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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Saturday, March 04, 2006 Sock Therapy So what does a knitter do when the world is going to hell in a hand basket? Start another pair of socks, what else! This is Kroy DK in my favorite jewel-tone colorway, and a set of the lovely warm Clover bamboo needles.The only time I can spare for knitting is when I am forced to sit somewhere other than behind the wheel of the car, and whether fortunate or not, that has been true more often than usual lately. Waiting through Nick's Tae Kwon Do class, waiting for the mechanic to finish with the car, waiting while Clarence sees the doctor, etc, etc. So I've gotten a lot more knitting done recently than I had for a while.Knitting in public tends to start conversations, and while I would usually rather knit than talk, the reactions from onlookers are generally pleasant ones and sometimes lead to interesting exchanges. The one exception to that was when I was waiting at Sears one day for an oil change on the car, and the woman sitting a couple of chairs down from me in the waiting room finally asked, after many silent sideways looks at me, "What are you making?""Socks," I said, and waited for the usual, "Oh, how nice," or "I'll bet they're really comfortable," or even "Wow, they knit up faster than I would have thought."No, after a long pause she said, "You know, if you really can't afford to buy new socks, you can get them at Goodwill for practically nothing."I thought it must be some kind of absurd humor, but her face was entirely serious. I picked up the second skein of yarn, that hadn't had the label removed yet, and showed her the price: $7.99. I didn't actually pay that much for it--I'd gotten it at half price from a yarn store that was going out of business, but after what she said about buying used socks, I wasn't going to tell her that."I can afford to buy new socks," I said, rather curtly, I'm afraid. She went back to her magazine.The great thing about plain-knit socks is that you don't need any kind of pattern. Cast on enough stitches to go around your ankle (or calf, for longer socks), knit as much ribbing as you want (these are about 1-1/4 inches), knit in stockinette until the body of the sock is as long as you want, and make the heel and instep long enough to fit your foot. Bingo, a sock! By the time Nick's Tae Kwon Do class is over this week, I'll have finished the first one and be ready to start the second. Many sock knitters hate the fact that they still have half the work to do after they've finished the first sock, but that hasn't ever bothered me. I'm usually so entranced with the first sock that I can't wait to finish the second one so I can wear them.And then I have to finish the scarf I started for Nick about four years ago in Harry Potter Gryffindor school colors. It isn't a real Gryffindor scarf--that's a striped tubular affair--but Nick probably wouldn't wear it now if it looked too much like a Harry Potter scarf, having outgrown an 11-year-old's obsession with HP. I would have finished it long ago except that it disappeared when we moved back to Clarence's house and I only just found it, packed in a box in storage.If the leaders of the world had to sit down every day for an hour and knit, we'd all be in better shape. posted by Liz @ 8:08 PM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
So what does a knitter do when the world is going to hell in a hand basket? Start another pair of socks, what else! This is Kroy DK in my favorite jewel-tone colorway, and a set of the lovely warm Clover bamboo needles.The only time I can spare for knitting is when I am forced to sit somewhere other than behind the wheel of the car, and whether fortunate or not, that has been true more often than usual lately. Waiting through Nick's Tae Kwon Do class, waiting for the mechanic to finish with the car, waiting while Clarence sees the doctor, etc, etc. So I've gotten a lot more knitting done recently than I had for a while.Knitting in public tends to start conversations, and while I would usually rather knit than talk, the reactions from onlookers are generally pleasant ones and sometimes lead to interesting exchanges. The one exception to that was when I was waiting at Sears one day for an oil change on the car, and the woman sitting a couple of chairs down from me in the waiting room finally asked, after many silent sideways looks at me, "What are you making?""Socks," I said, and waited for the usual, "Oh, how nice," or "I'll bet they're really comfortable," or even "Wow, they knit up faster than I would have thought."No, after a long pause she said, "You know, if you really can't afford to buy new socks, you can get them at Goodwill for practically nothing."I thought it must be some kind of absurd humor, but her face was entirely serious. I picked up the second skein of yarn, that hadn't had the label removed yet, and showed her the price: $7.99. I didn't actually pay that much for it--I'd gotten it at half price from a yarn store that was going out of business, but after what she said about buying used socks, I wasn't going to tell her that."I can afford to buy new socks," I said, rather curtly, I'm afraid. She went back to her magazine.The great thing about plain-knit socks is that you don't need any kind of pattern. Cast on enough stitches to go around your ankle (or calf, for longer socks), knit as much ribbing as you want (these are about 1-1/4 inches), knit in stockinette until the body of the sock is as long as you want, and make the heel and instep long enough to fit your foot. Bingo, a sock! By the time Nick's Tae Kwon Do class is over this week, I'll have finished the first one and be ready to start the second. Many sock knitters hate the fact that they still have half the work to do after they've finished the first sock, but that hasn't ever bothered me. I'm usually so entranced with the first sock that I can't wait to finish the second one so I can wear them.And then I have to finish the scarf I started for Nick about four years ago in Harry Potter Gryffindor school colors. It isn't a real Gryffindor scarf--that's a striped tubular affair--but Nick probably wouldn't wear it now if it looked too much like a Harry Potter scarf, having outgrown an 11-year-old's obsession with HP. I would have finished it long ago except that it disappeared when we moved back to Clarence's house and I only just found it, packed in a box in storage.If the leaders of the world had to sit down every day for an hour and knit, we'd all be in better shape.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
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PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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