Who's The Boss??

There was some serious knitting derailment this past week. I started up a new sock with the Jojoland Melody superwash; the pattern is Diane Mulholland's Express Lane, which I found by searching on Ravelry. (Both links are to Ravelry.) It's a toe-up pattern; I've only done a toe-up sock once before, over a year ago. The first change I made to this pattern was to use Judy's Magic Cast On rather than the provisional cast on and the short row toe. I found this cast on to be much easier than when I tried it the first time. This time I only had to try the cast on twice before I got it to work for me.

The second change was to use US Size 0 needles instead of the 1.5 called for in the pattern. I really want a snug sock, and the small needles definitely give me that. However, when I got to the heel, things started to go awry. I couldn't get the short row heel to work the first time, so I ripped it out and started again. This time I got the heel to work, only to find that it was too small for my foot. It's hard to describe how frustrated I felt, especially when late at night realizing that I'm going to either have to rip it out again or just give up and start over with another pattern. I let it sit for a day and then ripped the heel back once more. Now I switched to Size 1 needles and reknit the heel. Lo and behold, the heel started to shape up better. However, it wasn't long enough coming up the back of my heel, so I decided not to start the calf back lace pattern until I'd gotten more leg length. So I continued knitting the lace pattern on the front of the leg and continuing the back in stockinette until I felt it was time to start the lace pattern in back. By waiting to start the lace pattern, I should now miss having the lace rub against the top of any shoes I might be wearing.

Now when I try on the sock I'm extremely pleased with the fit. I've got the snugness in the foot where I want it, and the lace pattern falling where I want it. For the first time I've adapted a pattern to fit ME, not just blindly following a pattern and hoping it fits okay. Now I'm really believing that I can be the boss of my knitting, just as Elizabeth Zimmermann would say.

In some other ways, however, I'm definitely not the boss of my knitting. At work now, although I can still knit, I can't knit in the office that I had been using, the office where the light was really good. Now I have to go to another room where the lighting is poorer. It's more difiicult to read and/or knit, and I noticed a good bit of eye strain last week. I was taking the sock to work, but the small yarn and needles just aren't working out now. So I've started a K1P1 rib scarf in worsted weight from the stash. Hopefully I might be able to move back to the other office at some point in the future. But at least I can work up something from the stash, so all is not lost!