Kiss My Knits!

After the problems with quick degradation of my last two pairs of socks, I decided that my next pair would wear like they were made of titanium. To that end, I have some Tofutsies sock yarn I’m using.

Fiber content: 50% superwash wool
25% soy
22.5% cotton
2.5% chitin

That’s right, chitin. From shrimp and crab shells. Supposedly it has antimicrobial properties. I’m fairly sure they just put it in there to be trendy and different, but I don’t really care. All I know is this stuff feels like it’ll outlast me. Also, I feel the urge to make claws with my hands and scuttle from side to side when I try on what I’ve made so far.

I started a swatch on size 0 circular needles, because by God I was going to knit it as tightly as I could without them actually being able to stand up on their own. My swatch came out to 7.5 stitches per inch. That’s crazy loose for a yarn that the ball band says should get 8 sts per inch on size 2 needles. Somewhere down the line, I got so relaxed in my knitting that I’m now a loose knitter.

So I decided to forget the free “Tidal Wave” sock pattern I was going to use and go with something different. I decided to just wing it. I’d start toe-up, do a regular stockinette foot, then find a stitch pattern from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year calendar and use that on the leg.

So I started toe-up, but a funny thing happened. When I re-checked my gauge, I was getting 9.5 stitches per inch. I have no idea why. Maybe I checked it wrong the first time. Maybe I was so wound up over trying to get these tight that I choked up on it. But it’s reassuring to know that I can get a nice firm fabric. I took my little toe swatch and my laptop (thanks for the groovy laptop bag, Ellyn!) to our Wednesday night stitch session, where Turtlegirl had some good suggestions. I decided to go with Knitty’s Monkey even though I was getting a much tighter gauge than it called for. By my math, it should still fit my 8″ ankle. 9.5x(8-1)=66.5 sts and it calls for a 64 stitch cast-on. Hopefully I’m doing that right.


At any rate, I decided I still wanted to go two-up on two circs, so I’m working the pattern backwards from the toe. But I think maybe the stitch pattern is getting lost in the busy colorway of the yarn. There’s no point in doing an elaborate stitch pattern if nobody’s going to see it.

Can you see the stitch pattern? I’m seriously thinking about ripping back to the toe and just doing it plain. It’d still be less work than continuing the design, so if it’s not visible, that’s what I’ll do. I’d also go up to size 1’s, except I seem to have no size 1 circs. Maybe in a couple of weeks, since I’ve already shot my disposable income budget and I like to buy the $15 addi turbos. I figure I’m going to be using them for a long time, I might as well go for the best.


Because I’ve been talking so much about Emily and her issues, I should update you on that! Emily had her end-of-quarter testing this week, and she did a stellar job. She didn’t have to leave the classroom (that’s an adaptation she’s allowed for testing under her IEP, but we try to keep her in the classroom if at all possible), she got greens all week, and has generally been very communicative and all around good.

Her teacher told me that on Tuesday, they did their hardest reading comprehension testing. She kept going by Emily’s desk and telling her, “You’re doing great!” “You’re doing a great job!” Finally when Emily turned in her paper, she said again, “Emily, you did great!” Emily sighed, looked at her and said “They’re not all right.” Like “Don’t get your hopes up, lady.” Heh. It’s a cute story, but it also illustrates some improvement. She turned it in even though she knew they weren’t all right. I’m glad to see she wasn’t obsessing over everything having to be just perfect.

There’s no school today – teacher workday – so she’s made it through the entire week doing great. She’s also putting on a growth spurt, I think, because she’s been eating us out of house and home all week. Our big girl’s week of greens means another trip to the mall with Daddy tomorrow. Yay!

Remember the health books they had to share? They apparently worked more on health this week. So I leave you with Emily’s health tips. Click to see a larger version.