Lamb and Frog

Startitis. Castonathon. I don’t know. I held it at bay for as long as I could. After I had finished all those socks, I realized I had…only one pair of socks on the needles: Primavera in Trekking Handpainted.

For many knitters it’s OK to have only one pair of socks OTN. I mean, after all, there are probably many other projects OTN as well. And, of course, I have many other projects OTN too. But…but…

Well, I kept hearing that sucking sound…the sock vortex. It’s created when I don’t have enough socks on my needles to keep up my state of knitting equilibrium. After almost three years of knitting I have determined the optimal number of sock pairs that must be OTN at any given time in order to maintain this equilibrium: four. Yep. I have to have four pairs of socks in process at all times or my knitting life falls off kilter. My fiber space-time continuum splits like Lion Brand Homespun.

So, despite having two afghans, a tank top, three scarves, and a basic hat OTN (I’m sure there are other items I have forgotten), I cast on for some more socks.

The first pair is in Berroco Sox (for me) and the second (for Stinky) is in Walk Away, which is a new sock yarn made for Hobby Lobby (under their house brand Yarn Bee). I recently used the Berrocco to crochet Kentucky Julia’s birthday present (I’ll post a picture after April 11th…assuming I get it in the mail on time, which is assuming a lot). It’s a good yarn, but so is the Walk Away. Both are self striping (obviously) wool blends and (again obviously) because the yarn is self-striping I’m going with just your basic sock recipe, no fancy pattern. Time will tell how well each wears.

The third (new) pair is more of the same–basic sock recipe (with the cuff shortened to anklet length) in Paton’s Kroy Stripes. You see, while I need at least four pairs of socks OTN at any given time, at least two of the four are usually your basic plain vanilla (knit without thinking) sock recipe. I have big plans (and yarn and patterns) for some other, much prettier sock projects, but I’m thinking those may have to wait until summer (or at least until I get bored again).

I know, I know, I have a problem. You know how I know? It isn’t all the socks that are on the needles…it’s the ones that aren’t. My sock yarn stash has become so…let’s say ‘enhanced’…that I have lost, yes lost 200-g (four balls) of sock yarn: two 50-g balls of Wildfoote (zane grey) and, more importantly,  two balls of magenta JaWoll. I’m absolutely sure I haven’t knit them because I was thinking about using these two colors to make stranded color mittens (think Good & Plenty candy…I love Good & Plenty candy), but never got around to it. I’m pretty sure I didn’t de-stash them to someone else (the mitten thing again).  They’re not where they used to be (in a little blue plastic basket of yarn for ‘pending’ sock projects in the yarn armoire). They’re not where they ought to be (with the other ‘ordinary’ sock yarn in the yarn armoire). They’re not slightly misfiled (with the many gorgeous hanks of handpainted sock yarn in the armoire). They’re not in any of my project bags. They’re not in any of my three ‘in process’ baskets either. They shouldn’t be in the plastic tubs in my office (which mostly don’t hold wool and when they do it’s only odds and ends). I’m really quite mystified and I need to find them because I wanted to make some more pink anklets for my mom’s annual breast cancer fundraiser ‘Walk The Rock’. Damn. They have to be misfiled somewhere else in the armoire. Finding them will probably require an extensive airing of that part of the stash. Double damn. (I don’t want to talk about the rest of the stash–the part that’s not in the armoire or anywhere else I mentioned–either.)*

*Late update. I couldn’t stand it. Before I posted this I pulled all the sock yarn out of the armoire (instead of just lifting it up and moving it around) and found the missing stuff ‘misfiled’ with the extra-ordinary sock yarn. It was buried all the way in the back left corner of the shelf and hidden (partially crushed) under a pile of Koigu. I feel better now (but I need to go back and re-stack the good sock yarn more neatly).