Schrodinger's Kittie

So I was talking with a friend of mine about the current economy and such and she says:

“I’m worried that the money us Dick and Janes have in the bank is going to disappear, just like in the depression. People are going to panic and go try to pull their money and the banks aren’t going to be able to honor the requests. Our bills will go unpaid, credit reports will become awful, even for those of us who played the game like they were told to will become victims. And when no one can get any more money, the grocery stores will shut down and there will be no food.

Bright outlook, aye? Go get your canning supplies now.”

To which I responded:

“The nice thing about being a down home country girl marrying a full blooded redneck? We already got our canning supplies, fibre producing animals, home gardens, 2000000 years worth of ammunition and about 10 years of frozen, smoked, jerked venison, fish and squab in storage *snickers*”

This amused me beyond belief. Honestly. Other than me not being able to pay off the debt I owe, meeting mandatory taxes owed to the federal government, etc, I’m not horribly worried about “depression”. I’ve lived without electricity and running water. It doesn’t bother me overly much.  We’d figure it out.

Wayne and his family (and mine) own plenty of property and there is plenty of shelter. Fibre animals are all over, so we’d never be without clothes. Water, string and patience nets plenty of fish, etc. Gardens out the wazoo. A couple of doctors, nurses, farmers, cattlemen, preachers, construction workers, leather workers (me), fibre workers (me and others), etc in the family…well, we pretty much have our bases covered.

As a friend once pointed out -

“You are about the only person I know that could be stranded on a deserted island – and so long as there was vegetation and fresh water you’d make out like a bandit. You’d have your own clothing line knit up out of retted weeds and the hair off your head. You’d probably have built some kick ass ‘cottage’ out of sticks and stones and shark hides. Geez, I bet you’d even kick up a stink if they tried to rescue you.”

She’s probably right *snickers* Loony, but probably right.

So, I was knitting away on my second sock last night when it dawned on me how addled I must be. Oh, step back a moment and inform you why I was a tad addled…we found out yesterday afternoon that we are going to be grandparents in about 8 months. Great news! I’m tickled pink. However, the news addled my brain enough that it took about half the leg of the sock for me to realize it looked wrong. Then it took me another few minutes of eyeballing the sock to figure out WHY it looked wrong.

It appears that a 2×2 rib looks nothing like a 3×1 rib. Who’da thunk it? So, yeah. I ripped it all out and will start over again. However, before I got started back on the sock, I had to do a block for the kiddo’s coverlet. I’ll take a photo tonight when I get home – don’t hold it against me, it was the first thread crochet I’d done in a while. By the end of the block I was back in the swing of things, so the rest will work out nicely. I’ll be doing 82 heart blocks and then spelling out the last name (six characters). This is being done in Filet Crochet – and I think it will make a really nice, summer weight coverlet.

Then I’ll knit up a heavier one like what we girls in the LSSK group generally make for the new babies that arrive. Very nice little blocks with feet and stars and angels and the Lone Star State (of course) all worked up and sewn together.

Yes, I’m still working on the socks and the hat. I’m pretty much done with my blocks for the crochet along, so the only thing that remains there is for all of us to sew them together over the holidays at my family’s place.

Here’s what the squares will look like – only a bit nicer since this was the first. Notice the improvement toward the end – top.  Plus, it’s unblocked.  I think it will turn out really nice and be easy to take care of.

Halfway there! For those who suffer from S³, this might be a horrible thing. But, for those like myself who have never had a battle with S³, this is a spectacular thing.  I have finished the first sock of my garter-stitch rib set in the glorious copper colourway from Koigu.  I am in love.  I adore it!

The yarn is working up wonderfully, and the subtle variations in shading just make it a perfect fall sock.  As you can see, I prefer my socks a bit on the short side.  When I make them longer, I wind up folding them over – unless I make them knee length…but, that’s a whole other beast all together.

These started off as a “save my sanity” knit for when I was going to meet Wayne’s family…and have turned into a project that I am absolutely smitten with.  For such a simple pattern, it sure is giving me a wonderful result.  I know, it’s not a difficult pattern at all.  The only thing simpler is a plain rib…actually, this is simpler than a plain rib because every other row is just a pure knit.  So I guess the only thing simpler would be a pure SS sock…but, given the colour play in the yarn, I think this was a perfect mix.

My next sock is going to be “Hourglass” from Knitty.  Wayne saw the pattern and just loved it.  He said I should make something with it.  Depending on how easy the pattern is to memorize, I very well may make a sweater using that pattern.  Or maybe a stole.  We’ll see.  I do love the pattern, though.

 S³ is also known as SSS or Second Sock Syndrome. This is the malady that strikes many a knitter upon completion of the first sock. The symptoms include apathy, loss of intrigue, loss of yarn, loss of needle, loss of pattern and many other such nuisance issues occur and strike the knitter incapable of tackling the final stages of the project which results in one, lone sock languishing for completion. Many knitters struck by this malady may be recognized by their constantly mismatched socks and the explanation that they are trying to set a new fashion trend.