Falling Leaves.

There was frost on the cars this morning when Hubby left for work at 6.30am. However being a bad mummy, I'd just looked out the window at the bright sunlight and let my daughter wear her favourite school dress again. Standing outside the school waiting for bell she was moaning she was cold and I was clearly No1 Neglectful Mum on the Gate.... all the other girls were in wooly tights or winter trousers. She did have long socks, vest and fleece jacket on as well though....she'll live! (Better get the winter kit to the top of the drawers though, and retire the summer dresses to winter storage, though....)

Talking of autumn and Falling Leaves.......




Well, it's taken me slightly more than the allocated half month to knit this first sock, and I started before September began, come to think of it. So I'm not entirely on track for my One Pair of Socks Per Month personal challenge. Also, I can't recall hating knitting a sock more, unless it was my miserable encounter with some Regia silk last year. I like sock knitting because it's easy, portable and a bit mindless. This sock I had to knit with a row tally and the pattern on my lap. Bit more of a mind challenge than usual, hurumph.

However, I kept on reminding myself that this was the whole point...to expand my sock knitting range and give myself a few challenges. I reminded myself of this as I reknitted the toe four times, ripped out the first two lace pattern repeats because I can't read the words "knit each alternate round plain", ripped back the first attempt at the heel because I'd made the foot too big...well, I think I may have already knitted this sock twice, come to think of it. and when I cast off this first sock last night, I was heartily sick of it. I wasn't even sure I liked it. Actually, I hated it. I didn't want to start the other one. I wanted to do something else...like different socks.

However I think that once you give in to Second Sock Syndrome you may never knit a full pair of socks again, so I gritted my teeth and cast on the second one within an hour of casting off the first. Then I sat and watched an enthrallingly quirky documentary on the telly about this man with three wives and...knitted the toe perfectly, first time, with only about two glances at the pattern and no row tally at all. So somewhere, somehow, knitting the short row toe/heel six times over in total had actually worked as a learning experience. I now know how to do this. And it's easy.

Gosh. Who'd have thought, eh? Practice and perseverence produces results, as my old sewing teacher used to say. Maybe the cranky old bat (May she rest in peace, bless her wrinkly stockings) was right after all.

I quite like these socks now...and I'll be finished them by October, I promise myself.