Well, hello!
I am at work, and it’s 7:30am, and it’s Saturday, and the scary thing is that I’ve already been up for three hours. And I’m awake. Very awake. That hyper-awake thing you get when you’re tired, right before you get sleepy. Yawn.
Last night I had one of those very unsatisfactory falling-to-sleep experiences where you’re lying there, knowing you can’t sleep, having lots of busy thoughts, knowing that you only have six hours to sleep. Now you only have five. Now you only have four and a half, and you’d like to grump to your wife about it who’s only just now coming to bed because she has a normal schedule, and she has lots of good suggestions, and tries to turn the clock around so you can’t stare at it, but you grump at her no matter what she says or how she tries to help.
Then at 4:30am, when the alarm goes off, oh, yes, I am asleep. Very asleep.
So now I’m awake but spacey. What was I going to tell you?
Oh, yes. I started a pair of socks from the TOP DOWN. I am firmly in the toe-up camp, having done a couple of pair top-down years ago and then realizing that toe-up, short-row heeled socks rock and are just plain easier. I always have three or four in progress.
But then I saw Stephanie on Knitty Gritty this week, and she made top-down socks look like fun. So I’m whipping into one now, and I’ll let you know how it goes. I have this idea that after watching her that once I’ll just try to remember her instructions, her recipe, as she called it, without looking it up, and see what comes out. I believe, because of this fact, I might be bored with toe-up. If I think winging top down socks is a hoot — that might be a sign. But you understand.
But really, that show, while fun, was weird in that during the 23 minutes Stephanie was in front of the camera, she never fell over laughing, not once. I’ve never seen her go that long — I believe it might be impossible, in fact. She told me that they edited those parts out, which made me feel better, because otherwise I’d have been worried about knit-body-snatching. (There’d be money in that.)
But why did the show do that? I have to say, even though these last few weeks have been chock-full of friends and cool people being the Hosted Designer, I can still barely watch that show. How do you suck the SOUL right out of knitting like that? (You darling Hosted Designers didn’t do it, don’t worry. You all were lovely and perfect. It’s the set and the set-uppers, I’m thinking.)
But it’s like the L Word (Showtime’s lesbian soap opera), in a way. I have to watch, because it is the Representation of My People. I used to have to watch Knitty Gritty because I’d never seen anything about knitting on TV. Now I have to watch because cool people show up and do some cool things. Hello, moebius! Hello, nice socks! Hello, dying sock yarn right on TV! Then, of course, they show some things that we won’t talk about because of that whole if you can’t say something nice rule.
How’s that for a half-assed rant? It’s too early in the morning for a real rant, I think. How ’bout a cute girls picture? Okay? Okay.
Oh, and go say hello to the decidedly blogless no-blog-Rachel. Who now has a blog. Heh. Another one bites the dust.
For me:
Toe up = HARD
Top down = EASIER.
See? It’s all subjective.
Hey you! I’m at work too! Noon here. Been here since 7:30. Sucks being a working gurl, doesn’t it? But at the same time I’m SOOOO grateful for this job and the food it puts on our table and the yarn it puts in my stash!
I’m with you about both the L-Word and Knitty Gritty – although the I found the L-Word more tolerable this season. (That just ended.) They changed something about the way they are filming Knitty Gritty – the look and more editing. I don’t care for it. It’s like they are trying to make it more hip or more cool. I DVR it and then fast-forward through the ones I’m even slightly interested in.
Anyway…here’s to the day going buy quickly and a good night’s sleep tonight.
Mmmm-Wah!
Sorry ’bout the typos…geeez.
Damn, you get up early. I’ve had to get up before dark two days in a row for work and I’m a raging bitch. No, really. I’m not just saying that.
I find that shortrow heels and toes are exactly the same whether you do them toe up or toe down. Maybe I’m a feeb and don’t get the nuances, but you’re just knitting the bump part as my non-knitting coworker says.
That said, I always knit socks top down…
You are funny.
And I’m stubborn and won’t even try toe-up!
I can’t watch Knitty Gritty either. I always end up wandering off or checking to see what’s on VH1 or something. A big part of my problem with the show is the constant perky uttering of the phrase “you’re good to go!!”
Also: Toe up is good because if you run out of yarn you just make shorter socks.
I’m right there with you on Knitty Gritty – I watch it, but I fast forward through most of it. I just watched Stephanie’s episode last night and I was surprised at how restrained she was.
It’s funny, the whole top-down vs. toe-up, and DPNs vs. circs discussion. Nathania and I were just talking about this the other day…we both feel like there’s something about toe-up socks that make us angry, and the socks don’t fit as nicely. I don’t know what it is, but I am perfectly happy making socks from the top-down on my double-pointed needles. I’ve tried to work them in other ways – toe up on DPNs, top down on a magic loop or two circulars – and it just doesn’t seem to work out as well for me. I made a POINT of trying all kinds of different methods, just to make sure I could really speak with authority and say that I hate the whole “two socks/two circs” thing. 😉
OK. L Word. I’m at the episode where Jenny is on a raft. WTF? I mean, I don’t really like Jenny even an iota, but is that way too Days of Our Lives or what?
And, Socks from the Top (because it has to be capitalized after 4 pints of beer) aren’t all that bad. Have you done an afterthought heel? It’s my new true love… lets you basically knit a big tube from cuff to toe and worry about the heel afterward. Plus, if you can kitchener worth a damn, the heel fits just as well as a short row heel (my old true love).
Ugh. Shifting your schedule to fit work. Ugh again.
I was thinking of you yesterday at CPR recert class. I kept muttering – I’m calling 911 anyway – Rachael will talk me through this. I don’t think they wanted that answer on the test. But oh, I’m painfully aware I’ll not remember everything. I can just hear myself – is it 2/30 x 5? or was that last time? probably 2/10 or maybe 1/15? no, Oh hell!
Short row heels don’t fit me well, but one of these days I’ll try that toe up heel flap, heel turn ‘backwards’ thing and see how it goes. I like the idea of knitting to the amount of yarn I’ve got. Sometimes.
I’ve rambled plenty enough…
Knitty Gritty. I thought it was just me. I don’t know why they produce it like they do. It’s like they’ve got this “knitting is serious business” attitude. Vickie gets to crack a joke or two, but they almost always manage to suck the personality out of each guest designer. And the knitsters? Oh so boring, even people I know to be colorful and interesting in person. Almost everybody comes across like a stump of wood.
Anyhow. Just found your blog and am enjoying reading it. 🙂
i’ve only been able to watch knitty gritty when it’s been on HGTV. i haven’t gotten to see the new episodes on DIY. but i have to agree that i find the show awkward. and i’m almost embarrassed for the knitsters.
anyway, when stitchy mcyarnpants is on, watch for the funfur christmas trees. those are mine 🙂 my design even. hee hee!!! (of course it’s quite possible that they’ll be edited out.)
Amen to your observations about Knitty Gritty! I blame it all on the hostess. She’s too perky and I find myself wondering if I could take her in a fight.
I don’t get DIY :-(, but I do get Showtime :-).
Ok, you’ve motivated me to get off my tuchus. Since I’m not riding horses this year (always my excuse to not have to “exercise” in the traditional sense), I’ve decided to walk the 4.5 miles of my road. Maybe it will cure my painful insomnia to boot, Oh LAWDY I hope it will. And I thank you for the motivation. Now if I could only figure out how to power walk and knit at the same time.
Clara is such a cool (and photogenic!) dog. I loved the story about her throw pillows arranged just so.
Both you and Lala are rockin’ your respective haircolors! You look good!
Here I was feeling sorry for myself for missing Knitty Gritty all the time (we don’t get DIY, and I never hear when someone is on I want to see until it’s too late to tape HGTV), so I’m actually kinda glad to hear it’s not that good.
I still think that the toe up sock is the perfect way to go especially for those of us who were endowed with good strapping calves! I mean it does make the whole fit thing a lot easier.
I’ve never made toe up socks and am kinda afraid of short row heels. But I’m gonna try one of these days. Grafting turned out to be a lot less fearsome than I expected.
I just wanted to say that inspired by you and helped by run-a-gogo, I ran my first 5K! It’s a small step, but I’m still really happy about it. Thanks Rachael 🙂