Friday, February 29, 2008

The knitting will kick your butt

Yes, yes, the knitting will, from time to time, kick your butt and remind you that you are not, in fact, the boss. You might think you are, but you are most emphatically not.

You might try something new (toe up socks, on two circs). And you do Judy's magic cast on and it's all good, la la la all the way up the foot and then you get to the heel and do a short row heel for the first time ever. And you're not sure it's exactly right (having never properly seen one in real life) but it looks close enough and most importantly it fits. And then you zip up the leg, knitting knitting knitting, feeling very smug as you are using up all the lovely Koigu yarn and getting a nice long sock in the process. And you rib rib rib and it seems to go on forever. Then you decide to cast off.

And even though you've read in various places (too many to remember or provide links) that you need to do a reeeeealllly stretchy cast off on toe up socks, you know better, oh yes you do. So you just do your regular cast off, trying to do it as loose as possible but not even bothering to go up a stick size or two, no! For why would you need to do that?

Well duh! So you can actually get the sock on over your heel without much cursing and sweating. Yep, oh confident know all knitter, the knitting kicked your butt.

So early one weekend morning when you can't get back to sleep and your husband is still snoring away, you get up, fortunately find the end which you'd already carefully darned in (because of course the sock will fit you), and unpick the cast off. And then re-do it, by doing the sewn cast off method. And this all takes you an hour and a half. And even though it seems somewhat tight, you continue on, because you know it will be fine, just fine, you are doing it just as the instructions say.

AND IT STILL DOESN'T FIT! IN FACT, IT IS TIGHTER THAN BEFORE! Oh yes, knitting really is kicking your butt and showing you who is boss. You who think you are so clever, you are SO NOT clever.

And even though you assert your authoritai by throwing sock on the naughty spot, you know that the sock is right, and you are not.

And so after a few hours in which to calm down, and fortified by a soothing pot of tea, you painstakingly unpick the cast off row AGAIN, and the last row of knitting just to be safe, and you reknit the last row and re-do the cast off, and after another hour and a half, YOU HAVE VICTORY! The sock fits perfectly.

And even though you have won the final battle, it's a hollow victory really, because you know that sock kicked your know-it-all, she'll be right on the day butt. Big time.

17 comments:

amy said...

Poor sweetie. Poor you. The knitting, she can be an evil mistress. But you showed it, yes you did.

(And btw, I do my regular cast-off more loosely but without going up a stick size, but I have skinny ankles and droopy socks. So what do I know?)

DrK said...

i hate socks that do that. the naughty corner is where they should stay. good on you for persevering tho. by the way, i tagged you, but you might have already done it....

Ann said...

I totally sympathise with you as I have gone through all that. My method of casting off a sock is to use a larger size needle eg. 3.25mm to cast off a sock knitted in 2.25mm - it has not failed me once.

Anonymous said...

Yes, sometimes knitting is a harsh mistress. At least you won the battle in the end!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that totally stinks, but I am quite certain you will overcome this minor setback.

TinkingBell said...

And this is why I have never knitted toe-up - of yes it is!! (I hate getting my butt kicked) but I will do it someday - at about the same time I REALLY want to learn a tubular cast off!

Bells said...

Ah, the lessons we have to learn. It's humbling really, to figure out once in a while that we are not all knowing knitters but still just learning. Always something new to learn.

You were butt kicked big time though!

Lynne said...

Thanks for letting me in on the secret before I cast off my first toe-up sock!

lilypotter said...

Don't you hate when the knitting goddess decides you've been acting a bit too cocky lately and feels the need to take you down a few pegs?

Anonymous said...

Denial, thy name is Knitter!! (I actually wanted to say Denial: a river in Egypt and I almost restrained myself!!!)

Sarah said...

The knitting has to assert its authority from time to time :o)

It was gentler with you than me though - can't even get past the cast on for my second toe up!

Ah tea and the weekend may be the charm again.

Linda said...

You did it though so did the sock really win?!

kgirlknits said...

LAUGH! my knitting sits on the naughty stool more than my child!

you got there in the end though, which is all that matters in the kick arse game that is life :)

Donna Lee said...

Was that sock number one? If so, you are so ready to kick some second sock butt!

Alwen said...

That must be like the lace knitting where one stitch either appears or disappears, and search though you will, you can't find where it should go or where it went.

I use the kitchenered or grafted cast-off (do at least one row of K1, P1, take off the stitches alternately onto two needles, "graft" together) because it is nice and stretchy.

The absolute worst is when you pop a stitch trying to force it over your heel. Ouch.

Michele said...

oh it's really, really sad you don't live closer because right about now i'd like you to come over and i would pour us big drinks and we cry about knitting and then laugh about other things. knitting kicks all of our butts sometimes.

MadMad said...

Well, see, if you were me, you'd probably have to go through the same process all over again - on the second sock! Perhaps I should switch to drinking tea while knitting...