Oh, and did I mention?

I'd already signed up for another knitalong, the Summer of Socks. So any doubts I had as to what my knitting plans are for the rest of the summer have been erased: I will be knitting socks when I am not knitting the Mystery Stole. Fortunately, the Summer of Socks is a pretty laid-back knitalong, with the rules being, basically, knit socks. No requirements as to pattern or how many, which is good, because while I can crank out a sock in pretty good time, I'm not so big on the fancy patterns. I like a good, plain sock, and I like to let the handpainted yarn do all the hard work. Socks are my mindless, portable knit, and while, one day, I may very well get around to making something like Hedera or Jaywalkers, I am probably just going to knit boring socks in pretty yarns for this knitalong.

Here's my first one:



Posh Yarn "Emily," colourway "Frog," (and my, how delightfully, violently green it is) done on five-inch 2.75 Brittanys. I like to use all five needles, because I like to evenly divide my stitches. I'm sort of cranky and neurotic like that. This is a pretty thick sock yarn, and I am using the recommended needle size, but if I had to start all over again, I think I'd take my tight knitting into account, and go up to 3.0 mm needles, and knock off a few stitches. I am not starting all over again, because I hate 2X2 ribbing with such an unholy passion that the idea of ripping out two whole inches of perfectly good ribbing isn't to be seriously considered.

There always comes a point, when I am grimly slogging my way through those two wretched inches of ribbing, that I tell myself a mere 1 1/2 inches would be enough, but I always stick it out and do the two full inches, because of that cranky and neurotic thing I mentioned above. I cannot bear to be less than generous with the ribbing, as much as I hate it. I will not knit a stingy sock! Which is also why I do the full goddamn minimum of five inches of stockinette once the wretched ribbing is done. Anything else would be cheating, not that anybody at all would care but me.

You know, I did start knitting again for stress relief. HA HA HA.