What sock?

No, Grandma, these socks are for me. Aren't they a pretty red color?

Socks for you? I am not knitting socks for you. Are you sure you are remembering right?

Pastel rainbow socks? No, I knit you a pastel rainbow vest a number of years ago? Are you sure you aren't thinking of that?

I am not knitting you socks right now. I don't knit socks for other people, only myself.

No, the socks that you tried on before were for me, I just wanted to see how they looked on someone else's feet.

No, I think I would remember if I were knitting socks for you. You must be remembering wrong.

Bye, Grandma, see you tomorrow.

Don't worry, I wouldn't really have this conversation even if I thought I could get away with it. And I will continue to resist the temptation to bind off and try to convince Grandma that I was knitting her ankle warmers and not socks.

Today, it is all about evil fantasies of denial.

Dreaming in Color

I have heard that some people dream in color, and some people dream in black and white. I am a color person. I think it would be cruel for a knitter to not be able to dream in color, but I digress.

I dreamed about knitting recently. I am apparently so sick of Grandma's socks in progress, I am now dreaming of starting something new. The yarn was a gorgeous silky soft something in stardard rainbow colors with a very long color repeat. At first, I was thinking scarf. Then my dreaming self realized that there was enough yarn for a wrap, and that would show off the vibrant colors better. I decided to work side to side, to make the color progression even more dramatic. Actually now that I think about it, the colors may not have repeated at all. I think it just worked through the rainbow once, with my wrap starting with purple on one side and ending with red on the other.

I dreamed that I tried on the wrap, so that I was certain the pattern idea and yarn would work together. Then I cast on. Dreams are just magic. And I will have to keep an eye out for this yarn. I could always dye it myself, since I have been, um, dying to attempt dyeing (Sorry, couldn't resist). I have the dyes and blank yarn, picked up used for a song. But dyeing requires (child free) time, and that is a rare commodity these days.

Apparently, my dreaming self has more knitting time and variety than my real self. I am jealous.

Today, it is all about envying yourself.

Assessment

Background: Patient was discovered by her husband face-down on the sofa with two unfinished knitted sicks clutched in one hand, and saliva dripping down one side of her chin.

Evaluation: Patient reports boredom, annoyance and frustation with the current sock in progress. Patient became defensive and agitated at the suggestions that she simply work on a different project for a while. "Don't you know the pressure of a knitting request from a 93-year-old grandmother?" Patient admitted to "accidently" leaving the sock project in odd places, for the excuse to work on a different project for a day or evening until the socks could be retrieved.

Diagnosis: Project Interest Deficit Syndrome (PIDS), time-pressured variety.

Treatment: Unfortunately, the only known cure for PIDS is a variety of pending projects. When forced by a deadline for complete focus on one project, the only hope is for the project to finish before the knitter suffers a complete breakdown.

Notation: The most severe case of PIDS on record ended with a permanent restraining order entered by the local yarn store after the knitter was discovered rolling naked in a large pile of alpaca and cashmere after breaking into the store in the middle of the night.

Today, it is all about the psyche.

Put your hands up and step away from the math

In mostly stolen moments, I have been working on Grandma's socks. I have cycled through the yarn's stripe pattern twice and estimate that I have one more to go before I can do my heels. The heels mark a halfway point in the socks, so I am 2/3's through the first half. That means I am . . . . 1/3 finished with both socks. When you like that, it doesn't sound like very much to show for two months' work. This would normally be the point when I would put the socks away for a while and work on something else, just for a change of scenery. But these socks have a deadline. I have to finish them by. . . well, no specific date, but as soon as possible. Grandma's feet are always cold, so they are just as needed in the summer as the winter.

Today, it is all about the thirds.

My kind of garage sale

My local yarn store had a garage sale this weekend. What a great idea! People brought their unwanted yarn/books/gadgets to the yarn store all week. The seller sets the price. When your items sell, you get gift certificates at the yarn store. Anything that doesn't sell will be returned to you, or found a new good home for charity, whichever you wanted.

I had been looking forward to this all month. It turned out to be anticlimatic, for me at least. I saw other knitters with full baskets. I had one eye on Bugaboo, one eye on Doodlebug, and one eye trying to shop. Plus, I have some much great yarn at home, and so little knitting time, I had decided that I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't better than what I had at home. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't buy anything. I was tempted by a few things, but what is the point in getting a great deal on sweater yarn when I already have so many projects in the queue so it would just sit there with the rest?

At least it was a success for the store and other knitters, because that means that she will probably do it again. And maybe I can take better advantage then. And since I had both kids, no Sock club either. Sigh.

Today, it is all about the oppotunities that slip away.

The Perfect Storm, the Perfect Calm

Element #1: My in-laws are moving. That means that for the past several weeks, they have been busy packing boxes, looking at houses, and fretting over appraisals, inspections and repairs. Therefore, very stressed and not very available to watch my boys. So my mom has been picking up the slack.

Element #2: It is tax time, spring, and finally time to sell my grandmother's house all at the same time. So my mom is sorting through records, sweating in her yard, and planing trips to Illinois to meet with relators and such. When she isn't watching my kids four days a week or more.

Element #3: My husband is not as proactive in taking primary care of our children as I would wish. Yesterday, he told me that he was taking a half day off for a dentist appointment, so after that and a hair cut, he would pick up our toddler so Mom would just have to worry about the newborn. He didn't, for reasons I am still not clear.

Element #4: Doodlebug had a little tummyache, and spent most of the day crying. Bugaboo was practicing the fine art of jealousy, disrespect, and doing whatever he had been told not to do. All while crying and whining whenever his little brother cried. By the time I picked (both of them) up after work, everyone was in tears, including my mother.

So last night, I arranged for me to stay home this morning, and for my mother in law to watch the kids in the afternoon. Mom gets a day "off", can de-stress, and get some things done.

Then last night, my father-in-law asked Bugaboo if he wanted to spend the night with them in the hotel, but he had to ask me. It was so cute, he walked right up to me and starting giving me kisses. So I packed off my tempermental toddler for the evening, my husband fell asleep on the couch by 8:30, and tucked my newborn into his crib. I was alone, all alone, and had the morning to get things done. I put a DVD in, and knit. That was the longest continuous time I have knit for . . . I can remember how long.

This morning, I slept in (which was not part of the original plan, but was changed during the 90 minutes of waking time between 4 and 5:30 am), have laundry going, fixed a filling breakfast, and will clean the kitchen. And I think I will still have time to do some knitting.

Today, it is all about the combined elements.

The endless middle

The disadvantage to knitting two socks at once is that it seems like it takes forever. You knit endlessly on the leg of the sock. Then there is the heel excitement. And then back to knitting endlessly on the foot.

I just have to keep reminding myself: I am knitting two socks at once. It will take twice as long. I am avoiding the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. I am knitting two socks at once. It will take twice as long.

When this little guy lets me knit, that is.




A better view of the socks. They are turning out very pretty. Grandma loves all things pastel, and she is liking the stripes.

Today, it is all about the spring colors, inside and outside.