Monday, October 8, 2007

I Was Wrong

What was I wrong about? Oh SO many things, but specifically THIS time, I'm talking about pooling. I guess I should never try to make predictions as to how a sock may or may not turn out. In addition to that, I should also never get comfortable with, or attached to any specific sort of pooling, because invariably it will change. I'm feeling metaphorical today so humor me. (is it bizarre that I automatically first type the Brit/Canadian spelling of things like humour? I've subliminally influenced myself)

So... pooling is like life. You look at a ball of yarn and say, "Oh that's pretty, those colors are very exciting." and you expect them to go a certain way. When you start knitting, things don't turn out the way you had originally envisioned them, so you adjust your expectations and get used to what you have. Then there's another hiccup, a shift, and the colors start to play off of each other differently. "This isn't what I started with, but I rather like it. I hope it stays this way for a while."

Then here comes the heel flap and the colors get dicey. All jumbley and fractured, different but pretty. Somehow you think that after you turn the heel, pick up the gusset stitches and then begin your decreases back to the original amount of stitches, that your sock pooling will again return to it's former ways. Wrong again. The shift was permanent and there are two distinct pools of color now that don't ever quite mix the same again and the swirling seems to be going in the other direction. It's the sort of confusing pooling that makes me want to keep knitting past my toes to see what sort of patterns will emerge. But alas, I have not got clown feet, and I'm quickly reaching the end of this ball of yarn (because of a knot) and starting on the next ball in this sock may JUST be too much for my life ='s yarn metaphor. However it would be fitting of my life this year. A couple of breaks and the pooling just doesn't swirl the same. So the moral of this story is. Go with the flow, because we can't control life any more than we can predict pooling in our socks.

PS - I WAS totally attached to the swirling pooling on the leg, but I'm starting to think maybe these socks were meant to stripe like a zebra.

5 comments:

Chris said...

I think they look great. Is that the first sock? Can't wait to see the second one. The foot is in the shoe anyhow. And yes--life does kind of pool like yarn.

Anonymous said...

Well I love them! But then I love the funky in life, the unpredictable.

Anonymous said...

I like them, I came to terms with pooling in a big way when i made those pink/blue socks that did the same thing as yours. The colors are great and pooling can be a design feature :)

Anonymous said...

I think the socks are totally wonderful and I love the idea of a zebra knit in shades of blue - it makes you sound like an exotic knitting creature that lives in the wild knitterhari where the yarn trees grow (yes, I'm out of hibernation and blethering), suffice to say, socks are verrrrrrry pretty

Heidi said...

Yay, a new term to add to my knitting vocab!