My Sock

Me and my sock are hanging around together.  Its been with me constantly for the last little bit, and I have to tell you, it’s not really working out.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love that little whippersnapper of a sock.  I love the yarn, I love the pattern, I love everything about it, I’m not suggesting a breakup or anything – but I am noticing a problem. Usually all I have to do to finish a pair of socks that I love is drag them around with me for a few days, and boom.  Done.  I put them by my desk, I put them in my bag, and they just sort of grow while I’m on the phone, while I’m on the bus, while I’m in lines… This time, I’ll be darned if I haven’t had them with me all the time, but they don’t get any bigger.
I was puzzled by it until I took this picture and it all came clear.

Yeah.  This is the only place I’m at with my sock right now.  Me and the sock. At the computer, and I may be all kinds of awesome when it comes to knitting, but even I haven’t figured out how to type and knit at the same time.  Right now, I think it’s possible that the sock has a closer relationship with my post-its than me. 

It’s paying off though.  All sorts of things are organized and sorted and pulled together.  Like this, and this and oh wow.  Like this! (I’m crazy about all of those ideas, but the last one really flips me.) There’s only a few days till the Summit.  (Please don’t tell me exactly how many.  I’m fragile.) I swear to you, I’m going to knit the complete snot out of August. I’m going to read and sleep too.  It’s going to be fantastic.
Hang on little socks.  I love you.  Don’t let the fact that you’re June socks get you down in July.

(PS.  Amanda, Megan, Ken and Erin (previous post) are still hoping to raise enough to take part in this years ride.  They need $2200 each – before June 30th to participate, and none have yet met that goals.  I know things are tough all over, but if you’re so inclined, they would all appreciate it.)

71 thoughts on “My Sock

  1. July is the start of my own sock of the month club. At least you love your sock and it’s not misbehaving. I hate it when I have to break up with my knitting.

  2. I am very far behind on June socks as well (working long hours, but you make me look like I’m on vacation) I think I am just going to wait until I get some more sock mojo and just get caught up again.

  3. Your Eloise project made me tear up. Even though I won’t be at Sock Summit (also making me tear up) I will send something sweet along to them. Will also be doing my same sock challenge that I did last year–cast on when registration opens and try to be done with a pair of socks by the time the final session ends.

  4. I’m still working on March’s sock. Of course I’ve done 2 sweaters and a shawl since March (and written up patterns) but the socks aren’t getting done.
    And I haven’t even bought the yarn for the mittens I wanted to do for the last 6 months of the year.

  5. I love your ideas for the Sock Summit–the knit pieces for babies and the “flash”dance with yarn! Oh, and your socks, too.

  6. Poor little sock! I think you should get knitting points for all your sock summit work, and that should count for your June and July socks. These can then become your August sock, and presto! You’re WAY ahead of the game.

  7. Well, there goes this month’s yarn money! 🙂 I gave what I can (it’s not much), and hope they can participate in the ride.

  8. I’ve been doing pretty well about having absolutely no chance to go to Sock Summit for at least 3 years (assuming it continues after this), but those last links did me in. I am now insanely jealous that I am missing it, and I’m only able to restrain myself from checking plane ticket prices by assuring myself that everything is full.

  9. I think that you might need to invest in something like Dragon Dictating, so you can have the computer do the typing for you while both of your hands are working the yarn and needles. I cannot think of any other way to make the yarn do its thing while using a computer.

  10. Oh, how I wish I could be part of the flash mob — and even more, I want to SEE it! Will someone please, PLEASE video it for the knitting world?

  11. I’m behind on my June book, if that counts. And I’m so totally bummed to be missing the Yarn-boogy Flash Mob! Darn family reunion… = )

  12. There is no rule that says the sock MUST be adult sized, is there? I am sure you know some little people with little footses, who could use some little socks. Just sayin’
    See you soon in Portland, I’ll be the one bringing cheese curds VBG

  13. 3 words: Voice Recognition Software. I originally got Dragon Naturally Speaking to help me with my arthritis, but it also means that I can knit while typing. (And do other stuff, but knitting is the important thing, right?)

  14. Slightly unrelated, but I just read the chapter in Free Range Knitting about teaching Abby to knit. I have two nephews (4 and 7) who have shown an interest in my knitting, and I was wondering if you had any suggestions about the best way to go about teaching small children to knit. Do you have any advice or websites or books you know of that could help?

  15. There better be video of that flash dance after teasing the rest of us with that mental picture 😉

  16. Don’t be cross but I think regale is spelt incorrectly on the website.
    And I wish, wish, wish I could go to Sock Summit. It looks incredible!

  17. There has to be some crazy scientist working on a program that will make knitting and typing something that can be done in harmony. I’m waiting!

  18. The Eloise thing is awesome and if you do not have a video of the final product of the Flash mob thing, I will give away all my dpn’s and NEVER knit a pair of socks!

  19. Any month with fewer than 31 days should mean an automatic pass for the sock of the month. Any month in which you have to use more post-it note packages than skeins of yarn should also get a pass for monthly knitting projects!

  20. Fiona Ellis on choosing fleece types for socks–cool. And Snowcap–such a wonderful idea. So you think we can dance…!

  21. OH! I am now just plain pouty faced bummed. I, too, want to shake my fair sized booty with the knitting world. This had better happen again somewhere and somewhen, cause I think you have created a monster here, Steph. I have always claimed that it is my job as a mom and grandmom to embarrass all the respective kids, but just think what I could do to the DH! 🙂

  22. Well, if there is anyone who can master computers AND knitting, it would be you.
    Kind of funny when knitting hits a lull. Nice thing about lulls, enthusiasm will follow. Happens all the time. Sometimes it manifests as finishitis and then… well, that’s really fun and productive.
    Not to mention the Sock Summit’s needs being met. There’s really no stopping those incredible ideas. So very, very cool. Summit participation will be amazing.

  23. I eagerly await your solution to knitting and typing at the same time.
    BTW—those 4 bike riders have great pictures on their pledge pages….. Ken must have a great sense of humour…..Red looks good on him!

  24. Hopefully you can work on those socks on your way to Sock Summit! I can’t go this year, but hope to next year. I also can’t make a donation to your kids’ cause this year, for the same reason… no $. I wish I could, if that counts! Next year will be better, hopefully, for everyone.

  25. Can’t be there, but I’ll be doing Yarny Jazz Hands at that same time, in solidarity.

  26. Sponsored one of them! Best of luck to all 4, I’m sure with the power of the knitter’s they can reach the minimum!

  27. So sad I won’t be there. Next time I’ll rearrange my camp days. I will practice the flash mob anyway. Can I suggest speach recognition software, or perhaps dictating to the lovely intern?

  28. Dragon point and speak. It takes a little while to get used to your voice and speaking style, but then it zooms right along. You can type and knit just as if you were on the phone. There is also adaptive software that will read your email to you. Such wonderful inventions for the blind that we knitters can take advantage of. Happy Knitting!

  29. I too have a becalmed project, though it is a wrist-warmer, not a sock. I am making a beret and matching wristwarmers for a friend in Australia, whose winter it now is. They are cute, they are pretty, they are in a lovely yarn. And the last couple of inches of that second wristwarmer are KILLING ME. I have knit almost an entire baby-shawl rather than deal with it. Dang, it will be Australian Spring before I get it to her!

  30. Sock Summit seems like an insane amount of work, looks like it is going to be great (even though I can’t go…).
    But one question… Tour de Fleece this year? Hmmmm? Not like you haven’t taken on a mind boggling amount of work before! (I can’t help but ask, hand-spun yarn is just the prettiest thing to look at)…

  31. Get the “can’t type & knit” thing. LOVE all things Sock Summit & wish I could come. Knitting for other babies in Eloise’s name made me teary. Can’t dance worth a damn, but NEED to see a video after it happens! And most of all, wish I had POTS of money so I could fund all of your lovely riders. GO, Team Knit!

  32. In case I forget to mention it – it was really awfully nice of you to throw a flash mob on my birthday 😉 HEH. I’ll be the one in the back wearing a party crown! (If I can stop giggling through the practice vids long enough to memorize the routine 😉 )

  33. And I didn’t think you could do anything more to make me want to attend the Summit. Love, love, love the flash mob!

  34. so i really wish i could read a knit, i kind of can, but something always seems to get in the way or the pages need to be held/turned… it just hasn’t worked out for me

  35. I’m feeling special right now, because that sock yarn looks like some I hand-dyed. Since I sometimes attempt to “take” yarn I like from my friends by hiding it under my clothes, I am wondering if I should go check to see if my yarn is still here. 🙂 Nice socks!

  36. This will be my first Summit! I’m very excited. Ray in Houston has dyed me a special skin of yarn for the “Walk on the Wild Side” class.
    If any of you are Pharyngula readers too, how about a meetup?

  37. The dancers are adorable and obviously having the time of their lives (no pun intended). Should be great fun on the 30th. Can’t wait to see the video of that.

  38. Voice recognition software for MACs: Dragon Dictate.
    I’m not sure how it will help with the spreadsheets of doom, but it might help if you don’t have a PC but still want to multitask.
    Me, I’m suffering from incapability of finishing anything.

  39. I came, I read, I sponsored. Such a worthy cause too. I’m one of the hordes who can not attend SSII, a family reunion and niece’s wedding to attend. But I will be learning the routine (the flashlight! the light saber! jazz hands! bounce!) and knitting socks in solidarity with my fellow knitters and YH fans. <3

  40. get a dictation program so you can talk and it will type. then you can knit and write at the same time!
    hypothetically.

  41. AAAAARRRGGGGHH! Work computer has blocked yer videos, I think I’ll get sick & leave so I can watch! I so wish I could be there, too. So much to do, so little time (not to mention money).

  42. I am totally jealous of your ability to knit socks anywhere and everywhere. If there is any sort of pattern to be followed I tend to need to sit with the pattern stuck to the magnet board thingy to follow along.
    I also would like to echo some other readers’ sentiments that you should get Dragon Naturally Speaking…then you could just talk to the computer. I’ve used it with many students who need help getting their thoughts out on paper and although there’s a bit of a learning curve for the computer to learn to interpret your voice properly once it is working properly it’s pretty awesome 🙂
    P.S: I’m pretty sure anyone who reads this blog would be totally willing to pretend that June went on a lot longer this year and that you totally finished your June socks on time. Really, I’m pretty envious that you can finish a pair of socks in a month. I’m not convinced I could keep that up for a year even with plenty of knitting time and no giant awesome knitting party to organize!

  43. I don’t have June socks, in fact, I’m not knitting any socks at all. Just a sweater. Out of wool. Probably wearable in the fall. Hah Hah.

  44. Grrl! I haven’t even started my June 2011 Socks yet…I was waiting for more yarn to finish my May Socks and well…other stuff in my life…so I will have two pair of socks going in July.
    It’s just par for the course for being a knitter.

  45. Wow! What a fabulous time you’ll be having. Thanks for the links and the stories about the teachers. I wish I could be there!!!

  46. I was OK with not going to Sock Summit this year until I checked out the flash mob. OMG! I think I will practice anyway and dance my yarn around the livingroom at the same time, pretending that I am actually there.

  47. You are so AMAZING! Putting all these great ideas into play and layering them into Sock Summit is beyond what most people could imagine, let alone make them happen. I am so appreciative of all that you and your team are doing for us.Thank you, thank you, thank you!
    So, so excited about being part of a flash mob. I’ll be practicing up a storm.

  48. I think you need to invest in the software that is voice activated. That way you could type and knit at the same time!

  49. I won’t be at Sock Summit, but I just did the flash mob dance in the kitchen with no one to admire me but the cat. I…..had….the time of my life!!!

  50. It’s still June. If you drop everything else, you might be able to finish them before midnight. You’re a fast knitter.

  51. My sympathies to your sock. I have many lonely projects that get set to the side when new yarn or ideas pop up. Some of them even get finished later. 🙂 My new discovery this week, I can read blogs/internet articles while knitting. Knit a few stitches, move the mouse…read. LOL. And I like all the comments on the Dragon software. My stepfather has it for dictating books, and it’s easy and fun to use. Good luck finishing your sock!

  52. if its any consolation, im knitting my first pair of socks (ever) at the moment. ive been knitting them for about 6 weeks now and have currently managed less than an inch. this probubly has something to do with the fact that my usual needle sizr is 7mm or larger and thus the ribbing is driving me slowly nuts, but probubly is mostly due to the fact that two days ago (after many weeks of pretending the partially knit sock didnt even exist)i decided to have another bash at it and proptly knit 5 rounds of K2P2 rib the wrong way round. i was totally at a loss as how ot undo this greavous error (mistakes are so much harder to fix when everything is in miniature) so i frogged by 2 and a bit inches and started over. needless to say the sock and i are now getting on a bit better (thankfully a good friend interceded and lent me some bamboo needles to try, funny how small things can make all the diference).

  53. The last one makes me laugh every day, I love those wonderful dance teachers, they always make me smile. So even Ya Ya Ball of Yarn with two left feet, will practice for this one. See you there. Rest up mighty co-leader we are all so proud and thankful for all you are doing. 🙂

  54. Stephanie, the contributions that you and Tina are making to the knitters’ world with the daring of all that Sock Summit offers is far reaching. Suddenly, magazine ads and my inbox are bristling with notices, from staid Knitters Guilds and certain magazines, all desperately trying to cash in on what you’ve created. To my mind, theirs are but pale imitations of the true (mad) creativity the two of you are sharing with enthusiastic knitters. Dance ON!

  55. OK – the flash mob is just about to do me in! I’m sitting at the kitchen table after a hard day’s work laughing and laughing. I think I will join the many others doing the flash mob from afar. If I can get all my local knitters to join me we’ll find a public place to do it in your honor. Fabulous!

  56. In the “olden days” when we had dial up internet… my computer was soooo slow… I used to knit inbetween clicks! LOL!! Now, that’s slow!

  57. I will not be at Sock Summit (sob!) but I am soooo sharing the instructional dance videos with MY Knit Night group. We will be dancing along with you! Can’t wait to see the video.

  58. Look on the bright side: Today is Canada Day, the SS11 signups are mostly done, and you survived it all.
    Go out and party!!!

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