes in logical format, and this project will be ready to deliver!

In other news, I’m headed to Mexico later this week to attend a family reunion (family of choice, they’re my in-laws). I’m trying to convince myself that I only need to bring along one or two pairs of socks, that I won’t actually knit and knit and knit until my hands fall off. Choosing the couple of pairs, though, that’s the hard part.

I have one self-striper almost complete; I’m shaping the toe. Clearly that and its zygotic companion need to go along. I have a sport weight sock with both cuffs knit, so I need to haul the yarn for that one, too. (And decide on a pattern for the leg. I am lusting dreadfully over the Bavarian twisted stitch patterns --- but can’t justify hauling the pattern books with me. I may take the Bavarian style pattern from one of the hats in the latest _Cast On_ [yes, the patterns are nothing short of dreadful, but they have some good technique and a few nice elements to their patterns] as it would be easy to chart out on a index card, or type into my PDA.)

And then what? Well, that’s where I get stuck.

I could bring some Encore, and notes on Bordhi’s turned toes, and someone else’s reverse Dutch heel, and a little chart for stochastic cables using a coin, and work a pair toes-up in rehearsal for self-striping socks. I do like the self-striping yarns, and don’t care if the sequence isn’t perfectly matched—but I like my socks at a finer gauge than they’re calculated for, and so am often concerned about running out. Hence, I’m working on a blue box toes-up recipe so I can have all the features that matter—a deep enough heel flap, arch shaping, a heel that looks good in the self-striping yarn—and not be nibbling my lip as I work frantically toward the toe, knitting faster like the Texas Aggie painting faster as his paint supply ran low.

I could also force myself to make some choices, and bring some sport weight acrylic and a couple of Bavarian patterns, and knit me some clocked socks with contrast toes and heels. That would take the worst of the itch off until I could work some of the WIPs off the list.

Then again, I could take along the aforementioned notes and some self-striping yarn, and go ahead and do my trial knitting of blue box sox in the actual yarns and on the actual needles.

On the third hand, I could take one of each. (grin) Clothing? Who needs clothing? I’ll have socks.

I think I really should just opt in for the pharonic plan and have everything buried with me so I’ll have all eternity to work on them.

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