Charming Indeed

I was in Charm City yesterday to visit one of the libraries I manage and whip it into shape. The office is right in the Inner Harbor and when I arrived yesterday morning there were very few people out so I had a chance to enjoy it and take it all in without distractions. I felt like a tourist and I wondered how they get anything done in that office with this right outside.

Sculpture with waterfalls

And this…


Plaza Sculpture

And, of course, this…


See the aquarium behind the USS Constellation?
It’s really a miracle that I made it inside at all. I did get a lot of work done though and it was a really productive day. I felt great right up to the point that I started trekking home. Then the trip started to wear on me because it took over three hours to get home. Some of it was bad choices (MARC train rather than Amtrak), some was stupid mistakes (getting on the blue line train rather than the orange), but in the end the blame doesn’t really matter. It all adds up to an exhausting trip home but, like the trip itself, a productive one.

Look what I finished yesterday! Hubbo’s socks. They look saggy on my feet because I have normal feet rather than pontoons like hubbo. I chose to model them myself though in order to spare you the vision of his furry legs. Just say thank you and move along.

The socks are wonky in more ways than I can count but, hubbo says that they feel great and they look cool if you don’t get too close. I’m just glad they’re done. Although I started them during the summer, I did most of the second sock in October which makes them my first Socktoberfest socks. In honor of Socktoberfest and the completion of another pair of socks, I present my answers to Lolly’s questions:

• When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class? - I started in January 2006. I learned by checking my reference books as I followed the Jaywalker pattern.
• What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time? - They were Jaywalkers that I knit in Ruby Slippers Socks That Rock. I really don’t wear them all that much because I they’re a little tight and don’t work well with my Clarks.
• What would you have done differently? - I would have knit them a little looser. I also would have kept them out of the washer. They went through by accident and look a little fuzzy now.
• What yarns have you particularly enjoyed? – Sundara, Koigu and Elann Esprit made my hands really happy. I think that I like sproingy yarns that are a little more cushiony.
• Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method? - I’ve tried many ways but I always come back to my #2 Addi’s. Nothing else works quite as well for me.
• Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?) - If I’m knitting top down (which I rarely do any more) then I like a flap heel with the eye of partridge pattern. For toe up socks I still don’t have a favorite heel but I’m in love with the Turkish cast-on for the toe.
• How many pairs have you made? – This last pair was my twelfth. I only kept four for me. The rest were gifted away.

Still no socks of doom in my mailbox but my victim posted the receipt of hers so I guess that I’m officially an assassin.