Adaptability

When the horror of the tangle pushed me into starting the knee highs I felt I was diving in on something that needed a little more planning.  My auntie requested some knee high socks for her Christmas gift socks back in the spring, so the idea  has been percolating in my mind for a long while but I was holding off until I had some time to work out the details. Then the socks need for planning became less than my need for some calming sock knitting so I thought I'd just get going and adapt as I went along. I wasn't sure of sizing, calf-shaping, heel type, anything in fact bar the yarn and that I wanted to rib the leg so it would have the best chance of fitting - but I knew all the rest could be figured out along the way and it has been.
I've been enjoying the lovely Kaffe Fassett colourway. I had some fun playing with the way it echoes the strength of the colours in my anemones.
Thanks to Dr K for reminding me that this is the self same yarn Bells used for her knee highs.  The memory of those must have been a subliminal inspiration as I was sure for a long time in advance of the knitting that this was the right stash yarn for this project. Now Bells was a smarty pants on two fronts - she had more than two balls of the yarn and did her socks from the toe up. I wanted to use up what I had and thought with some 2.75mm needles I'd get a pair of knee highs out of it. I would have gone with toe ups but I just didn't have the patience to watch a tutorial and I don't have any toe up cast-ons in my head so I had to dive in top down and hope that there would be enough yarn. 
Not so much. 
But I love it anyway. I striped in some leftover Kaffe Fasset Regia I had from a pair of socks I made for last Christmas which had the right tones if not the right stretches of colour. I wanted to keep up the momentum and not wait and try and get hold of more yarn. I wanted to use what resources I had both in terms of yarn and mentally. These socks have become all about being adaptable, a prime example of as in knitting as in life. I'm trying hard not to over plan, to delay things until everything is perfect. In trying to overcome the ME I've seen that this in area I need to relax and learn to trust more in my own skills and capabilities. So as ever there's a lot more in this sock than just yarn. I'm so glad I just got going and even more so that I kept going and enjoyed every relaxing stitch. A little triumph which I love for its imperfection. 
Now on to number two!

Comments

Rose Red said…
You can hardly tell the toe part is a different colour, I reckon!

And that yarn really does match your anemones perfectly!! That KF is a colour genius!

(You probably know this already, but I was excited on your behalf today when I learnt that Loop in London is now stocking Wollmeise!!)
sara said…
The sock looks great! The yarn is just lovely.
Sue said…
I couldnt even notice that you used 2 different yarns at all. They look fantastic!
marycatharine said…
That is an awesome sock! If you hadn't pointed out the colour shift I'd have never noticed it.
Anonymous said…
i totally did not see that toe until you pointed it out! these just look so amazing, and what great yarn that you can mix and match like that. loooove the rib!
Bells said…
ha! Look at that. I didn't even pick at first that you'd done it with a different yarn. Well done. It's a great match and let's face it, if they're tucked inside shoes who's gonna see anyway?

That's a great colourway though isn't it? Really fun for socks. Glad to have been part of the journey in some small way!
Caffeine Girl said…
I'd love a pair of lace knee-highs, but I am worried about the boredom factor!

Yours are beautiful and the substitute yarn works out just right.
Absolutely stunning! I must try to make some socks
Kyoko said…
Hi Sarah,
I am absolutely in love with your socks. What amazing colours!!! I know what you mean by requiring planning before knitting. I am an over-planner and often spend more than half of my knitting time planning and contemplating...
I didn't realise you used two yarns. Just so nice and what lucky auntie she is!
x
Kyoko
mooncalf said…
Great socks. I think knee-high socks are going to have to be on my 2011 to-do list. I'd be interested to know if you used a pattern.

I'd like to do my knee-highs top-down so that I can reknit the toes and heels if they wear out...
Rachel said…
You make me want to knit knee-highs! I love that you adapted to keep the momentum going...I get that feeling so well! And they look great...if you hadn't told us of the second color, I wouldn't have noticed.
Lynne said…
Very clever solution to your challenge! Looking good.

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