FO: Neon Neely

The knitting world has been obsessed recently with self-striping socks.  I don't know if this is any more so than usual or if I just became aware of it, but it seems to be a definite trend.  And one I completely understand.

I cannot decide if what I love so much about these socks is the pattern or the yarn.  This was knit in the one skein of Lollipop Yarn that I managed to score in an update, called Good Vibrations.  You may recognize this yarn from an earlier reincarnation as the Good Vibes socks, knit out of a very simple stockinette with an afterthought heel.  Well it seems that I am completely incapable of letting the yarn do all the work, and so the one half of a sock was frogged back into the ball to wait for a more patterned sock to emerge.

Then Liz Abinate's sOcktober KAL came about and I had to knit (had to, ok, I have no choice but to participate when Liz does one of her KALs) at least one Neely O'Hara sock in two weeks.  So I decided to throw caution completely to the wind and cast on out of my neon stripes because at the time I had "absolutely no yarn and I can't find anything anyway."  The result was a little daring and completely magical.

Like all of Liz's patterns, Neely is masterfully written.  The instructions are clear and the patterning looks complicated but is easy to remember once you get going.  Even though the KAL ended last night I highly recommend snagging it -- it is a free Ravelry download after all.

And for more lovely FOs, check out Tami's Amis!

Pride Goeth (And Goeth, And Goeth)

When I started Sock the Vote I may have expressed some concern that I would not be able to finish all of the requirements on time.  And then when I started Liz Abenathy's sOcktober KAL I may have been very hesitant to tell anyone for fear I would fall into serious disaster that would leave me hating the best month of the year.  Well, they say pride goeth before the fall, but it's my birthday, so maybe they'll let it slide just this once?

I already showed you my Neon Neelys on Monday.  That single sock was all I needed to submit for the pattern prize on the 16th.  I would have knit both but I had a slight malfunction.

Yep, you are seeing that right.  Brand new Knitter's Pride needles snapped in half because of an enthusiastic SSK.  Fortunately this was after I finished Neon Neely #1 and before I cast on the second, so I subbed out the needles and have already finished the week 2 requirements for Sock the Vote.

Part of me wishes that the requirements were more challenging, but we don't listen to that part.  Plus, my sock knitting mojo is never as present as it is now.  So I should go back to working on that dreadfully boring stockinette sweater.

For more WIPs, check out Tami's Amis!

A Neon Sort of Peace

This weekend Chris and I took a much needed escape.  I had just worked two of our biggest events of the year at my place of business and I desperately needed to take the time to relax away from any obligations or errands that often pop up when I have a day off.  So we packed an overnight bag, grabbed some travel knitting, and drove out to Western NC to see my family.

On the way there we listened to NPR and I worked on the Neely O'Hara socks (affectionately known as my Neon Neelys) which I had not touched since casting on earlier in the week.  By the time we got to my parents' house I had completed the heel flap.  By the time I went to bed I had turned the heel and started the gusset decreases.  I was in shock.  I had never knit a sock this fast.  It was rather incredible.  But it did not stop there.

The next day I went out to visit my mom's school, which is set in the most beautiful mountain lake town.  The above photo is one of the trails her cross country team runs.  It was stunning.  While there I helped out with some things and knit a little more.  When she did afternoon car duty I sat on a rock at the top of a hill, knitting under the trees and feeling like I was in a movie.  It was one of the most incredible knitting-related experiences of my life.  The music teacher who was helping played harmonica between cars and the weather was just warm enough that I did not feel chilled in my tshirt.  It is no wonder, then, that by the end of the school day I finished the foot of the sock.

As I am sure you can guess I finished the sock that night.  I write about this not to say "hey, look how much I did! be in awe!" but rather to point out just how much one can accomplish under the guise of relaxation.  I spent time focusing on the people I love and being present in the time we had together, rather than focusing on how much I miss them when I am not there.  All the stress and worries of life and work and just being an adult faded into the background for a while and it was just me, my family, and my crazy stripey sock.

Guess That's Why It's Called Socktober

I seem to have contracted a new disease.  I'm calling it KAL-itis.  It's the fear of not participating in a KAL because one does not want to miss out on any fun.  It may also be related to a lack of in-person knitter interaction.  The only cure is to participate in a regular knit night or VKN (Virtual Knit Night).  Sadly my computer does not have the memory to support VKN madness (it is still contemplating blip-induced suicide),  and I exhibit incredible hermit-like tendencies, so I am stuck with a badly managed case.

Right now the problem seems to be related to socks.  As it is October, this is not entirely surprising.  I already mentioned my Lindsay socks for Sock the Vote, which I cast on yesterday.  So far so good -- or as good as it can be with only three rows.  I have to make it down to the heel turn by Monday.  Why I selected such an intricate stitch pattern I cannot possibly explain.

The other KAL I've been sucked into is Liz Abinante's sOctoberfest.  Similar to her Cowl KAL, she has released a free sock pattern, Neely O'Hara, which must be knit by the 16th to earn a new pattern she will be releasing mid-month.  This second pattern has a value of $6, but is free if you finish one sock by the deadline.    I am helpless in the face of another one of Liz's KALs and so I have cast on using my only "uncalled" skein -- the Lollipop Socks yarn that was the start of a vanilla sock in a previous life.  Turns out even when I'm reading, listening to music, and functioning on four hours of sleep I still cannot handle that much stockinette.  I guess that is why the Abalone from the Stockinette Zombies' KAL has hit such a rut.

For more WIPs that are probably more than a few rows of sock ribbing, check out the lovely gang over at Tami's Amis.