Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Socks, and baby camels...

I finished a pair of socks for myself, (the red, green and yellow looking ones in the lower right), and decided to see how many hand knit socks I have.  I forgot to put the Christmas socks, but in this photo I have 12 pair, if I counted correctly.  (And yes, the one pair doesn't match, I did it intentionally, and probably will again, but NOT USING WHITE.  Stupid runny reds have made it look terrible...)  The socks are nice that I just knit, but even after checking the gauge, and checking them on my foot, I think they are on the large side.  I am sorely tempted to see if they felt.  I really don't want to re-knit them.  I love knitting, but sort of get a "I am done, why do them over?" attitude, even if they are a bit 'off'.  Husband suggested saving them for winter, then wearing a second pair inside them.  Hmmm.

I am knitting a pair right now, in between some Mom's present stuff, a knitted quilt block, and trying desperately not to start on an idea I found in Piecework magazine.  (I am doing fairly well, I've not cast on. Yet...)  I get this way sometimes.  I get where I am knitting and knitting and knitting, then there are times that I still knit, but it might be a row or two, but not a sit down and continuously knit for hours.  I guess any hobby or craft can be put aside.  (Although I have been told mine tends to border on obsession.  I thought the craft room hid that better, darn it!) 

But I have lots of interests, so I try not to always focus on one.  (According to some, I am focusing much too much on a certain singer that will be in Washington, but I haven't mentioned him in conversation to my family in the last week or two, to see if they noticed.  They haven't, they bring it up, and I just shrug...  I take that back, I think I did mention something to Husband the other day, but again, I believe he made the comment first.) 

So why do I say this?  Obsession?  Talking too much?  I was thinking about a yarn show I went to, and they had fiber animals.  One was a neat, neat, neat baby camel.  I talked and talked on the camel, I was infatuated.  I wanted (and still do) a baby camel of my own.  (They are not that much harder to raise than llama, I am given to understand.)  But, I made the fatal mistake of focusing on it.  Too much.  I guess two days of camel conversation was a bit over the top.

I was rather thoroughly chastised, "Would you SHUT UP about that **** camel??!!!??"

Um.

Ok...

So, I have learned that just because I am in love with a topic, it isn't every one's cup 'o tea.  Or coffee, or whatever.  (Beck's?)  So, I am just letting all my blog friends know that I am probably going to ramble on for a bit about... you know...

But, I will hopefully not get a comment of  "Would you SHUT UP about that **** Petty??!??!!?"

(But if I do, it's my blog.  So there. Pbbt.) 

But I will try not to obsess TOO much. 

Maybe...

14 comments:

Sharon said...

Love the socks! Hmm, never made any out of variegated yarn, cool! Seems I was the only one to wear the ones I knitted, so I kind of gave up on them. Now... mittens.... I must have knit a box car load of them. I actually still have a pair floating around.

Camel? Sounds like my DH when I try to talk chickens............

Beth said...

Socks! I want to try knitting some! Can you convince me that they actually fit and don't just slip down? Is there a trick so they don't slip?

Louise said...

Oh, you mean like my woods walks, that I have been fretting about all week, because I want to go back again and the poison ivy is so bad? Nah, I don't know a thing about obsessing about anything. Cheer up, you'll only obsess about that until you find something else that you can obsess about.

Don't camels spit? Worse than llamas?

John Going Gently said...

now thats a first...being chastised for mentioning a f*cking camel!!!

Cat said...

Sharon:

Yes, I love to wear the hand knit ones, but it switches in spring, or I have sweat puddles in my shoes, (I know, TMI...). It's funny, I have knit mittens, but don't really like to. I like knitting gloves, and socks, but never have gotten into mittens. Guess I just don't get into knitting what I don't wear much (hence why I have only knit 2 shawls... for other people.)

Cat

Cat said...

Beth:

Can I convince you? Er. Well, except for this last pair, most all of them have fit me fine. Gauge is vital for socks, and I would suggest a toe up version, (albeit I haven't made any that way), because I have been told they are much, MUCH easier to check if they are the size and fit you need. BUT, as with any handcrafted item, there are sometimes you come out with a diamond, others, well, sort have that rock thing going on. As far as a trick, I know I knit loosely, so if it's a basic sock, (i.e. no pattern), I just take a couple stitches out to make it slightly smaller, or go down a needle size. YMMV...

Cat

Cat said...

Louise:

I wouldn't know a thing about obsessing on stuff on my walks. Yellowjackets. More Yellowjackets. Mud slopes. Did I mention yellowjackets? Heh. But yes, I will find some other obsession soon enough, you are so right.

And yes, camels spit. I don't know if it's "worse" than a llama, but they are bigger, so they might have more 'ammunition'. But if you work with most animals, and show that you aren't going to hurt them, they usually aren't aggressive. (There ARE exceptions, hence the reason I don't keep horses. I have had one too many times that I couldn't read what the horse was trying to say, and then had to run to avoid hooves. Not my cup of tea. Spit isn't fun, but it just stinks, it doesn't hurt...)

Cat

Cat said...

John:

Welll, I suppose it wasn't the camel, per se, it was that I just had been talking about it so much. But yes, it sort of surprised me, too!

Cat

Tammy said...

lol...ramble all you want to girl!! We're listening!! And I LOVE knitted socks...yours are gorgeous!! Leslie at Something Brilliant Is Brewing knits, too, and she mailed me a pair this last winter...I LOVE THEM! :)

Cat said...

Rambling... That is probably the best (or at least most POLITE) term for what I do... heh.

And thank you! Knitted socks are wonderful, to me at least... She of the arctic footsies. So says Husband. I can't tell, I don't feel them, they are numb... ;D

Cat

Sharon said...

Have you tried sweaters? Long ago I had 4 little kids and baby sat 3 in the same age range, it was Christmas vacation. To keep from going nuts, I kept my ear on the kids and knit or crocheted a sweater every single day, besides feeding them and cleaning etc. Check out the picture of me at the cabin in '85 - I made that one then.

Geez, wish I had that energy now!

Friend of the Bear said...

Hi Cat. Those are STUNNING socks!

Bearfriend xx

Cat said...

Bearfriend:

Thank you! I love the colors...

Cat

Cat said...

Sharon:

I have tried sweaters, I have one that I am working on now, even. But I guess I have found my patience for sweaters isn't really good, I will start, get tired of knitting the long back or front part, and put it aside. I have one sweater I finished, and wear it quite often at home in the winter. (It's in goofy christmas colors, so I wear it when I am home, mostly.) A sweater every day? My G*d woman, I am so in awe!!! If I did nothing but knit, I can barely get a pair of socks out in a week... And that's if it is ALL that I concentrate on.

Cat