The Adventures of My Traveling Socks

It's been quiet here on the blog, but with school back in full-swing, I'm finding it hard to dedicate time to it. I just want to knit in my free time!

This week my traveling socks got to have more fun than usual...

It all started with a real, live, grown-up kind of date. After tutoring a student in math and helping out in the weekly after-school Bible program at church, I skipped out and met the DCA at home. We arranged for our friend to pick up the kids after dinner at church and watch them for the evening. We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner which was fabulous as usual--1893 salad, Rigatoni Positano, tiramisu, and espresso. Hoya Socksa #1 got to see the restaurant and hang out at the table! After dinner, we hit a nearby Starbucks to support the ginormous corporate entity it has become--and the sock enjoyed a few moments of quiet knitting while I had even more espresso (Doppio Espresso Macchiato-yum!). We teachers have early mornings and require much caffeine for watching music shows mid-week. We walked over to the Sonic Youth show at the House of Blues and arrived over an hour early since the start time was pushed back an hour. While we were waiting, I cast on another sock in Socks That Rock Highway 30, because plain stockinette is much easier to fiddle with in the darkened basement music hall. The show was awesome, and to make up for last year, the sound was nearly perfect. It also helped that all the teenagers were banished to the balcony, while the true, long-time fans like the DCA got to enjoy the show from the floor. If you're a fan too, you should definitely check them out while they're on tour.

The socks were mostly neglected on Thursday as I finally cast on for Clapotis. I even ripped out the 52 rounds I had worked on the Socks That Rock the night before when I realized the sock I had started would fit the elephants downtown at the zoo. I did cast it back on and start working on it again--all it needed was four stitches fewer around the leg. Anyway, the Lisa Souza Max just wouldn't stop calling to me from the stash. I worked enough of Clapotis for the stitch count to be up in the 50s somewhere, and now it's safely stored back in the stash while I work madly away on the socks for Socktoberfest. I can't forget that I have some Scout's Indie Swag coming too, and I know the Clapotis will start begging for attention again soon.

As always, the socks went to the staff Bible study on Friday morning. Highway 30 got all the attention during the weekly video and discussion because stockinette allows me to concentrate on the topic. Hoya Socksa's pseudo-lace pattern requires too much thought. (What is it about the rhythm of sock knitting that permits someone to focus completely on what is being said? I don't think I will ever be able to attend another meeting without a sock.)

That afternoon, Roo and I left for our weekend camping trip with her Girl Scout troop. Of course, the socks went along. Hoya Socksa #1 garnered much attention while I worked on it Friday evening. The camp had no planned activities for the girls that night other than checking in and getting settled in cabins. I just sat on my bunk and knitted away on the sock while chatting with the other moms and listening to the girls yell and play wildly inside our cabin.

On Saturday, Roo, the socks, and I had a busy day. We started off with time on the challenge course, a class about skunks, and two crafts. As a parent observer, I just hung out in the background and worked away on Hoya Socksa #1. There were many curious stares and lots of comments about my progress on the sock. One particularly dear child asked why anyone would possibly knit socks. I felt obligated to explain that "once upon a time all socks were knitted by hand because you couldn't go down to Target to buy a pair." She seemed stunned by this information. After lunch, we had archery, a mini-hike, and two more crafts, and Highway 30 got most of my attention during those events. Some of the scouts seemed surprised that I had more than one sock in progress, and almost everyone commented on how beautiful the colorway is. I really can't agree more.

I spent Saturday evening sitting, knitting some more, and listening to even more wild yelling. After the campfire, I absolutely crashed and burned. I couldn't focus on the socks any more, and I curled up on my bunk with Brenda on my iPod and lay there while debating whether 9 p.m. on a Saturday is too early to go to sleep. The 30-minute hike to archery, the equally long return trip, and the constant activity all day just kicked my behind. I finally gave up and passed out around 9:30.

This morning, we left camp and practically flew home, so we could make it to church for Communion Sunday. Hoya Socksa made a brief appearance during the weekly message so I could concentrate on what the minister was saying. I have been banished to the back of the worship hall because of my sock addiction (my knitting distracts other worshippers--particularly teenagers whose parents asked that I move), but I REALLY do get more out of sermons when I have a sock in hand. I can tell you lots of details about the sermons I knitted through, but I can't tell you a thing about the ones where I just have to sit, listen, and keep myself from daydreaming. I know I'm not the only one with this problem--my two best friends at church are the same way. Is there a Church of Needlework out there???

This afternoon will be fiber-oriented as I claim some territory on the couch and settle in for an afternoon of knitting.

P.S. to all those desiring sock visuals: The Trekking socks are done and went to camp with me this weekend. My apologies for not having pictures of them and the socks in progress--I was armed only with a disposable camera for the weekend. I'll try to post some soon!