Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Unraveled Wednesday

I'm joining Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday, with some sock possibilities. These are the socks I was overthinking and unraveling a couple of weeks ago, and the overthinking continues. First I knit my usual 16 rows of ribbing with green, and then started the body of the sock with the bright self-striping yarn, but that much ribbing was clearly too much. The stripes are only about 5 rows each, so I tried something else. 


This is the sock with 10 rows of pink ribbing, but I still wasn't sure about the number of rows of ribbing, and I'm not sure I like the pink next to the orange.


I folded over the 10 rows of ribbing to get an idea of how 5 rows of pink ribbing might look. Hmm ...


This is 5 leftover rows of the green ribbing so I could imagine how that might look. The solid green that I used doesn't match perfectly outside in daylight, but it looks okay indoors.

But wait, there's more! I couldn't bring myself to actually knit 5 or 10 rows of ribbing with this yellow, but I thought I could get an idea of how it might look. I do like this because it would fit in with the stripe sequence and not look too weird next to the orange. 


I know this is just a sock and not a momentous, life-changing decision, but I was telling Ryan about the pros and cons as I was knitting, so he's looking also looking at the photos and will let me know his thoughts. He's never led me wrong where yarn was concerned, so I'm anxiously awaiting the ideas and opinions from my color consultant. 

I read a quick, fun book of short stories this week, mainly because I liked the title: The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg. The title story was the best one in the three-star collection. Many of the stories seemed fluffy and frivolous, but there was also a more serious underlying theme. I doubt that I'm the only older woman who feels as if she is slowly becoming invisible, and many of the women in these stories also realize that they are neither seen nor heard. Sad, but true. 

I also received a copy of Maggie Smith's most recent book of poetry, Goldenrod, from Netgalley. I've read through it once and now I'm re-reading these stunning poems. It's due to be published July 27th and it is wonderful.

What are you knitting, overthinking, and reading this week?

13 comments:

  1. I've been reading along with some of the poems from Goldenrod that Maggie Smith has been posting on IG, and you're right! They are wonderful! I am eagerly awaiting the book's release in July, and have already pre-ordered. :-) Lucky you to be able to nab that NetGalley. As far as your ribbing . . . I'd say that the pink is the total attention-grabber in that particular stripe sequence, so that initial pink ribbing - with the pink stripe so close to it - was causing the problem. If it were me, I'd use the pink as the ribbing color (and go with the usual ribbing length), but then I'd force the stripe sequence so the pink came as the "last" stripe in the sequence, instead of the second. Does that make sense?
    (And I'm going to check out that Elizabeth Berg story collection. I've been talking recently with Erin . . . about the "invisibility" factor for aging women, and how shocking it is to realize that . . . it's REALLY happening.)

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  2. PS - As I always say . . . when it comes to color work, you really need to give it "more real estate" before you make any final decisions. With those stripes? You're going to need to see the repeat at least one more time before you can really see what you're getting. . . (I always have Many Thoughts when it comes to color theory. . . )

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  3. Hmmm, I like the sock as it is. I don't mind the pink next to the orange. And, I always knit 15 rows of ribbing - I like the way that feels on my leg. Also, I'm not a matchy-matchy person so I would not care if the socks match or not. Finally...my knit socks are always under jeans or some other pants so the top is not really seen anyway! Whew! The Elizabeth Berg book sounds interesting. I usually enjoy her writing, though like Anne Tyler, some books are better than others. I'm reading Radio Free Vermont - you might enjoy it!

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  4. For socks, I think you should just go for it. I mean, your feet deserve the fun for all of the work that they do, and so what if people think they are too wild - they are SOCKS!

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  5. anyway you do it they will look great! I love the options and the mulling when it comes to knitting decisions.

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  6. I am jealous that you have your own personal color consultant -- and also relieved that you're not asking us to choose, because I like all the combinations!

    I am not making much progress on knitting or reading this week because work has been so busy. I'm looking forward to my day off on Friday to do both!

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  7. I have no opinion about your stripes because no one else's opinion is more valuable than yours and Ryan's! Have fun with it. I am reading (when I can find a moment or two) Radio Life by Derek B. Miller, and I'm loving it. It was an unlikely pick for me, but I love the author's other writing. I think it may be close to a 5 star book for me. We'll have to see once I have finished it.

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  8. I'm not the one to offer any opinions about striped socks. I just cast on and start knitting and let the stripes do what they do :-) I've been overthinking the slump I'm feeling. thinking (and thinking) I might need to make Changes, and really, maybe I just need to take a nap or brew a cup of tea and sit in the chair with a book?

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  9. I can't wait to see what Ryan's thoughts are! It's fun to have a consultant!! Elizabeth Berg's book sounds interesting... relevant and relatable.

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  10. I like all of your color combinations for your socks, so no matter what you choose, they will look great!
    I've been in a sort of knitting and stitching slump for the past couple of weeks just due to some life stuff going on. This week I seem to be getting back on track. I'm knitting a Heart Warmer cowl out of some yarn I dyed with indigo and I'm reading Perestroika in Paris and it's just the right book for me at this time.

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    1. I think everyone that does any sort of making goes through slumps from time to time, but I do like the project you chose to get back on track. I've admired several Heart warmers, and using yarn that you dyed yourself with indigo will make it even more special. Perestroika has been on my list for quite a while and I really need to get to it soon!

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  11. I usually knit 11 rows of ribbing on a sock. My current socks called for twisted rib which I won't do again as it was too tight on my calf. I made a slightly shorter cuff to move it down toward my slimmer ankle. I like all the color combinations and will be anxious hear what Ryan thinks about them. Me, I am overthinking and talking to death some recommended medical therapy.

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  12. Sock cuff dilemmas... oh my! I am with Kym in thinking you need a bit more knitting to see how it looks - sorry :( I am happy to say that I had little knitting time in my week away. A good thing... so much outdoor time, so much walking, so much fresh air - the evening when we finally sat down, I was just too tired to do much of anything!

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