I finished the first Ocean Toes sock on Saturday night. Sunday was busy, and I had a little one with a cold and fever so there was no knitting going on 'round here. This afternoon after I came home from work, I was just hangin' out on the couch with my recuperating little patient so I cast on for the second sock. Ha! If only it was that simple. I don't know if I was too tired, too distracted, or just too learning impaired today, but I would have been ahead of the game if I had just spent the afternoon thinking about casting on the second sock.
The cast on method requires you to cast on twice as many stitches as are needed for the sock because after the cuff, the stitches are decreased to half. On the first sock, I made a newbie mistake of only casting on half of what I actually needed because I couldn't see where the instructions were headed and I ended up having to do a do-over to end up with enough stitches to knit a sock big enough for an adult human.
I was not going to make THAT mistake again. I made sure I doubled the number of stitches I needed to end up with. I looked at the instructions for this particular cast on again and made a start. Well, I kept losing count. I was distracted by the invalid. Repeatedly setting the knitting down to get her a movie, or some 7-UP, or her "Sack of Potatoes" (Mr. Potato Head), or... well, you get the idea.
This time the cast on was seeming to take so much longer. I just couldn't keep the count straight and had trouble counting the stitches on the needle. I don't even know how many times I started over, but finally, after (let's be generous to me and say) an hour I thought I had them all on there. Then knit three rounds. Wow, this is taking so long. I don't know how I did this the first time. Why does this seem like it is taking so long? An hourish later (I had to feed her soup "like a baby"), the first three rounds are done and it is time to knit 2 together to decrease the number of stitches by half.
Wow, this is taking soooo long. How did I ever get that first sock started? I must have been having an extraordinarily good day. Must have had a good night's sleep the night before I guess. Hey, whoa, this cuff is looking quite wide. This looks like it could edge the neck opening on a... sweater? How many did I cast on? I doubled the number right? Two needles with one hundred twenty eight on each side (that is sixty-four stitches that I want to end up with doubled). On each needle? Wait- that is two hundred fifty-six stitches cast on! Aghhhhhh!
Overconfidence at work? Sheer stupidity? I just don't know. At around five o'clock I started over again. My yarn was starting to look a little overworked and fuzzy. Twistless and listless baby, just like I was feeling. I did keep at it until about nine tonight. I have successfully completed the cuff and worked about twenty-five rows of the leg, but I had to give it up as I was really feeling the body fatigue which was probably more from the stress of it than the actual knitting.
Good times.
This is a part of a gift from one of my quilting friends. It is fabric and instructions to make a wintry pillow case and it also came with this...
little coin purse. This bag of goodies really made my day. Something hand made and something to hand make. I don't think there could be any better combination.
Meanwhile, I have not wrapped one single Christmas gift yet. It is only 10:45 pm on December 22nd. What's the hurry? I just don't know how I will keep away from the sock knitting tomorrow. Maybe wee wrapping elves will visit my house while I am sleeping tonight so I can spend tomorrow afternoon knitting away in leisure. Hmmm? That is my pwn personal version of "visions of sugar plums danced in their heads".