let’s talk about socks, baby.
July 10, 2011
for the past few days,
i’ve been having nightmares.
mostly i don’t remember them, but
in any case,
my lack of sleep means i’m in my “office” early in the morning.
however,
this will be day four
so if there’s a lack of coherence in this post
or an excess of grammatical errors (outside my usual),
you will forgive me.
first, a big merci to all the people who commented on my last post and to all those knitters who helped spread the word on twitter. this is my first go at fundraising, so i’m a little out of my element.
a lot of people made donations, and while it’s a modest sum, i’m inching toward a secret number in head. remember, all you have to do for a chance to win that skein of my handspun is leave a comment on my last post. but i hope you’ll consider making a donation to the pittsburgh aids task force. can you really look at yourself and say you can’t afford to donate just one dollar?
just saying.
(how’s that for catholic guilt?!)
if you’ve made a donation,
but haven’t yet told me how much,
please let me know so i can add it to the grand total.
now on to the meat of this post.
as you may or may not know,
i’m going to the summit at the end of the month.
the irony of my going to a knitting conference about nothing but socks?
i’m not really into knitting socks.
i’ve done it sure,
and i love wearing the socks my friends knit for me.
(i haven’t forgotten you sarah j.r. i will blog your socks!)
i’m just not that into the knitting of them.
but it’s not like i can show up to the summit without a sock on the needles. (though i did consider bringing jenn as my personal sock knitter attaché). the shame would be too great.
so i opened one of my stash,
pulled out a particularly special skein of sock yarn,
and, after several cast ons, i have a little sock action going.
the yarn is silkie socks that rock that i dyed myself at the silk retreat. i’m using stephanie pearl-mcphee’s sock recipe for a good, plain sock from her book knitting rules. i’m even using dpns. it’s a kind of prayerful combination that seems appropriately respectful for the summit.
of course i kidded myself about my gauge when i swatched,
casting on far too few stitches and must either
a. continue on with the understanding that
these socks will be for someone that is not me, or
b. rip.
i bet you can guess which choice i’m going to make.
Bitches Get Stitches 
July 10, 2011 at 8:38 am
That’s awesome you’re making socks. I like making one, just never it’s mate so I have to force myself to wait to make the second, otherwise I’m bored. After months of procrastinating I eventually get to the other. You can do it!!! xx
July 10, 2011 at 9:33 am
I have 2 pair on magic loop. Those little needles kill my hands, though, so I don’t know if I’ll ever finish them.
July 10, 2011 at 10:32 am
Good job on the good old Catholic guilt 🙂
I donated $5.00 to Pittsburgh Aids Task Force.
July 10, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Serious envy that you’re going to the Summit (‘specially since I’m a sock knitter). The dye job you did on that yarn is gorgeous, by the way.
I’m betting on you’re ripping.
July 10, 2011 at 7:45 pm
I presume you are going with Plan A – which is a really good thing, because I have tiny feet. I wear a size 6 shoe and a pair of blue socks would be perfect. I also use SPM’s basic sock pattern.. darn near have it memorized.
July 10, 2011 at 11:35 pm
I see you and I have that in common. I too will be going to SS, but I don’t really knit socks. I prefer garments and other accessories, but knowing I was going to a sock knitting convention, I knit a pair of socks just for me. It took me an entire month and I’m not a slow knitter. My feet aren’t that big either (well, 9.5, which is bigger than a women’s average size 7, but nowhere near the average size of men’s feet). Perhaps that’s why I don’t knit socks.
Your socks look lovely. If they end up my size, I’d wear them. Just sayin’.
July 11, 2011 at 2:53 am
Hope to see you there….wow, had a geeking out moment…..lovely yarn
July 11, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Love the colors in the yarn and can’t wait to see it knit up. But those seem like insanely short DPN’s. How do you knit with them without your hands cramping? Does the Long Island Iced Tea (or is that Killian’s Red) help?
July 13, 2011 at 1:48 am
starbucks iced tea?
July 12, 2011 at 7:55 am
I’m proud of you!
July 12, 2011 at 9:08 am
Wishing I was going to Sock Summit! Couldn’t fit it in this year. Also, I haven’t knit any socks yet!
Are you ripping? Nice dye job, btw.
July 12, 2011 at 10:29 pm
hey stephen.
to know you can go and check EARLY rather than too late
is a gift. i’m old enough to have had friends who got “sick” and no one knew what it was… and too many, including a dear “big brother” who was a neighbor then friend then dear mentor, died. alf was constantly hauling me to operas–including the compleat Ring cycle in east berlin, giving me free pass to his movie theater across the street, which showed three different art films a night, (we’d dash down the five flights, across the snowy street in bedroom slippers, clutching bottles of wine and always zipping in late, to slide into the first row and slouch down….) teaching me to make hazelnut cake, taking me out dancing to bars with romy haag and david bowie… WHAT an awakening!
donated $50 to Pgh aids task force in your honor–for reminding me of the joy of dear friends
July 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Dear Steven:
Thanks so much for your inspiring blog post. Because of you, we have received over $400 dollars in donations! Thank you for getting yourself tested, and thank you for your amazing support of Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force!
Thanks,
Emma McAfee
Development Associate
Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force
July 13, 2011 at 7:17 pm
What a beautiful dye job! I’m on a dyeing spree right now…everything from spinning fiber to natural colored yarn, and even over-dyeing stash yarn. I don’t know what’s with this obsession right now….Maybe I could get some knitting and spinning done if I’d stay out of the dye pot. I’m PurlVerde on Ravelry, see you around!