Grandma's Funky Socks

You know that the weather influences your life too much when you structure your life around it. At least that’s what it feels like to me at the moment. We’ve been having some fairly erratic weather lately. So erratic that’s it’s like taking a ride on a yo-yo. By last Thursday, the world was becoming quite a cranky place due to lack of sleep from too hot and humid nights. I was so cranky that I decided to take Friday off just so I could get some sleep. Thursday night was another scorcher and then Friday, the rains came. And came. And came. And came. Lor’, didn’t it rain children, talk about’a rain, dinit, dinit, dinit, oh my Lor’ didn’t rain…

The world turned into liquid air. My dogs seldom refuse to go out because they’re used to the rain, but Friday night, there was no way they were going to go out and pee at their usual time. We had to wait until there was at least a little space between the drops. It also got cold, relatively anyway. By Sat., it was 50°F in the morning and about 65°F during the day, with Sunday being but slightly warmer. However, this lovely break is at an end. We’re set to get back up to 95°F by Wed., but then back down to 78° by Friday. Yo-yo time, I’m telling you.

What does this have to do with knitting you ask? The weather fluctuations have begun to determine what I knit and when. If it’s cold, I revert to my cat’s blanket, which is coming along nicely thanks to this weekend’s storms. Hot, I return to knitting cotton socks. Speaking of which, I’ve finished my Grandmother’s really funky socks. I really don’t know what I was thinking when I bought this yarn. Well, OK, I was thinking she likes green and I wanted to do cheerful, but seriously, these are so cheerful that she’s going to have to forego wearing them at church for fear of distracting people from the sermon. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for other’s souls by having distracted them with my loud socks. Besides, I don’t really want my grandmother to be known, in hushed whispers, as “the old woman who wears weird socks”. She only wears them because she doesn’t want to offend the insane granddaughter who knits them for her you know.

Actually, this is all not true. My grandmother will probably love them so much that she’ll show them off to people who couldn’t really care less, and/or then revert to thinking the above. It’s just very odd to think of my grandmother, who is usually a fairly plain sock person, running around in luminescent green striped socks and loving them. Also, if I remember myself correctly as a child, I wouldn’t have wanted to have been caught dead with her when she was wearing socks like that. I probably would have disowned her immediately. Now I’m knitting them for her. That means I’ve either grown up, or gone completely Dolally, or maybe both.

This week we’re headed for hot and humid again, so it’s back to plain cotton socks. At least I’m getting Christmas knitting done.

AWOL

Wow, it's been almost a month since the last time I posted. I can't believe time has gone that fast. Summer is my busy season at work and I'm too tired by the evening to sit at the computer and read more. I won't even pretend that I'm going to catch up on everyone's blogs since I know that's unrealistic at the moment.

I also haven't been knitting much lately, partially because of the heat and partially because I'm just too tired. I have started a cat blanket out of left over sock yarn. I'm hoping this will keep the cat off my current knitting projects, or will once she comes back in again in Fall/Winter. If not, at least I'll have used up a few remnants. It won't be a thing of beauty, but somehow I don't think the cat really cares much.


I finished the Bamboo Waffle Scarf which started out life as a Christmas pressie for my aunt, but is now a random Christmas pressie for someone else. Aunt wanted a lighter weight scarf in these colours, but this turned out pretty heavy since I was using two strands at the same time. It's very comfy and I'm sure someone will like it.


I also did a Falling Water Scarf for my cousin. I broke the Normal Knitter's Rules of never knitting the same thing twice. It's the same yarn and pattern I used for my own, but I think it will suit her and it was easy to knit. It's also light weight, which is a plus in the heat.


Finally I started a new cotton sock for Grandmother. This is turning out to be another one of those projects where the yarn in the ball is prettier than when it's knit up. I keep wondering whatever possessed me to purchase this particular yarn and what in heaven's name Grandma will ever wear them with. Fortunately my aunt thinks the yarn is pretty and that Grandma will like it. If she doesn't, she can just wear them under boots or to bed where no one cares. If she doesn, I'll have a Grandmother with funky socks. Never thought of my grandmother as funky before.



Future projects - I need more socks. Christmas is only 5 months away and I've not gotten all my pressies done. However, I think they're going to have to wait until I've done another sweater for me. I want to do the Drops Knitted Cardigan in Karisma, only in Paris, which is a cotton yarn. I want a cotton cardy and I love this pattern. I just hope it turns out ok and that I'm not makeing a huge mistake with the yarn sub. I want this sweater in cotton so bad I can taste it. Unfortunately, it will all have to wait until next month when I can afford the yarn.