sock tragedies
In case you were wondering what to watch while waiting for new episodes of Downton Abbey, I thought I would suggest two series on Netflix Watch Instantly. The Grand is set in a four-star hotel in Manchester, post WWI, and is full of intrigue, lust and general soap opera drama all dressed up in wonderful 20's style. Then there is The Forsyte Saga, which follows an extended family through several generations from the late 19th century and up to the war. It gets a little ridiculous toward the end of the series, but was still worth a watch. Are there any other good costume dramas that I'm missing?
Now lets talk about socks. There is something wrong with my inner thermostat this winter. It first started when I went to a summer climate (Africa) in December and came home to a cold snap. Then we had a heatwave and it got up to the 70's even up here in the mountains. And now it's cold again. My feet have been freezing, and regular socks are useless. I need to wear my handknit socks every day. I was hurriedly trying to finish another pair when the first tragedy struck:
I ran out of yarn just a few rows from the end. I tried to find someone with a few yards of the same yarn to spare on Ravelry, but got no response. So I improvised as best as I could.
If I was ambitious, I would rip out the toe of the other sock and use the same yarn to make a matching pair. I don't see that happening any time soon, however. It's not like anyone will ever see it, and I'm happy to have another pair of cozy warm socks to wear.
They are here on Ravelry, the pattern is Paraphanalia, and the yarn (which I still love, even if I ran out early) is Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Bloomsbury colorway (plus a little Yarn Chef Bouillabaisse).
But that is not the end to my sock tragedies, oh no. No fewer than three socks currently have holes! I put too much work into these socks to just toss them, plus, I am very dependent on my wool socks right now.
They're all on the balls of the foot, what does this mean? And two are Lorna's Laces yarn, while the other is Malabrigo sock, and they are of varying ages, so I can't say that it's the yarn. My plan for today is to learn how to darn socks, I will report back later. I even got a darning egg so I can do a proper job.
I’ve always wondered how to darn! Please report back. 🙂
Those socks are lovely and I really enjoy the green toe. One of these days I’ll work up the gumption to try socks…
Your first sock tragedy kind of made me laugh. Sorry.
I am anxious to learn how to darn socks, too. I just noticed a few weeks ago that one of the socks in the pair that you gave me last year has also developed a hole. In the ball of the foot. Perhaps some strange genetics is at work in our family.
i dread the day i find a hole in one of my socks. i have a feeling i will be devestated. in my mind i believe they will last forever and ever and ever.
You have to knit some socks! They are not nearly as hard as you would think, I like how they are divided into parts (cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turn/gusset, foot and toe). Each part is small, so there is always something interesting happening. Plus there are a lot of different ways to knit socks (I prefer cuff-down on DPNs). The hardest part is casting on and joining to work in the round, once you get going, they are really not difficult and it's just magical to watch them take shape. Plus, hand knit socks are just the best to wear, a special little luxury for your feet! Go make some!
I will report on the darning tomorrow 🙂
If the holes you will darn are on the ball of the foot, folklore says you are a traveler, a seeker, one who inspires, and will go far.
I think the green toe is cute! I’ve been watching a lot of costume dramas on Netflix as well and I totally agree about the Forsyte Saga. I’ll have to check out The Grand…I somehow missed that one.