Second Sock Syndrome

SSS means so many different things, an entire Wiki page is dedicated to the acronym. My personal listed favorite is Sun, Sand and Surf, but that might be because I’m trapped at a desk in a cubicle, far from fresh air and all things fun.

Years ago, a letter might end with SSS, meaning Sorry So Short. Short is the preferred way of communicating these days, and no one’s apologizing for it. This particular acronym hasn’t translated into texting and tweeting. Nor has its evil twin, Sorry So Sloppy.

Of course, it also stands for my favorite mosquito repellent, Avon’s Skin So Soft.

Surprisingly, one of the most common current uses of the Triple S isn’t even listed on the Wikipedia page. Second Sock Syndrome truly hasn’t infected me. Yet. I’m plugging away, one sock at a time, and still not tired of making foot coverings with small hooks, thin needles and skinny yarn.

Look up SSS on Ravelry, though, and you’re going to find plenty of knitters desperately seeking a cure.

Second Sock Syndrome means one sock's done, the second one is boring, and the needleworker can’t, doesn’t or won’t finish it.

Or, heaven forbid, the crafter ran out of yarn, purchased at tremendous discount because it was discontinued, and there is no more of that exact color anywhere on earth.

A tiny bit of research turns up a few interesting ways of treating this disturbing ailment, provided adequate yarn is available. Knit two socks at once. Knit the second sock first but don’t finish it, then knit the first sock, and then go back and finish the second sock. The best remedy I found was to rename the first sock Golf Club Cover and leave it at that; problem solved!

There's even a woman you can pay to finish that second sock for you. (Scroll down on linked page to find out more.)

Maybe crocheting socks instead of knitting them is a cure; I haven’t run across many sock crocheters afflicted with this frustrating condition. Of course, I haven’t met many sock crocheters.

When I finished my first pair of crocheted socks, I set out with a goal to make 11 more pairs as gifts for close family and friends of the female persuasion. The number kept growing as I thought of potential recipients I’d inadvertently left off my list, but I didn’t mind because I still enjoy the process, from combing the planet for sock yarn bargains to weaving in the ends after completing a sock.

I’m now up to 32 socks. (Insert 32 exclamation points here.) Here we go with exclamation points again... That’s pretty darned thrilling, and I tend to get carried away illustrating exclamation point excitement.

That said, I do have in my stack two unmatched handmade socks. But not because I’m bored.

After finishing my first pair of monster socks, in which I used sock leftovers to make stripes in a black pair of socks, I was so enamored, I wanted to immediately make another pair. Only one problem. I didn’t have enough leftovers.

But I couldn’t resist. So I started one more monster sock. I finished one monster sock. I ran out of leftovers. So I started another pair of socks, primarily to get yellow leftovers.

I got the yellow I needed using ONline's “butterfly color” in the next sock. The sock doesn’t look very much like a butterfly, and I’m not sure I like it. I’m not sure I’d wear it. So it might actually become a golf club cover.

Instead of finishing the second monster sock, I had to make a pair of purple socks because lavender was blooming like crazy all over the place. I wanted to finish the socks while I could still get pictures of them with the flowers, and getting the socks too close to such heavenly smelling blossoms was an unplanned benefit.

A yarn shop announced it was going out of business. I seriously fell to temptation. One of the skeins was so luxuriously soft and harmonized so well with yarn I already had, I began yet another pair. This pair suffered from neglect for a while because I wasn’t sure I would have enough of the gray to finish. I decided to shorten the ankle and cuff instead of trying to hunt down one more skein of gray that most likely would not be on sale anywhere else. As it turned out, the second sock had a 16-inch gray tail when done. Now that’s cutting it close! Mission accomplished, and didn’t have to buy more yarn to finish this pair.

Meanwhile, a package of yarn came in the mail… Ooooooooh la la! A new favorite! I began working on the Regia Mosaik pair immediately, before even finishing that previous By the Hair of My Shinny Shin Shin pair. I’m not the only one who loves this new yarn. You know a sock is beautiful when you get 15-20 comments a day on public transportation: “That’s BEAUTIFUL! What are you making?”

Hmmm. Shinny Shin Shin. Is that yet another Triple S?

Now I’m ready to start another pair of socks. I’m not ready to go back to the butterfly sock yet, and I want to build up a few more leftovers before I finish the second pair of monster socks. So I guess there is a bit of Second Sock Syndrome in my yarn basket. But just a touch...

Oh, here’s another Triple S they left off the Wiki list... Scrumptious Strawberry Sundae. I’ve got to have some strawberry-hued yarn in my stash somewhere!

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