Two of a kind, not quite a pair

I was getting a panicky what-have-I-done sort of feeling about the holiday knitting at the end of last week. One tangle and half a sock was about all I had to show for a whole week of knitting. So, this weekend I sat myself down and got some stitching done. The result?



I now have two completed socks, and a little less of the sinking feeling that this is impossible.

However, the fact that these socks look pretty similar on my feet is a bit deceptive. First, I discovered that I had miscounted the rows between increases when I did the first toe (I thought it looked awfully pointy...). The second one is much better.



Worse, though, I mismeasured on the second one, and it's about 3/4 of an inch shorter than the first! It fits a lot better, in my opinion, but they don't match.



Of course this means that I now need to pull one out and knit a third sock. I'm not feeling too motivated on that at the moment. First, these are for the sister that I least expect to care about or ever wear her new knitted objects. This makes it hard to start over when I have a pressing deadline. Why do I think she won't care? Well, I was inspired this summer to make a tank top out of bamboo silk (2 skeins of Southwest Trading Co, a total of 500 yds, on size 5 needles, I might add). It took me about a month to design and make. The pictures are lousy, but they give you an idea.





I also made a shrug to go with it, altering a pattern from Knitty (another 2 skeins, almost).



As far as I know, it hasn't been worn once. She tried it on, I think. Maybe. No one ever saw it on her. I've asked if it fits, and I am told it does. It's just not worn (nor has she returned it so that I can tear it out and reuse that wonderful yarn!). This makes me a little reluctant to dive right in and knit a third sock that won't be used. But then, my crafter's integrity won't let me give a gift that isn't perfect, either. So, I will be knitting a third sock. Just not tonight. I'm not up for that right now.

What will I be doing instead? That's right...toe socks! Branden untangled that whole knot for me (well, I took a good crack at it the first night, and then he took over from there). Think I'm a little spoiled? Yeah, me too. I couldn't sleep again last night, and so I wound the untangled yarn into balls before heading off to bed at about 2:30 this morning, and now it's all ready to go.



Doesn't it look sad in those tight little balls? Compared to the luxurious flow of the open skein, balls are just sad. And what was the first thing that happened with the balls? That's right...a minor tangle. I still like the other way better, but I'm sticking with wound yarn for now, and I'll just have to go chasing the balls under chairs when they roll off on me. I'll just have to wait until there is no holiday deadline (or I open a new skein...) to go back to the open skeins, I think. Anyway. I have to get some inches put on those socks, and it's getting late.