It's spring. All things are fresh and new. Knitting should be that way too. Option A please. Enabling? Me? What is that pattern for the cute lace socks?

Hee...I love your sock washing method...

Sure wish I could come see you again at Ginger Press...sounds like a great place. Have a sheep shaped cookie for me!

I vote for A.

Position C: during the week, cast on as many socks as you want. On weekends, virtuously work on existing socks.

(This from the author of the Socks That Do Not End. Only they do. I'll send a picture.)

well, my dear harlot, I have thought long and hard about this and I think that I must go with position B. You got me with the fact that all of us out here in blog land enjoy seeing pics of your finished socks. Besides, if you end up doing some "sneaky sock knitting" that will be a harmless pleasure that will fill you with guilty glee!

Option A, anyone who says B hasn't been reading you long enough to know that this is the only answer worthy of the Harlot!

Oh, Position A. It's Spring. Spring is for lacy socks that make your Birkies look fresh and new.

(Lucia claims that the Socks That Do Not End are finished, but notice that she doesn't mention whether or not the ends are woven in. Ahem. I hear music starting ...)

I say go with A! I love you blog, and your book is getting me through not knitting (as I for some inane reason packed my yarn FIRST in preparation for my upcoming move).
:)

My dear, dear, Stephanie. Position B, of course, is completely against your nature, you have to go with Position A. It would be nice if you set an example for others now and again, but I'm not sure it's fair to put you under that kind of pressure. Besides, seeing all your unfinished socks makes the rest of us feel virtuous.

i go with option C - socks, schmocks; more cute guys on your blog

I vote for option A - you'll get them finished! You are after all the most AWESOME Yarn Harlot!
;-)

I'm going with B. Only because I can't conceive of having enough dpns laying around to occupy all those socks-in-progress. Especially without having the fear of sitting on a dpn be my constant companion.

Option A. Socks, socks and more socks! You only need one of a pair for the sock calendar anyway. You'll need 12 going at once for that, and you're not there yet.

Option A. Definatly A. There is nothing wrong with having many socks cast on. Otherwise, I'm a bad, bad girl. BTW, love the book, finally got it this weekend :)

I vote for option B.

Unless I get a link for the pattern for Cassie's socks. I'd have to cast on for those Right Away. (Well, except for the fact that I'm at work and don't have yarn or needles with me.)

Option A, all the way! Of course, that might mean you need to buy more needles.... and if you're already doing that, more yarn would certainly be in order....

The whore's nightie description was the clincher. Definately position A. As a wannabe doctor, I'm curious as to whether or not your sock disease is contagious and how many you've infected.

Position A - I recently purchased second sets of dpns to knit both socks at the same time avoiding SSS. So far I have 1 pair of toeless socks and 2 new socks that do not match. Seemed a good idea at the time.

Hmm, it seems that after much debate I must go with Option B. It may be selfish and narrow minded of me, but I can't in good conscience recommend Option A - it goes completely against my nature. That being said, I love sock and can't wait to see what other lovelies you turn out.

Position A - let 'er rip! (so to speak)

Having just finished my first two pairs of socks, concurrently, I'm feeling like this is quickly going to develop into a magnificent obsession. Enticed by Cassie's lace socks, I stood in my LYS this week, thumbing through Socks,Socks,Socks and finally resisted.

And now this...sheesh...

The Dark Side in me wants to vote for option A. The Jedi in me says vote for B.

Jedi wins. B.

Oh - I love your sock washing method. Sounds like my shower cleaning method - clean part of it then shower. (I cleaned the floor one day earlier this week, then the tile walls, then the glass walls.)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Don't make me repeat myself!

Option A absolutely!! You always have plenty of entertainment in the blog, we can wait for finished "pairs" :)

I vote for position A with one caveat - that you don't use the yarn intended for sock #2 for a completely different type/style of sock, thus dooming both socks to be partnerless for eternity.

come on! you really think we should vote for anything other than A?

I mean.. even Sue turned to me the other day and said "I know I need to knit the scarf, but I am having a harlotty moment, let's make a plan to knit something else, OK?"

I'm with Allison. The description including the "whore's nightie" capped all other arguments!

It's all good;-)

knit all the darn socks and half socks and quarter pairs that you want!!!! That is why the universe came up with socks. They are so fun to start, and i am a firm believer(from personal experience) that every pair gets finished, even if it is years later. And besides, if they don't there are people out there with one foot who like home knit socks.
cheers harlot
d

But you are showing the blog finished objects -- are you under the impression that a second sock doubles our pleasure?

Face it, The Blog is divided: the nice people (and the anal ones) cheer for finished objects because it's the right thing to do and will keep you warm, while the less noble among us bang tambourines and barbeque fatted calves at each new cast-on project, grateful for proof that there are others as weak as we. Cast them puppies on!

(Besides, it's Spring, time of new beginnings. And That Laurie will think you're ungrateful and don't love her if you don't cast That Yarn on. And it will keep you from thinking about The Gansey.)

(But don't let that stop you from posting pictures of cute guys.)

Position A. Because I need company.
My recent high (or low, depending on your point of view) was 33 pairs in progress. . .I've worked it down into the 20s using an unfamiliar technique called self-discipline. . .

I wear boots a lot of the year. I do not do this because it is cold enough to justify them (frankly, they're the fru-fru little heeled boots that don't protect from cold or wet anyway)

But if I'm wearing boots, you can't tell that my socks don't match.

I'm just saying.

A. Don't be silly. You should have many socks going as you have sock needles at any time. This is why I seem to have a continuous order with beehive for their #0 needles - and I order 4 or 5 sets at a time (after all they only come in 4s).

I only have 3 socks on the needles now - I would probably have more - but I don't feel like balling the yarn. AND - I have lost the second ball of the very expensive yarn sock 3 is made of.

I just want to get where I can start the yarn I got from Tess

I say A. I am a firm believer in sock karma... that is, a sock will be finished when it is meant to be finished. One pair of mine went to Switzerland, Stockholm, and the Grand Canyon before coming home to New Jersey to be finished. Who am I to deny a pair of socks such wonderful experiences? (And think of all the wonderful memories I have when I wear them!) May the Force be with you, and with all your socks!

I vote for option A. I happen to know you have plenty of needles in various sizes to work with. Besides, we all should be so fortunate as to have dozens of socks to choose from when knitter's ADD strikes. Plus, your various socks give us inspiration, finished or not.

A, a, a, a, a! What other choice is there?

I've been wondering if there's a charity that collects single socks for amputees... Think of the good we could do, and we'd never have to knit that second sock!

As someone who generally has more than 10 socks on the needles at a time, I would definately say position A. They'll all be finished eventually and you always can find something at the right stage for whatever you're knitting along with(plain for reading and movies and red lights, more complicated patterns or heels/gussets for waiting for the kids, traveling, etc.) Plus, when you need a quick gift, chances are you'll have just the right thing already started and it won't take too long to finish.

A! Of course!

Dude. I'm down with Position A. (And the dozen or so single socks hanging around here has nothing to do with it.)

As for feeding the blog, you should know I am just as entertained by a sock-in-progress as a completed sock.

i go with option A

but then i'm someone who actually just knits swatches sometimes just for shits and giggles. and then unravels them so that i can knit them again.

Having also fallen prey to Cassie and her feather and fan socks, I'd have to vote for A as well. Go for it. Cast on. Enjoy.

Love the sock washing strategy. Cool. Anything to avoid laundry.

Better than mittens? Yowza! Very impressive total. I know it's been said, many times, many ways... Knitters Rock!

Having shown absolutely not self-restraint myself in the month of May, I'm going to have to vote for Position A today regarding the socks.

A, A, A, baby!! I make socks on ML, and usually have 6 or 8 socks going at a time. Actually, there is an advantage to this...you get the first one done and the second one started, then when you really need a completed pair you just kick it in gear and voila! a completed pair in no time.

Oh, and by the way, today I am wearing my pair of Opal Lollipop socks like the ones you made at the movies. Yes, In South Carolina. We have fierce air conditioning here sometimes.

I say go for A. If you own enough needles to be knitting that many socks, go for it! Where better to store needles than in yarn?

Go for A. That is what I do! Plus if you go for A then I will feel better and it is all about me!

Position A

For the bed height issue, look here:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=404

And I vote for more cute guys on the blog.

As a lover of fraternal socks, I say that your second sock syndrome (aka SSS) isn't the problem it seems. In that picture I saw two Tiptoe Through the Tulips socks. Since they both have tulips, and were essentially knit with the same pattern, you could call that a pair. I'd wear them!

I vote A. What difference does it make if you don't finish a pair. Cassie sent you a lovely pair and really with your sock washing method who needs more than one pair.

Option A! Of course! Knit what you want to knit, we're all just reading along for the thrill of it. If you tried to dutifully finish the socks-in-progress, wouldn't you resent them just a little bit for not being the socks you really WANT to knit?

i have to say i agree with Lucia... start as many as you want during the week and use the weekend to be faithful... although the other way around might not be a bad idea, faithful weekdays, super fun new sock weekends... hmmmm, now if only i can use this to explain to my bf why his socks won't be getting finished...

I would have thought you already had the answer for this: All the people who told you they read BookBookBook in one evening are the hedonistic (undisciplined?) Position A people. Those who spoke of spinning it out so it would last are the methodical (anal?) Position B folks.

Just get Ken to generate a spreadsheet.

Of course, the choice is A. And more sock needles should arrive any day now to help out.

That Laurie

If it were me, I'd go with B. I start to get stressed out when I have too many projects going on at once. For you though - A is the obvious answer. We wouldn't want you to resent the blog for keeping you away from pretty lace socks. :)

I'm a card-carrying enabler. Cast on those new socks, baby.

Oooh! I like Lucia's position C. It's the best of both worlds! You get to cast on as many socks as you want with NO GUILT AT ALL, but things still get finished. And, if you happen to WANT to work on a sock that's already been cast on, you can (you don't HAVE to work on new socks all the time). Ultimate freedom, no guilt, gentle guidelines.

I think that's the way you should go.

Regarding choice A versus B: Excuse me? What blog are we at? Look up at the top, up there where it says "YARN HARLOT". H A R L O T. We're not at the Finished Objects Blog, here, friends. We're not at the One Pair Of Socks At A Time Blog. We're at the blog of the one, the only Yarn Harlot, and we wouldn't have her be any other way.

For our Harlot, choice B is the Dark Side, the Evil Force that lures her away from her quintessential (and funny as hell) nature. Once she starts being faithful to one pair of socks, what's next? Vows of yarn poverty? Giving away all her stash to the needy? I recoil with horror at the very thought. I need a lie-down in a softly-lit room. (Perhaps extensive chocolate therapy as well.)

Steph: Resist the Dark Side. Spread the love. Buy more dpns, cast on with Laurie's sock yarn, start three pairs of lacy socks, do whatever it takes to satisfy your inner sock harlot. A Sock Harlot are you. Deny it you cannot. Your destiny it is.

Besides, if you cast on for another sock, I will know I'm not the only sock-crazed Yarn Jedi around. I just bought a seventh set of size 2 dpns so I can start yet another sock that won't be finished right away.

Hmmm...Yarn Jedi. I like that nickname. "Knit you must."

Option A, of course! Can one ever have too many pairs of socks on the needles? Well, of course you might run out of needles, but that's easily arranged with a trip to the nearest LYS. (And while there, you get to buy more yarn too!)

I don't think I can participate in this one....to vote for A would be admitting that my wholly whore-ish tendencies with socks is 'okay', which would be continuing with my 'denial of a problem'. To vote for B would be hypocritical, sort of a 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of thing. I keep finding socks I don't remember starting. Maybe sleep-knitting, I don't know. Maybe keep starting socks until you run out of needles and are forced to finish one pair to free them up. *grin*

I vote for option A simply because you used a "whore's nightie" as a comparison and it made me spew Dr. Pepper all over my monitor. Also, I personally don't think I coud resist the yarn and the socks are gorgeous!

Hope you have a great day!