It's alive!

Yes, I'm alive. I haven't been blogging much because when I went on vacation, I just got out of the habit. And everyday, I'd think about blogging, but wouldn't know where or when to begin, so then I would just put it off entirely.

But I'm back, so, moving on...

I haven't been writing, but I have been crafting. While up in Tahoe, i think I caught a bug. The sock bug.

For years, i just didn't understand the sock knitting thing. People are obsessed with knitting socks. The patterns seem to dominate some knitting magazines, and I didn't get it. I live in sunny Southern California, where I only need to wear socks maybe 2 months out of the year. And I had an aversion to small needles. I liked fast and funky projects that were very wearable. Who wears wool socks in Los Angeles?

But then a friend made me a beautiful pair of knit socks in a gorgeous pumpkin orange and brown yarn. And then another friend gave me a pair that she had knit but didn't fit her. And those wool socks were... comfortable. And warm when I wanted them to be warm, and yet airy and breathable when I was hot.

So I understood the desire to have hand knitted socks, but I wasn't sure I wanted to put the time into making them. It seemed tedious. I tried crocheting socks, to see if that would make the project go faster, but I got 3/4 of the way done with the first sock and then got distracted. It wasn't until I was packing for Tahoe and grabbed the neglected project bag "just in case" I finished the sweater I was working on.

Here's a newsflash: a big project bag with a half-finished wool sweater is not what you want to be taking to the beach. Or pulling out to work on in the car. Or shoving into your purse before heading over to a friend's house.

The sweater is still half-finished. But the socks? I managed to finish those on the drive home.

I've already started on my first pair of knitted socks. They are fun and very portable -- the project bag, including the magazine with the pattern, fits into my purse no problem. While I wouldn't say I'm obsessed yet, I think I definitely understand the attraction to sock knitting.