I am at best a novice sock knitter. I have made a few pair - but only a few. I very much like the idea of knitting my own socks and, while I’m not exactly hoarding sock yarn, do have the stuff for at least three pair in waiting. I also have some pretty, solid colored sport weight that will probably also go that way.
But I’m puzzled because there’s something I clearly don’t understand.
Have you seen Margene’s new Birch Leaf socks? They are a pure marvel - absolutely the perfect marriage of yarn to design. Those socks are gorgeous. As are Bliss’ socks here: a lovely solid yarn and a knock-out pattern. These and these are also splendid examples. In both of these cases, it’s the yarn that’s complex and the sock design is kept simple.
Okay, nothing confusing yet, is there? Right! What confuses me is that I often (very often) see a self-patterning yarn being coerced into a busily textured stitch pattern. To my eye, that ruins them both. The beauty of the yarn is completely lost in the stitch design of the sock and the intricate texture of the stitches is utterly obscured by the self-patterning yarn.
They cancel each other out. As this sort of thing doesn’t seem to be at all uncommon, I am kind of assuming it’s me that’s missing something.
You may have noticed that I’m writing this at 3:30 AM or so. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. See? Blogs are useful critters - gives me something to do in the middle of the night :)
I’m bringing dad to the eye doctor tomorrow. He’s going to have a laser procedure to help clear up some fogginess and he won’t be able to drive afterwards for a while. Right, we’ve been here before with dad and the not driving thing. He always says “Yessir, yessir, three bags full” to the doctor and, on the day of the procedure, brings me along as a dupe. Then, when he leaves the doctor’s office, he plops his little elderly butt right behind the wheel as though no one had ever mentioned to him that it might not be a good idea.
Tomorrow we’re going in my car. And he doesn’t have keys for it :)
This whole laser eye thing gives me the willies. Dad’s real blasé about it and I suppose that’s a good way to feel if you’re going to go through this sort of thing. I am profoundly myopic - take my glasses and the world becomes a colorful blur. Several times over the last 20 years or so, dad has offered to pay for - or to help me pay for - laser surgery to counter the near-sightedness. I have thought about it - it would be nice not to need spectacles or to have to worry about them (when swimming, showering, sleeping, etc…). It would be nice to be able to wake up in the middle of the night and be able to see clearly immediately instead of having to fumble for the cheaters before things resolve themselves out of the myopic fog :) It would be especially nice to be able to wear regular sunglasses and not have to spend a small fortune to obtain shades one can actually see out of.
But every time I tried to seriously consider the laser surgery, I bailed. All I could think was: Nuh-uh - you aren’t getting near the only eyes I have with that thing! I know, I know - it’s a common procedure, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t take any time. Bing, Bang Boom and you’re outta there, seeing like Ted Williams on a clear day.
I have tried contact lenses - wore them when I was in college and tried them again a few years ago. I decided that if I had to have corrective lenses I’d rather have the glasses. The contacts were more work than they were worth to me and the last time I tried them I had to wear reading glasses anyway, so there really didn’t seem to be much point.
So I kind of admire my father’s all-part-of-life approach to this. When and if I ever do have to deal with the prospect personally, I’ll probably have to be anaesthetized.
But he still ain’t driving :)
No trackbacks yet.
Huge healing hugs for your Dad’s eye treatment.
Thanks for the compliment! I’m with you on marrying the right yarn and pattern. It can make your eyes hurt to look at too much texture and color at once.
Good wishes for your dad today.
I wouldn’t say that laser eye surgery is completely painless. For me, it did hurt for a bit immediately afterward. You know how your eyes kind of try to tear up when there’s something in them? Mine did that for two. hours. Yech. And it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done (I live a fairly risk-free life, I guss). But worth it. Oooooh, so worth it.
Now, on to socks. :) I will occasionally use a busy pattern stitch with a self striping yarn. The reason? I don’t like straight stripes. So if it’s something like Sockotta or Magic Strips, I’ll use a pattern to make the stripes appear a bit wavy. No, you can’t really see individual stitches, nor can you see the stripes clearly, but I like the way it comes out as a harmonious whole. To me, the idea is to get nice looking socks, not nice looking individual stitches. That said, some patterns (well, most really) seem wayyyy to busy for anything other than solid yarn, particularly lacey patterns. That just gets lost, and really, who wants to work lace when you can’t see it when you’re done?
I’ve discovered that razor shell is quite possibly the greatest stitch pattern evar for busy yarn - looks great for either variegated or self striping yarns, if you want something a little more interesting than plain stockinette. It doesn’t obscure the yarn at all. Yay!
I don’t know about you but even with an interesting yarn, plain stockinette puts me to sleep pretty darn fast.
Pam - That’s very kind, thanks so much!
Margene - Only being honest - like you, I am blown away by the continuation and completion of the pattern down over the toes. Just awesome!
Colleen - You have my unbounded admiration for going through with it despite being afraid - clearly not much is ever going to hold you back :)
You said “...I like the way it comes out as a harmonious whole. To me, the idea is to get nice looking socks, not nice looking individual stitches.” Excellent! I hadn’t thought about it from that angle, but that’s a great point!
Rainy - Razor shell is a wonderful pattern and I’m using it in two current projects - one with a vareigated cotton. It’s simple and easily adapted for width and laciness and lovely no matter what you do. Definitely on my list of favorites :)
Thanks for putting a smile on my face today. I got a chuckle out of your story about your dad. The links to the socks are great. Margene’s sock is gorgeous. It is similar to the Leaf Lace sock from Fiber Trend. I loved making those socks. I was sorely disappointed when they did not fit over my chubbly little foot. But ,I mailed them off to someone else in Blogland who enjoyed them. Good luck today.
I find that I’m happy with patterned yarns only in ribs in simple texture stitches like a waffle. I also get eyestrain trying to pull a fancy pattern out of a variegated yarn.
I had lasik surgery in Dec 1999. The procedure was totally painless for me, as was the post-op healing. It’s really as stressful as sitting on the couch & watching TV. The fact that you’re doped up with lots of Valium doesn’t hurt either! Plus, the Valium does help you get beyond the, “You’re doing WHAT to my eyeball?” factor.
Maureen - I know what you mean. I made a cream wool pair last year that I had such high hopes for only to have them be too tight for me to wear. Like you, I had somewhere to send them where they’d be appreciated but that trying on - it’s a real “Oh shoot!” moment, isn’t it?
Samina - Oh yes, definitely Valium would help :) On my part, it’s an irrational fear and I know it is - but whenever think anout it seriously, I have nightmares (really). So unless it’s ever something I must have done (like I won’t be able to see any more or something like that) I’ll stck with my glasses. They may sometimes be a pain, but I’ve been weating them since I was 8 and I’m used to them.
