Eleven Stitches

A Difficult Choice

Over this Thanksgiving holiday, I've been finishing things up.  I got a lot done on Betty.   I steeked the arm holes, and seamed them into the sweater body.

Alas, the sweater is too small.  I tried it on to show a couple of people, and their response is "Well, maybe it could work...", or "It's not really that bad."  But, I know myself when it comes to the sweaters I knit.  If I feel uncomfortable in them before they're finished, I'm likely to never wear them once they're done. So I think I've got a few options, some of which I've ruled out already.

1. I could finish the sweater and try to block it out and wear it.  I don't want to do this.  I don't think it will result in success.

2. I could frog this sweater and re-knit the pattern in a larger size.  I think I'm kind of "done" with this pattern for the moment.  I don't want to knit it again.

3. I could give this sweater to a smaller person, like my mother. My mom tried it on, and it fit her pretty well.  But she seemed pretty uncomfortable when she was wearing it, and she admitted that she would be too nervous to wear it very often because she would be afraid of ruining it.

4. I could frog the sweater and use the yarn to knit a different pattern. I cannot get all of the yarn back from this sweater because it's steeked past the armholes, but that leaves a large part of the body and sleeves that can be salvaged.  I also have about 600 yards of this yarn that's un-knit, so I think there's enough to do something with it.

Are there any other options I'm missing? I've been thinking about it for a couple of days now, and I'm leaning towards option 4, but I'm open to suggestions. I was thinking about option 3, but my mom really didn't seem comfortable with the idea, and I think she was the best candidate to wear the sweater.

I think that the sweater was fitting when I was knitting it.  Perhaps it shrunk some when I blocked it?  Anyway, I'm sad that it didn't work out, and I hope I'll be able to move on soon!

Intrinsic V. Extrinsic

At a recent teacher meeting, we were discussing intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards.  Ideally, at a Montessori school, our students are intrinsically motivated.  They enjoy working in the classroom because of the value they find in themselves.  We don't hand out gold stars, put stickers on papers, or have smiley face stamps.  I'm retraining myself to not say "Great job!", but instead say "Look at all the work you did! How do you feel?"

I am not a child of Montessori education, and I have to admit that outside praise feels pretty darn good sometimes. I would have to think that most people who have blogs are, at least in part, looking for some affirmation from others. But sometimes, I just knit things for my own satisfaction.

 

Here are some simple stockinette socks.  They have a garter cuff, and then they are plain vanilla all the way through the heel flap and the standard toe. Totally boring.

I love them.

When I wore them to work, I didn't show off my socks.  I didn't even make my husband look at them after I kitchenered the second toe. But they are soft, they are a delicious brown, and my feet feel good wearing them.

I knit these socks because I enjoyed knitting them. I wear them because I enjoy wearing them.  And if nobody ever notices them and throws me a compliment?  That's OK.

I know that my motivations for knitting are mixed.  Of course I want my knitting to be noticed and admired.  But if it wasn't, I can't imagine that I'd give up knitting. Instead, I think I might say to myself: Look at these socks I made.  I feel great.

Something Complicated

I did have something a little more complicated standing by when I was knitting my simple socks.  A Selbu Modern for me!

Pattern: Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborn
Yarn: Blue Moon Socks that Rock in Tanzanite and Tess Supersock & Baby in Lime
Needles: US1 and US 4

I made a version of this hat for my sister last Christmas, and I have always meant to make one for myself as well.  I used the same yarn for this hat that I used for my fingerless gloves, so they go together (to some degree) now.

Since I have already knit this once before, I had an easy time with it.  The pattern is complicated enough, though, that I didn't get bored the second time around.

It really hasn't been cold enough here to wear hats yet. (This is not a complaint.) But when the weather gets colder, I'll have something new to wear!

I still have a fair amount of the green and a little bit of the purple left.  Myabe I can stretch it and make a coordinating cowl?  We'll see!

Something(s) Simple

I've got to say that a lot of my knitting has been simple recently.  I'm tired at the end of the day, and I just want something soothing to do with my hands.  Using yarn with delicious texture and colors makes the knitting even more soothing!

I felt compelled to cast on with the Creatively Dyed yarn that I got at Rhinebeck this year.  My travel companions wound up their Creatively Dyed yarn while we were still in Red Hook, and they both got started on garter stitch projects right away. I did wait a couple of days before gave in to the call of the yarn, and I was inspired to make a simple garter stitch sock.

 

I haven't knit socks in garter before, and I was surprised at the stretch I got in it.  I took out 6 stitches from my usual stockinette number to get this sock to fit correctly.

Of all the socks I knit last year, my simple Malabrigo socks have been the ones I want to wear when I'm feeling tired or I've had a bad day.  They're so soft, and they kind of drape around my foot. I had been thinking that I needed to have more socks like those when I got to see some Madeline Tosh sock yarn in person.  The rich brown color and the luxuriously soft yarn (with a nice sheen) won me over so quickly. 

I started out with a knit/purl pattern, but that seemed too busy.  I ripped it out and went to a plain stockinette with a double-garter cuff. It feels like a comfort sock to me.

I liked it so much that I started on the second one right away!

Marilinda

This is the first pair of socks I've finished in a long time, and the first pair of interesting (non-stockinette) socks I've finished this year.

 

Pattern: Marilinda, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Sock in Marigold
Needles: US 1 DPNs

I'm not sure if it was all the people getting ready for Socktober or just the coming of the cooler weather, but I was suddenly itching to start some socks about a month ago. And I thought I'd finish up a pair so I could actually wear them!

I got this yarn at Rhinebeck in 2008.  At the time, I was obsessed with this color.  Since then I've knit a sweater in this color, sewn a dress in this color, and I've bought a jacket, tank top, and handbag in this color.  I think I'm pretty much satisfied, but if you see any (comfortable) shoes in this color, please do let me know.

The socks were fun to knit, and I could knit without the chart after a couple of repeats.  I like the little seam of stitches that go down the back of the sock, and the charted heels are also a nice touch.

In case you're worried that there are now not enough single socks at my house, I hope this sets your mind to rest. I don't think I'll ever run out of single socks!