Sock Hop

Socks are so much fun. Socks are addictive. Want to read some fun sock quotes? Go here. But then come back. Because I've got more sock heaven to talk about!

During a recent mountain bike adventure, I learned I can wind yarn hanks into balls in the dark. No kidding!

We left home at 3:30 a.m. I had brought socks to work on, but asking my Lizard to drive dark and curvy mountain roads with the distracting dashboard light on isn't a wise idea. So I also stashed a couple hanks of yarn in my pack, in addition to current WIP socks, tiny scissors, crochet hook and double-pointed needles. (This also was the day I forgot to take my water bottles, Hammer gel and Luna bars on my mountain bike ride. So how handy that I just happened to have socks and yarn balls along for the ride. You can't eat 'em, but they sure can keep you occupied when your tummy is growling.)

I began winding the first hank of yarn into a ball maybe a mile from home. I didn't know if I'd be able to do the whole thing. If I came upon a giant tangle, or worse, I'd be stuck until daylight. You don't want to move a tangled hank before you untangle; you could make it much worse! Nevertheless, I took a chance, began winding, and it worked! I had that baby balled up before the horizon began to appear. So I did the second one. It was finished even faster than the first. Too bad I didn't bring more hanks.

Eight bargain hanks of yarn still need to be wound. Instead of trying to make time for them in the evenings after work and frequent visits to my friend Shonna in the hospital, I'm carrying this stuff on road trips from now on. I can wind in the dark! Not to be confused, of course, with whine in the dark, at which I'm sure I excel. Just ask The Lizard.

During another recent mountain biking adventure, I learned I can finish an entire sock during a daylight drive to and from Crested Butte! (Which is precisely why you rarely see handmade socks for sale. One pair takes from 12 to 18 hours to complete, depending upon the speed of the needleworker. Sock yarn is not cheap, even when you buy it on clearance. Some knitters on Ravelry estimate one pair of handmade socks is worth about $300. And I got choked up over the price of my first pair of cycling socks: $8... So consider yourself blessed, loved or just plain lucky if you ever find a pair of handmade socks beneath your Christmas tree.)

I didn't plan this particular sock-in-a-day project in advance. I grabbed two balls of yarn that looked good together: pink and gray Noro and silvery gray Karabella. The Noro had been calling out to me ever since I first grabbed it at a rare half-price sale. I wanted to make more miniature critter goodies with the gorgeous leftovers, so making the sock toe, heel and cuff gray seemed like a super smart thing to do.

As I finished up one silvery heel on the way home, I glanced out the window just in time to see Mount Silverheels, and I crocheted even faster so I could get a shot of my Silver Heeled sock with Silverheels! Upon request, The Lizard lovingly found a safe pullout, patiently waited for me to finish, then carefully held the sock up so I could shoot this shot. He then didn't utter a single complaint when I begged, "Can I shoot the moon, too?"

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