I have an itch

but before I get to that, here's a picture of white socks on Sunday morning:

They are now done! Toes grafted, all ends sewn in. They were getting to be the never-ending socks, so I'm glad they are complete. Having two going at once is well worth the price of the extra set of dpns, in my opinion. The pattern is "Evening stockings for a young Lady" from Nancy Bush's "Vintage Socks" book. The yarn is KnitPicks merino sock yarn. I used two hanks.

For the socks above, I used #1 needles, and there are 61 stitches around the foot. This is snug on me. Probably great in stockinette stitch, but I'm not overly thrilled with the way the pattern stretches out especially around my calves. I tried doing a 60-st sock with #2 needles and the same yarn (the uglicious red-yellow-green socks of a post or two ago) and that's ok, but maybe the fabric isn't quite what I'd like. Then I remembered--I have a set of Brittany dpns which I rarely use because they are size one and half, whatever that is in mm. I cast on another sock with that set

and it's just about perfect! Nice fabric, right size. More lecture knitting. This is also my first toe-up sock with short row heels and toes. I love this technique! Yesterday I was browsing around the web to find out the "right" way to do short rows and I discovered about 7 different suggestions so I decided forget it, I'll do what I feel like. It's just fine. I don't know why I've resisted the idea of short row toes for so long. They are much easier to start than a figure-8 cast on and the join is invisible. There isn't even a significant hole where I began going round for the ankle after turning the heel. As Nero Wolfe would say, "satisfactory".

Oh, and in that picture up above? That stack of books? That's about half the stack I should be reading as the semester draws to a close. And you know what? I can't face it. Not today. Some of these books are even interesting--I'm starting to find a sort of niche for myself in this field, a place where I think the questions are intriguing and where I might even be able to contribute something. But today, midweek, with a sunny sky, I feel as if I can't stay inside another minute. I never ever (well hardly ever) goof off. I mean, when I "goof off" it's likely to be something such as actually taking a lunch break instead of eating out of a reused yogurt container at my desk. The list of papers to write and articles to read is piling up, but I just can't bear another academic treatise tonight. I want to go home in the daylight and maybe even eat dinner at my kitchen table! Because, in addition to the restlessness that comes with warm weather, and the knowledge that I have many duties this weekend that will impinge upon my free time, and the fact that most of the department will shortly be leaving for a conference...

I have an itch. I can't say when it started, but it got itchier when I saw this last fall: the doll and sets of clothes from Rebecca magazine. I love dolls, but I'd never seriously considered knitting one. Now I am thinking about it... then just a few days ago I was reading angry chicken and her post mentions how she loves kits. One of the links took me here or more specifically to this page of Gail Wilson's Designs. For someone who has had a life-long interest in cloth figures and clothing them, this site is some of the best dream candy I have ever come across. And I don't even consider myself a lover of the Early American Style! Something about the idea of small things, with sets of changeable clothes, and little furniture... it's been a very frequently visited site in the past several days. Surprisingly, I love her oil painted doll's faces. This is a technique I never thought much of before, but her style has convinced me that it has potential. I've avoided Hitty for years now, even though I read the book as a child and adored it. For one thing Hitty is tiny, and I like a little bigger size in order to get details on the clothes, and for another I hadn't found a Hitty I really liked the look of. I love Gail Wilson's version. The curls are just the way I imagine Hitty's curls to be, and she has her name embroidered just as in the book, and then all those petite accessories! I want to dance like a little girl!

The itch I have is a doll-making itch. It has partly to do with these latest inspirations, and partly to do with the spring weather, which always makes me think of small calico dresses hanging on a wash line in the breeze. I feel as if I must do some sewing right now, maybe a stuffed figure, maybe a new skirt, maybe a doll's dress. Which is why I'm pointing my toes homeward, leaving behind a handbasket for all the various tasks I should be doing. Stashes are made for afternoons like this.

Comments

[grumperina]

Tonight's amusement - "Yesterday I was browsing around the web to find out the "right" way to do short rows" - hahaha! Your Nancy Bush stockings are gorgeous!!!

[diana]

Carrie, I love your Sunday morning stockings! As for the pile of books, leave it for now and enjoy the beautiful weather.

[wilbraham]

Your white socks are great, though I think I would have the patterns going in opposite directions. As for your studies, I think if you were to allow yourself a REAL break from them from time to time, you’d find your efficiency would actually increase—you’d be able to take in more of the reading, and your papers would organize themselves in your head. Best of luck with both endeavors (your knitting and your studies).

[countingmermaids]

I gasped when I saw the white socks. They are stunning!