Grumperina

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Reasons

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Reason for finishing the socks on the 17th but blogging about them 11 days later: moving. My 386-square foot apartment is crammed with boxes, empty and filled. My furniture is in in every corner and in all states of disassembly. I’ve been sleeping on my couch for about a week now. Stress levels are through the roof :(.

Reason for blogging about the socks now: moving. Everything must either go into a box, into the trash, into the donation pile, or bust! So, I must pack these up and send them off to grandma!

Pattern: Belle Époque from 2-at-a-time socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I knit the 72-stitch size (women’s medium) and changed the 1×1 ribbing (the look of which I never like) to 2×2 ribbing.

Needles: Initially, there wasn’t going to be anything “2-at-a-time” about my version of these socks: each one would be knit, in turn, using my trusty Susan Bates US 1 dpns, set of 5. But wouldn’t you know it, somehow the 2-at-a-time theme snuck in! Still not in the spirit of the book, which recommends Magic Loop, but I did have two socks going at once!

Yarn: Colinette JitterBug, 100% merino wool, moss colorway (#75). Such gorgeous yarn, such stinky put-up. The skimpy yardage resulted in two ankle-high socks and a whopping 3.3 grams of yarn left over. Bah.

Reason for not mailing the socks until the blog post went up: I wouldn’t mail them until I measured the gauge. And I wouldn’t measure the gauge until I was in the process of writing the post, because everything in my apartment is currently under the threat of disposal or being packed away – I’d never find that note ever again.

Gauge: 30 stitches and 42 rounds in circular stockinette stitch.

Reason for intermittent blogging until at least mid-August, if not later: do I even need to say it?

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  3. Very nice socks,your grandma is one lucky lady.

    Happy moving–hope it is an enjoyable experience.

  5. I really give you credit for blogging in the middle of a move. That’s real courage. I told my husband if he wants to move again he has to sell me with the house.

  6. Those socks are really sweet!

    Good luck with the move! I just moved myself, and am now slowly unpacking, settling in, and catching up with everything, so I totally sympathize…

  12. The socks look wonderful. Good luck with moving. I can totally sympathize. I moved so many times in college that now I have resigned to living in my 1 bedroom apartment forever. What happens if I get married and have kids? I will rent the apartment next door for the kids.

  13. Those are very nice looking socks! I think the height of them is just right. Hope the move goes without a hitch, and you’re back knitting and blogging.

  15. Your Grandma must have the best sock drawer ever.

    Hope the move goes smoothly for you both, a new marital home – how delightful.

  17. I will miss those socks! Bet your Gram will love them, though – lucky Gram!

    Good luck with the move…never fun, but worth it when you can look back from a comfortable distance 🙂

  18. Those are about the prettiest socks you’ve ever made, in my opinion. Good luck with the move (hope you are staying in the Cambridge/Boston area.) It’s customary to have at least one unopened carton two years later, but I bet you’re too tidy a person for that. How is the cat taking the turmoil?

  19. Good luck with the move and (maybe a bit late?) congratulations on no longer being a grad student (I just noticed in the right-hand sidebar). Hope there’s some knitting time wherever you’re headed.

  20. The socks are lovely! Good luck with your move. I remember one move I had where I had a stress headache literally for a solid week: I woke up with it, I went to sleep with it. I feel your pain. Moving sucks!

  21. Good luck with the move! I moved about a year ago, and it was months before I had everything unpacked. Well, truth be told, there are still things I haven’t done, like hanging pictures. But I feel the pain and frustration. I hope it goes smoothly!

  22. The socks are lovely and I agree with you on the ribbing. I have been using size 2 dpns but plan to try size 1 on my next pair to see which I like better.

    Best wishes on the move!

  23. I won’t address the moving issues since even thinking about thinking about moving gives me hives, but the yarn, however stingy in yardage, is beautiful with that pattern. I actually uttered an “oh!” aloud when the picture loaded.

    Beautiful marriage of yarn and pattern!

  24. good luck with the move!

    I hope you and mr. sweetness and your kitty are going to larger and brighter quarters.

    oooooh, with perhaps a fiber room especially for Y-O-U!

  27. I LOVE Jitterbug. I’m just knitting up my first pair of socks with it, and I think I’m using US 2.5s and the fabric isn’t too loose, and I’m getting a lot of mileage out of it. But still, it’s about 100 yards short of where I’d like it to be…

  28. Good luck on the move! I too am surrounded by boxes, but thankfully have a bit more square footage to store them all in (and Pods to get them out of my hair)!

  30. They’re beautiful. But the yardage is the reason I’ll never, ever buy Jitterbug. I picked up a gorgeous skein of subtly shaded purples and when I saw the tag, put them down with a hiss. No, thanks!

    I love the fagoting on those socks. Lovely!

  37. My only suggestion is to unpack when you get to the new place. Completely unpack. It’s the only way – you could end up like me with boxes still unopened and out of site from a move over five years ago! Yikes!

    As always, thank you for sharing the lovely knitting and lessons learned. What a blessing to have a grandma to knit for!

    blessings and peace, Pammie

  38. Lovely color! I love the little shots of red.

    Good luck with your move. I so hate to do it, I plan on staying in my new place for a good long time.

  39. Good luck with your move! The socks are fantastic. I made a pair of Sidewinders with the same yarn & colorway – my guage was closer to 32. Just a word or warning about laundering. I have found that this yarn has a tendance to shrink & felt (just a bit) when put in with the general laundry (the wash, they haven’t seen the dryer yet), so I’ve changed to hand wash only for this pair. That said – the colors are so beautiful and the yarn so soft, they are one of my favorite pairs.

  42. Gorgeous socks.

    But really I had to de-lurk to say good luck with move. I’m a few months behind you (D.C., 720 square feet, 2 people and a dog) but I get it. I’m hoping you’ll post “after” photos – so I know there’s an end in sight.

  43. Good luck with the move – it’s always a nervewracking sort of time. Can’t wait to hear about the new place though – will it come with a craft room, or a at least a dedicated sewing corner?

    Oh, and the socks are, of course, fabulous. I wish my granny liked socks (she knits so she appreciates the works, but I don’t think she actually wears the ones I’ve made her. Their floor is quite slippery).

  45. Ah moving, it sucks! Wait until you get into your new home and unpacking is even worse! I still have stuff in boxes and I have been living in this house for 6 years! sigh! Love the socks, hope Grandma loves them as well, what am I saying, Grandma will love them as she loves all the socks you make her.

    Good luck with the move!

  46. Congratulations on the move! I hope you’re going somewhere good? At least a LITTLE more space? And the socks look great.

  47. Good Luck with the move..I’m packing to move too. My knitting calms me in the evenings…hope your still knitting up something…I’ve lost 20# already just from the stress.

    Good luck and can’t wait to see you and Mr. Sweetness’s new digs.

  49. Sorry my Sundays have gotten insane and I haven’t been able to see you in person, Kathy, but good luck with all of the in-process and impending move stuff!!! I know how stressful it is. Just remember: It ends. 🙂

  50. I love these socks so much! I also have size 10 feet and 320 yards just isn’t enough for me, but The Loopy Ewe sells half skeins! So you CAN be generous with your legs and cuffs! I hope all goes well with the move and I will miss your posts!

  51. I hope moving is going well – I’m missing you terribly at this point, but I so understand moving. If I were anywhere near (Portland Oregon isn’t so near) I’d lend a hand. I’m sending happy, smooth moving wishes to you!

  52. Ooooooi, this colour is absolutely perfect; just my kind! Do you have some more of it?

    European Greetings to MA,

    have been there and loved it!!!!

    Beatrice

  54. The socks are lovely, Belle is one of my fave patterns from Melissa’s book. Big hugs on the move—– my son just moved from Brooklyn into Deeper Brooklyn and actually has a back yard. He says it was worth the pain.

    It is eventually—— really, it is.

    Can’t wait to hear about the new digs!!!

  57. Please hurry up and move so you will have time to knit (and write about knitting). How long can it take to move 350 sq. feet of stuff?!

  61. It’s been lonely out here without your insights, projects, advice, chat… Hope you’re well and settling in and all of that went smoothly.

  62. MMMMMM. I”m beginning to get concerned….is everything OK? Are you just overwhelmed with boxes and unpacking? I send positive thoughts every time I check and there is no new post….

  63. Come back, Kathy. I, for one, miss you. Did you have to move everything one piece at a time? I figure w/ a 300+ sq ft apartment you should be done and remembering your groupies! HA. Seriously, I hope the move is going/went smoothly and that you have lots of craft space in the new digs. Don’t forget us. –Sally