The World's Slowest Socks

I've lately been referring to the Rose socks as the world's slowest socks. Which isn't strictly fair. The issue is, I'm used to thinking of socks as a 2-3 week project. These have been on the needles for two months. But looking over my crafting activity, it's not hard to see why these have dragged. I started them Christmas week while I was on vacation, but since then, I've finished one sweater, knit a quarter of another, worked on two others, knit 15 pairs of mittens/fingerless mitts and a pair of gloves. And then there's the fact that they're a bit longer than I usually make (I'm using up all the yarn again) and on 00 needles...and the upshot is that I have really been ready for these socks to be done for a couple of weeks now.

I do love them- the yarn is very pretty, I like the pattern, they're going to be super-comfortable to wear. It's just that there are so many sock yarns in the world, and while I like this one, there are all those other sock yarns over there looking greener in the stash bucket. But. Project knitter. Casting on another pair of socks and abandoning these unfinished would Just Be Wrong. (Not to mention the first step down the path that leads UFOs in every corner and closet.) So I have persevered. The socks have gone out to lunch, dinner and the grocery store. They've gone to the vet's office, and the veterinary ER. (Three times, but that's another story.) They go to work and they go in the car and they go to the local knitting group. And, as frequently happens when you doggedly knit one stitch after another, they have progressed. Slowly.

So this week after I'd done a few pattern repeats up the leg of the second sock, I thought, "Gee. Leg of the second sock. One of these decades these socks might actually be done. Wonder how many thousands of pattern repeats I have left to go?" So I stopped and counted. The first sock has thirteen repeats up the leg...the second? Had four. Nine repeats to go. Single digit number of pattern repeats! Hot diggity! You know what that means? The end is in sight.

So, with a fire freshly lit under my needles, I applied myself with renewed vigor to the cause. Tuesday, 9 repeats to go. Wednesday, 7 repeats left to go. Thursday, 2 repeats...Saturday:

Rose Arch Socks, Deborah Norville Serenity

I'm thrilled. I love them. They're my new favoritest socks ever. I even forgive them for being slow.

But the next ones? Will not be on 00 needles.

One of Those Weeks

It's being one of those weeks, or possibly months. And when the going gets tough, what do the tough do?

Bake cupcakes! (Fooled you! You thought I was going to say knit mittens, right? Toni in FL, I was thinking of you when I made these!) Chocolate with homemade vanilla butter frosting.

Oh, all right. We also knit mittens.

FOs 13-16

I did not eat the cupcakes all myself, I took them to share with friends over the weekend. (Thus cunningly using up the last of the confectionary sugar left from Christmas cookie frosting without doing something insane that would involve eating all of it myself. Fortunately I'm too lazy to make cinnamon rolls nearly as often as I'd like to eat them.)

But, lest you think that I have abandoned all my other WIPs, I assure you this is not the case. I'm making progress on my sister's sweater, and I've finished the first Rose sock and cast on the second.


I wasn't sure about the lace ribbing at first (which I swiped from the Fool's Rush sock), but I think I like it.
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I continue to really love the Serenity sock yarn, which is pretty, soft, comfortable to wear, and reasonably priced. The only downside is that it's a fairly fine fingering weight, which keeps leading me to cast on socks in 00 needles. It makes beautiful socks, but not fast ones!

Recapping 2009

A year ago this month, I started with just 2 WIPs (a pair of socks started during the big ice storm in December '08 and the Moderne baby blanket).

I ended the year with the bamboo sweater, and the fluffy blue sweater on the needles, along with the green wool Aran, and a new pair of socks I cast on for carrying-around knitting while I was on vacation. These don't really have a name...the pattern is euphoniously called "314" in my stitch dictionary (the new one I got for Christmas...thanks, Mom!) But I'm calling them the Rose Arch socks (after the rows of little arches in the pattern).

Rose Arch socks in Deborah Norville Serentity Sock yarn

And in non-knitting projects, I still have some more work to do on my kayak cart (which will not be happening until the garage isn't freezing).

In reviewing my FOs, I was continually startled to find that a project had been done during 2009. I kept thinking, 'no, surely that hat was done last year'...but it wasn't. Clearly the reason that time seems to pass quickly is that I lose track of when things actually happened!

In summary:
Knitting- 31 FOs:
13 pairs of socks
1 pair fingerless mitts
1 pair slippers
2 sweaters
1 scarf
8 pairs mittens
1 baby blanket
4 hats

Crochet- 2 FOs:
2 crocheted baby/lap afghans

Carpentry:
-refurbished bench
-reattached mailbox to post

Sewing:
-assorted mending
-tablecloth for long folding table

Interesting what a little data can tell you—I had the feeling that I'd done a lot of socks, and so I did. And my husband has been by far the biggest beneficiary, scoring a sweater and no less than four pairs of socks. That, I hadn't realized. And that doesn't take into account knitting the better part of two sweaters which will be inflating the 2010 FO list. Based on projects planned, I will probably have more sweaters, lots more mitts, and less of everything else this year. We'll see how that goes.

A great idea, this end of year list--I feel so much more productive than I did before I made it!