Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Hump Day

Wednesdays are a funny day. They are the middle of everything. Not the start of the week, not the end, just sort of middling. Wednesdays are a 3 cup of coffee day, with a little bit of brightness on the horizon.

I'm still working on the scarf, I'm still working on mom's socks. Bye the bye, all the socks you have seen me do lately, mom's dads, sisters are coming with me this weekend, and will be given to the recipients. We'll have time for a quick stop only. Mom's second sock is 2 rows from the cuff, one heel to do and one heel to redo.

An interesting thing about doing peasant heels. To do a peasant heel, you take 2 to 2 1/4 inches off the length of the foot, to know where to put in the waste yarn for the heel. After you pick up the stitches, you then work decreases to the point where you want to graft the heel closed. Most people do those decreases on one row, and follow it with a row worked even.

I did not read that line (what follow a pattern?) so up till mom's socks, I always simply worked decreases evenly over all rows. It worked, and the socks fitted well. Occasionally someone would find it a little snug but once they wore them a few times, it was a great fit.

I decided to try it following the basic pattern information, but... Square. Deep and square. My shorties socks are worked like this, and are a tad large. The yarn will felt a little, so I'm not worried about mine, but with the high cotton count, mom's won't.

Mom's first sock with alternating even and decrease rows, ends up too deep, too square and a touch too long for her foot size. So back to my old way, with its much shorter more rounded looking heel. It's possible that a few rows of each will be the perfect heel. (Its possible that this is what the regular pattern does say to do. I didn't read that next line. What? Patterns? Follow???)

I'm going to start some of the gift socks on the trip this weekend. I hope to make Son 3 and his lovely wife matching patterned socks, but in a slightly different colour of yarn. Looking back to the sock yarn stash on yesterdays post, the aran yarn is for her and the heathered soft brown is for him. I hope to find a tree of life pattern that can be worked in purl stitches. If I can't find one, I'll have to make one. I'm sure someone already did this, I'm sure I saw it somewhere. Lunch will be devoted to the quest.

Where do we travel this weekend? Its Mr. Needles parent's 60th Anniversary (the picture is from the 50th with their children). A life well lived together still, through many trials and much joy. We should all be so lucky. Congratulations and much love to them from me.

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