Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Sock Tales and Shawl Ponderings

I’m a little confused.  I brought the second Whitby sock to work on while waiting for an appointment yesterday and at one point someone asked what I was knitting.

“A sock.”

“A sock?!?!?”

I take the first Whitby sock (brought along because it’s lighter than the book and still shows me what row to twist the cables on) out of the bag to show them, “A sock.”

“Ooooh, that’s so cute!”

Cute?  Socks are cute?  Socks are practical, warm and may - depending on color and/or pattern - be pretty or handsome.  But cute?  And yet, this is exactly what my trivia team-mate Phyllis said when she saw me knitting the first one on the ship a couple of weeks ago.

It’s gets better though :)

“Who’s it for?” she asked.

“Some kid in Mongolia.”

She laughed long and merrily. “No really, who are you making it for?”

At this point, Myria jumped in and explained about the Dulaan project.  That seemed to be satisfactory and the woman left shortly thereafter.  Then Myria explained to me how a phrase like “some kid in Mongolia” might sound kind of flip and jokey to someone who didn’t know about it.  I guess she’s right at that :)

Just so you can see that the second sock is actually under way :)

In addition to the Seraphina shawl, I’ve been contemplating trying the Truly Tasha’s Shawl, inspired by Maureen’s beautiful example over at Irishknits.  It’s pretty simple but the lace edging would dress it up a bit and, most importantly, doesn’t require picking up 791 stitches first :) I have some heathery blue-green in the stash that would be lovely in this shawl.  And I could watch TV while I was doing it - with impunity even!  I think… Well, till I got to the lace anyways :)

Seraphina update:

Today is my 51st birthday (thanks Bron and Barb for your good wishes, you couple of sweeties!).  That’s 357 in dog years!  Ancient! (On the other hand, dad turned 82 yesterday and there aren’t enough numbers in the world to express that in dog years - heheh...) But you know it just doesn’t seem that different.  If you were to ask how it felt to be more than half a century old, I’d have to say that it doesn’t really feel any different than being 18 or 20.  Well, except that if I stay up all night now, I couldn’t possibly breeze through 4 classes and a final exam.  I’d be lucky not to wind up snoring in my cream-of-wheat :) I don’t have any special plans, though there is ice cream in the freezer and a cake or, better still, brownies could be contrived somehow. 

I’m going to knit.  And then I’m going to read.  And then I’m going to knit some more...and maybe crochet a little too :)

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1. ice cream and a brownie sound like a good combo to me- enjoy- and once again, dear robbyn, a very very happy birthday to you-

   no matter what i am working on now, my family calls it ‘knitting for mongolia’- sounds sort of like ‘dialing for dollars’ doesn’t it?

   i love the shawl- and the color- and, heck, i even like boucle, although crocheting with the stuff is just a nightmare- it’s a lot easier to knit with it- what size hook are you using?

   stay happy-

   Posted by  on  05/18  at  11:00 AM
   Location : still right here



2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  =)

   Posted by Erin  on  05/18  at  11:33 AM
   Location :



3. Happy Birthday! 
   Socks are practical ... but these people are right too, socks are cute! ;)

   Posted by Agnes  on  05/18  at  11:42 AM
   Location :



4. I have gotten plenty of stupendously ignorant comments on my socks-in-progress, do people think a magic wand has produced socks throughout history??  A sock tree, perhaps??  And don’t get them started on questions about self patterning yarns, haha.

   Robbyn, have a brilliant birthday, and knit on.
   I adore your blog :)

   Posted by  on  05/18  at  12:11 PM
   Location : Rainy, iffy MN



5. Sounds like perfect birthday plans to me! Enjoy!

   Your Seraphina is lookin’ good. :)

   Posted by Bron  on  05/18  at  12:27 PM
   Location :



6. Oh, I CAN’T just swing on by your blog and out again without wishing you a BIG, BIG, BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!  Pooh.  We don’t have a tacky cereal box toy to send you.  But we would, if we could.

   I am thrilled to see you are knitting SOCKS for the kids!  The Kool-Aid-dyed socks I finished last week have inspired me to knit more, so I’m going to get started on another pair today.

   HUGS and a happy birthday SMOOCH!

   Posted by Ryan  on  05/18  at  12:30 PM
   Location :



7. There is always someone older than you...like me! Happy Birthday!!! Sounds like you have the perfect day planned.

   Posted by margene  on  05/18  at  01:19 PM
   Location :



8. Happy Happy Birthday! I will be 50 next month and agree with you about how it feels. I feel the same, I mean the same me, only a better, wiser and more confidant me. I love that.

   Posted by  on  05/18  at  01:31 PM
   Location : Santa Barbara AKA Paradise



9. Oh wow! happy Birthday Robbyn!  The Seraphina is looking wonderful!  That is one of my all time favorite patterns.  You just can’t go wrong with it.  Also, your kitty looks so pretty sitting amoung all that purple in the photo of the week.
   ~ DAWN

   Posted by Dawn  on  05/18  at  04:05 PM
   Location :



10. Happy birthday Robbyn, from a long-time reader but infrequent commenter.  I hope it’s a happy one & that your brownies are moist & chewy.

    Posted by  on  05/18  at  06:15 PM
    Location :



11. Congrats on another notch on ye olde belt!  Or tree trunk or wherever one notches items. Happy Birthday!  Today is my brother’s and best friend’s birthdays, too.  So now that I’ve said that, you’re sort of obligated to have some ice cream and brownies for them. hee hee

    Posted by Laura  on  05/18  at  08:32 PM
    Location :



12. Happy Birthday!

    Posted by  on  05/18  at  10:23 PM
    Location :



13. Happy, Happy Birthday! Stick a candle in the brownies! Yup, it’s lights out for me at 10 pm unless the knitting got too engrossing, then I pay for it the next day.

    Posted by erin  on  05/19  at  04:15 AM
    Location : not far behind



14. happy birthday Robbyn - sorry that the sentiment is a bit late - this is the first time turning on the computer for 2 days… MWAH!

    Posted by Nathalie  on  05/19  at  06:49 PM
    Location : waving from under a pile of laundry

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