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AuburnChick Finishes Her 14th Pair of Socks

Hot off the needles…my 14th pair of socks!!

These are my Hanging Vines Socks.

The free pattern can be found here.

I originally cast on using green Koigu KPM, but, as you can see in the picture below, the yarn was knobby and hid the cable work.  As you know, being a good knitter begins with the marriage of a yarn to a pattern.  If they don’t pair up well, they have to find new mates.  We’ll just say mine were dating and decided to break things off before the relationship got too complicated.

The Koigu KPM was not a good match for this pattern.

The Koigu KPM was not a good match for this pattern.

I wanted these socks to be green, so I pulled out my skein of Sockotta (color #816).  I used 85 grams of the 100-gram skein.

I started the socks on July 4 and finished last night, July 19.  I would have finished sooner, but I had a few days when I didn’t knit at all.

The socks look complicated, but the pattern really was fairly easy once I figured out a few little things.  My google search for clarity in a couple of the instructions led me to a knit-a-long on Ravelry.   The ladies on the forum were very patient as I posted several requests for help.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that, simply put, I’m a dummy.  Don’t over-think this pattern.  It’s not that hard.

The only part of the pattern that really drove me bonkers was the heel, where the pattern is continued on the first half of it.

Because you are working back and forth on one needle (the one that holds your heel stitches), you have to remember to reverse the stitches as they are written on the even rows.  Additionally, you work your way from left to right on those rows and then go back to right to left on the odd rows.  After knitting in the round and reading your stitches right to left for most of the sock, it can be a bit disconcerting.

The other issue I had with the heel chart is Row 7, which I believe has an error.  Instead of the kfb, I did a M where the kfb’s occur on the chart.

The payoff is worth it though.  The heel is lovely!

Although I’ve knit quite a few pairs of socks, I usually have the problem of my socks running a smidge too large.  I know that I need to go down one needle size (most of my socks are knit using 1 1/2 needles), but I don’t own a pair of 1’s.  The Mr. told me I can order a pair so my socks will fit better.

To get a better fit, I only completed 2 1/2 pattern repeats after the heel turn.  By starting the toes earlier, I shortened the foot, making for a snugger fit.

Rooster took such fantastic pictures that I had to post them all.

Enjoy!

A Reward After a Tough Day

Teenagers.

Need I say more?

Yesterday proved to be one of those trying days that so often accompanies the rearing of adolescents. I only have two. I cannot imagine trying to handle more than that. And now they are starting to join forces against me.

Oh sure…go ahead and laugh. You can laugh because you’re either through this stage or you have little ones and have no clue as to what I’m talking about. Just you wait.

You see, I am officially the World’s Meanest Mom. Now, don’t go thinking that you are sporting the tiara. Your’s is an imitation. I own the real thing. I hide it under my thick, curly hair.

Yesterday, Soccer Chick’s mouth got her into trouble, so I took the one thing I knew would matter…the ole cell phone. There are two things I cannot tolerate. Lying and disrespect. Chicky was disrespectful, so I took her prized possession. And she was not too pleased, let me tell you.

Well, the phone stayed with me, and she proceeded to act really weird after we got home. You know how you just KNOW when your child is up to no good? If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Little clues that reveal their hidden plans, or so they think.

Well, I played along, giving her just enough space to do her thing. I hid the cell phone and walked around the house in a faked stupor. I didn’t have to act too hard cause that’s typically how I wander around…too much information in my brain…mommy brain…you know.

Anyhow, after an appropriate time had expired, I went in search of the phone. It was missing from it’s hiding place. And littlest chicklet was trying to look innocent.

WARNING…you are about to read about a side of AuburnChick that is not very nice. Stop reading if you feel you’ll have to hold this against me.

Back to the story…

I was livid! See, the kids have been trying to make me think I’m going crazy…moving things when I know I put them in a certain spot. Yeah…it’s very disconcerting.

So, when I questioned them about the phone, they acted like they knew nothing.

Was I born yesterday? Hello! I birthed these lying young-uns. I know every nuance of their personalities.

The only way I got them to fess up was to tell them to unpack their bags. They had plans to attend a church camp, and by golly, I wasn’t going to let them run over me. It only took about 30 seconds for the truth to come out. Soccer Chick had enlisted littlest Chicklet’s help to find her phone. And boy is he good. He retrieved the phone from the laundry basket, where he had thrown it when I barged in, catching the two of them in the act.

Let the yelling begin! Boy did I cut loose. Lying on top of being disobedient. I must have looked like a lunatic, but that’s about how I felt.

I am now the proud owner of two additional phones. I don’t know when kiddos will get them back. Whenever I decide, I guess.

And the night only went downhill from there. How far downhill? Far. Trust me. I am not going to share what happened next, but it wasn’t good. Let’s just say that I went to bed around 1:30am. Yeah, not a good night.

Despite all of that, Mr. AuburnChick decided to let the kids go to their camp. I pray that the Lord will zing them with a desire to be obedient. Wishful thinking, but I believe in miracles.

I managed to get myself to work today, traveling an hour to one of my company’s branch offices, where I fought with a computer for several hours. I’m a stubborn gal and do not succumb easily to defeat. In the end, that’s what happened.

Grrr…

In the process of venting to a gal in the office, she mentioned that she thought of me the other day when she passed a yarn store in town.

What’s this? The shop is only two miles from the office! Oh my goodness!

What in the world is the significance of this? Well, you see, to go to a good yarn store, I have to travel about an hour and a half. That’s right. That is why I get so giddy when I go out of town for soccer tournaments and find yarn stores. You’ve seen my other blog entries.

I visit this office at least once a week. I don’t like the drive and being so far from home. But to have a yarn store so close!!! THAT makes the drive worthwhile.

I called the yarn store first…

Ring, Ring

“Hello, this is AuburnChick from Podunk, USA. I’m a yarn snob and am hoping you carry good yarn. Please, pretty please tell me you do.”

“Hello Yarn Snob,” the lady says, “We carry many brands, such as Crystal Palace, Berroco…”

“Say no more! I’ll be there in two hours.”

And that’s just what I did. Boy am I glad that I don’t work full-time. I didn’t have to wait the entire day! And what lovely, lovely yarn there was in that store!!! Wow!

Going to a yarn store is like going to a petting zoo. Lots to touch…sensory overload but wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. After the previous afternoon’s antics and the day’s battle with technology, I needed this time.

Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying something. Darn. Well, not really. Here’s what I got…

The colorway is Tutti Fruitti. The colors are just amazing!  I will turn these into socks…one day…hopefully soon.

This is my first skein of Sockotta. I’ve seen some patterns on Ravelry that I would love to try — which one will it be??

What a wonderful way to ease the tensions.