Ziggy: more Zzzs than Zoom

Sick of Ziggys

I’m struggling!

And I’ve been struggling with this WIP for 11 months now.

In fact, continuing to struggle with it was my first mistake. I should have ripped it back 1″ after the toe.

I started these socks on my first trip to London last February. About 1″ after the toe I didn’t like how the pooling of the self-striping yarn was turning out. I realised that what I should do: knit tube-socks with after-thought heels using a stitch-count that worked for the pooling. Instead of sending these straight to the frog-pond, I let them languish in hibernation.

Then last September, moments before I was due to leave the house for my trip to the I Knit Weekender, I messed up winding balls for my planned travel-knitting. I grabbed these socks instead at the last minute. Over the course of the I Knit Weekend I progressed them through the gussets and past the heels. Fortuitously, because I had used a Whirlpool cast-on for the toes, I was able to use Cat Bordhi’s Side-Stream Sockitecture i.e. I turned the socks on their sides after the gusset increases and before I started the heel-turns. I liked the visual interest that gave the other-wise tedious socks. It redeemed them for me – a bit.

Then I tried to get clever. Recognising I couldn’t do much about the stitch-count at this stage, I wondered if I changed the stitch-pattern – thereby altering how much yarn was used in the round – would I get pooling I preferred. The legs of  these socks have become a mish-mash of four different stitch patters as I swatch and switch from one to the other.

The other night my knitting buddies convinced me to stop messing and have done with them. I’ve settled on a 2 x 1 rib for the rest of the leg but lo-and-behold… the pooling is the same as the foot. The socks are getting the last laugh.

DH is leaving on a business trip on Saturday so I’m determined to have them ready for his suitcase. At least that way, these socks will earn me a January credit in the Sock-a-Month9 KAL. In the Dublin Knit Collective the January theme is “Beating the Wintry Blues”; whereas the February theme is “Labour of Love”. Getting these socks finally finished would be my way of beating my January blues, that’s for sure. On the other hand, persisting with them in the first place was laborious and I only persevered coz I love DH, and giving him hand-knit socks, soooo much.

Serial Adultery

The other day I had cause to introduce one of my work-colleagues for the first time to a senior manager in our client department. Upon shaking her hand, he said his name and added “Serial Adulterer”. My work-colleague didn’t know where to look or what to think; and I quickly launched into some work-related topic to spare her blushes. Afterwards, we both agreed it was the most bizarre way to make a first impression.    

However, it got me thinking about being a serial adulterer and has caused me to fess up! While the cat’s away; the mouse is at play: DH is out of the country on business at the moment and meanwhile I’m being unfaithful – to his cardigan. I think when I realised that there was no chance of getting it done by January my eye started to wander and my fingers started to itch. Last night I knit a swatch for a Calyx Hat in Noro Big Kureyon and cast-on for a pair of fetching. I got a bad dose of “Startitis” – I thought I was immune!    

To prove to you – after such a sordid confession – that DH is truly the apple of my eye, the F.O. I present to you this Friday is his Christmas present: socks. Quelle suprise!    

Cat Bordhi's Ridgeline Master in Jawoll Silk by Lang

Details:   

• Pattern: Cat Bordhi’s Master Ridgeline sockitecture on either side of the racy-lace detail of Oriel stitch pattern from Charlene Schurch’s book “Sensational Knitted Socks” up the front ridge and the leg above the heel to the rear.
• Yarn: Jawoll Silk by Lang in Blue (Colour no. 130.0035)
• Size: 9&1/2″ feet
• Verdict: loved this yarn and look forward to using it again. I loved how the lace pattern was mannish but a bit racy at the same time. DH is delighted with them.  

Racey-lacey detail

Oriel Stitch Pattern from "Sensational Knitted Socks"

In the spirit of full disclosure, however, I have to admit that DH was not the original intended recipient. I started knitting these intending them as a birthday present to a friend of mine & DH’s but I didn’t finished them in time. I’m glad I didn’t post them to him, as it turns out, as his parcel went AWOL in the postal system – very frustrating!

Then I decided I would give the completed socks to one of my Clerk-of-Works. He’s been a fantastic help to me over the past year and is someone I rely on and trust to steer me right. At the same time, I worried about doing this because I’ve another Clerk-of-Works that I also think very highly of. The faux-jealousy between the two of them is great source of banter between the three of us. One feigns umbrage if I interrupt our discussion by answering the phone to the other; I can wrangle a slice of a cream bun during a site visit by mentioning I got chocolate biscuits when I visited the other’s site. 

In the end, DH got them by default or by subterfuge – you tell me: as I was finishing them off, I asked DH to try one on to check the fit. He did so, all the while remonstrating me, playfully, because he wasn’t the intended recipient. Then, as I was weaving-in ends on the second sock, he forgot he was wearing it and went outside to check something – without pausing to put any shoes on! That brief excursion was enough to make one sock look decidedly worn in comparison to the other. Given my concerns about upsetting the delicate balance between my two main Clerks-of-Works, I decided Fate had come in to play and my own true love was the most deserving of all.