At the same time on the same needles
Still tickled by this Sock in a Sock concept, I’m forging ahead with the Makarovnas. I turned the heel last night while watching Wallander on Masterpiece Mystery. I’m quite taken with Wallander; I’ve never read the books and I don’t know how this adaptation is being received by those who have, but I like this pale, paunchy, wounded character for Kenneth Branagh and the beautiful, spare cinematography and attention to color.
One drawback to this sock knitting technique is that I’ll never be able to get my foot in there to check the fit. This will have to be a pair of test socks, and I’ll be able to adjust the stitch count to better suit my thin ankles if I want to have another go. Luckily there are feet of all sizes among my friends; these will fit somebody.
I won’t be putting my feet in a pair of wool socks for a little while anyway, as it happens. Yesterday I bottomed out on the top of the clipless pedals learning curve and gracelessly tipped over in a neighbor’s driveway, having imagined that I could slow down enough to gently take the concrete lip and then turn abruptly to ride back into the street… without clipping out. I was spectacularly wrong, and over I went, skinning a knee and gouging an ankle on the chain ring. I’ll spare you the grisly details; suffice it to say that I probably should have gotten a stitch or two and I’ll certainly have a scar and a bit of a grease tattoo. My husband assures me that he will suspend his usual feelings against tattoos and continue to find me attractive, and most importantly, I didn’t ding my bicycle too badly. Cycling is one of the Pound of Flesh sports—no matter how careful or skilled you are, sometimes you’re going to fall, and you’re not going to win a cage match with asphalt very often.
Speaking of cycling, July will be here in a few short weeks, and you know what that means chez Garter: it’s time to choose a project to knit during the Tour de France coverage! Of course I’ve gotten involved in planning the worldwide knit-along; this year it’s happening over at Ravelry within the Tour de France KAL group, rather than on its own blog. Sign-up thread is here—come join the fun!
I’ve got several ideas for my own participation. This time I’ve suggested that the polka dot jersey contestants for King (or Queen, ahem) of the Mountains use the race to tackle unfinished projects; it’s proving a popular idea in the sign-ups. Goodness knows we’re up to our ears in likely WIPs around here, but I love making the big reach to create an entire sweater during the Tour. I’m pretty good at ignoring deadlines for finishing projects: ask any of my family members who’ve been promised a garment for Christmas or a birthday. (Douglas Adams said it best: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”) But the rules of my personal Tour challenge are ironclad, and I get to indulge in the full measure of fiendish knitting for three whole weeks without censure, as my loved ones have already accepted that sense and moderation are not to be expected of me when the Tour is on. I find they are suitably impressed if I have fabricated an entire sweater out of a few balls of string when the three weeks are up. So I think it’ll be the yellow jersey challenge for me again this year. Now I just need to decide which of my many percolating sweater ideas to choose!
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 5:56 am
I love the idea of the Tour KAL, but I’ve never done it (or any KAL, for that matter). I don’t get cable, so I can’t actually watch it on the tv, which I’d imagine would hamper my ability to KAL with it. I’m excited to see what you choose to knit!
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I can’t wait to see what you choose for the tour-a-long.
And ouch. I hope your scraps and bumps heal quickly.
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I think I’m going to have to sign up for this KAL just to see if I can complete anything in 3 weeks with a newborn in the house. A Sweater? (yeah right…) maybe a pair of Cookie A socks (which can be just as involved as a sweater sometimes)? Thought is required….
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 10:36 am
And you’re really tempting me with that sock in a sock. That’s on my list…
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Ouch! I have never won a cage match with the pavement, and I trip over invisible rocks when I go for a run (though the invisible rocks were ages ago), so I can picture the grisly wounds. Get better soon and enjoy some of the healing time for extra knitting!
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Oh, ouch. That description was too much for me! Falling off of bikes is not something I enjoy – that’s why I never ride them, ha!
You are a braver woman than myself.
I am totally into seeing that sock when it is done. I wish I could look inside it right now!
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
The sock-in-a-sock thing is SO cool.
Sorry to hear about your run-in with asphalt! Ouch!
I am eagerly plotting my newest gansey design. I’ve got to keep up the Tour de Gansey tradition. Because nothing says French cycling race like a British fisherman’s sweater.
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I hope you heal soon. Road rash of any sort is just an ugly experience.
Glad to hear that the TdF KAL is moving forward! I’m probably going to participate very unofficially this year. Your quote on deadlines seems to fit my life very well at the moment. Can’t wait to see what project you choose!
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Ooh–Tour time again! I know nothing of cycling (unless changing the gears on my bike counts), so I always love the double dose knitting/cycling culture.
Hope your ankle heals up soon!
(And I’m glad to see exactly how the Makarovnas work)
Posted: June 16th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I love Wallander! I hope this is a series MT will continue showing.
Sorry to hear about your impact with the pavement. I am not an adept cyclist and have never even attempted clips. I’ll stick to regular old pedals. My hubby is a lifelong cycling enthusiast and a very skilled rider and yet he has had his own grudge match with asphalt resulting in various patches of road rash (some that should have required skin grafts but he wouldn’t go to the hospital) and he knocked out his front teeth! So take care with those clips!
Can’t wait to see how your sock in a sock turns out!
Posted: June 17th, 2009 at 5:26 am
I love this sock 2-at-a-time concept. I’ll be awaiting the magic unveiling at the end!
OUCH! Sounds not fun. Horseback riding is similar, and the wrecks are truly spectacular. The last race we attended one (new) rider got thrown in the parking lot and again TWICE! on the trail. Apparently went off to the hospital and had to have surgery on the knee, which got crushed under the horse time #2, as she got caught underneath him when he reared, pitched her and then fell on her. I am eternally thankful both of my horse boys have more sense in their heads than to pull stunts like that, but I am amazed more people are killed by their horses.
Posted: June 17th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Oops – let’s have that say “NOT” killed by their horses. Type much? 😛