Funk Fighters

The croc socks were a crock. I didn't like them in 2X2 rib. So they've been ripped. This is my first experience with the Opal self-striping/patterning/animal-oriented yarns. What should I be doing with it? Any ideas or experiences to share with me? Should I just stick with stockinette? I'm fine with that, if so. I love my roll-top stockinette socks -- I just don't know what works best with this yarn.

In the meantime, I'm still fighting a funk. It may say March on the calendar, but it still feels like February to me. Not that I have a prejudice against February as a general rule - it's just that Feb. 2006 was particularly unkind to those around me, and I can't help but be affected. And gah, I also recently learned of some things that happened to other friends and people I know. Just gah is all. Gah!

I carved out a few minutes to read last night, and knitted a few rows on the red secret project, and a few rows on the orange Koigu sock, and a few rows on the crocodile sock before I ripped it out. Just a desultory kind of evening.

I do have some interesting red sock yarn from Spirit Trail that looks appealing, and a while ago I signed up for the Red Hot Socks knitalong (but then forgot I had done so and even forgot to put the button on my blog), and there is that Project Spectrum going on and red is the color of the month, though I haven't signed up for that.

I don't know; do I sound a bit too ambivalent and noncommittal? I think I need to snap out of it.

Comments

[Kathy]

Go do something fun! Dance naked under the moon. Or pop in some Queen, turn up the volume, and belt it all out along with 'em. Dance to the music on the commercials. Find incredibly inappropriate and non-PC comics and laugh yourself silly.

Feel a hug from a friend out in California, too :-)

[Siow Chin]

Re the self-striping yarn, why not try Jaywalker? Or other type of chevron-y, feather-and-fan-y stitch pattern. Something like the Peak Experience is nice too.

[Theresa]

The croc socks are most likely to "croc" if you stick with straight stockinette after a little ribbing for the top. I don't think you'd see the croc pattern in the ribbing. A warning, tho. Croc sock yarn is somewhat notorious for not croc'ing sometimes. It still makes a nice pattern, but sometimes you don't get it to pool the way you'd like it to if your stitch count per row doesn work with how they've done the color intervals. I've read that sometimes you'll even get a sock that crocs and a sock that doesn't out of the same ball.

Can you tell that I got some non croc'ing sock yarn? you can see the results in my gallery if you want to get a sense for what happens when they don't croc.

[Diann]

The Opal folks recommend stockinette for the Croc socks (and all their self-patterning yarns) but I detest stockinette socks. I do my "plain" socks in k3p1 rib, which usually gives good results. Plus the socks don't slouch!

[Lauren]

You definitely need to CO those fun red hot socks.

[Brigid]

I made my son some red crocodile socks in a very wide rib - I think it was actually 7x1 and it looked rather good. I did contrast heels and toes in plain red but probably wouldn't bother again.

[Betsy]

Hang on Miss Norma...gardening season is coming...here in southwestern Virginia I was able to get out yesterday and do some...ahem...fall chores...and the crocuses are blooming...and the seeds for this year's garden are starting to roll in (my UPS guy says that the drivers think of gardening season as another Christmas with all the packages...)...think of those green crocs as your gardening socks (green thumb...green foot...close enough) and get knitting!

[Lucia]

You could blame it on Mercury's going retrograde or the belated arrival of winter. Don't stress out about it, though, you've had enough stress. Do some spinning, let that mellow you out, fondle the yarn, wait for it to speak to you.

[Dave Daniels]

(Insert Cher bitch slap from Moonstruck here) "Snap out of, would ya, ova there?" (Ok, lame, but you get the point.) Make something in orange, you KNOW you like orange. And stop committing to things you can not do. You got enough.

[MBT]

Just a quick positive thought from scenic NJ - hang in there (or insert another cliche of your choice here!).

Change is constant, if you don't like what you have now it is bound to be different soon.

I, too, am suffering the sock drama, my Jaywalkers in progress fit my 9 year old and not me - what was up with me there? Ah well, I get to knit them if not wear them, so at least that is something.

Hope your day is better.

[Kim]

Ooohh.....that is right, garden season IS right around the corner. How about getting some seeds started. I think I may have to get a few going....seeing those little buds poke thru the dirt in my kitchen, at this time of year, always makes me smile.

Great Red yarn!

[Rachel H]

Go sit and look at Kim's puppies for a while. Nothing else. Just look at the puppies. And breathe.

[Carole]

I'd stick with stockinette for those socks. It makes for good mindless knitting. Which you might actually benefit from right now. I'm just saying.

[rams]

Well, for starters, do NOT dance naked under the moon -- it's Vermont, for cryin' out loud. DO cast on the red socks for color therapy (or send it to someone who will appreciate them - coumegh) And consider trying the socks in Broadripple http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTbroadripple.html
It's one of the two best patterns for variegated yarn (Feather and Fan being the other.) Opinionated? Me?

And there's always chocolate. Now if you just knew where to get some without nuts...

[Laura J]

Easier to say snap out of it than do so. How about that motherwort extract, eh? I just bought some seeds from Seeds of Change -- they have old-fashioned single hollyhocks and lots of poppies and some peppers for Mexican food and tomatillos. That helped. Are you getting enough protein? Enough tea?

[Chris]

Heh, I just blogged about the blues'n'blahs... Dang, I think knitting that red yarn (or that orange Koigu) would cheer anyone up! :) Hopefully work isn't continuing to be insane...

[Sandy]

Hang in there kid. You have lots of friends, both real and blog-real, so we're here for you.

Patterning yarns like that usually only want enough of a rib to hold it up and then stockinette. Doesn't want its' pattern obscured. Yes, yarn has a mind of its own. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[margene]

How about a nice long bubble bath with no knitting, no reading, nothing but you, the bubbles and the water. Clear your mind, relax into the water and let it all out. Then you can cast on the red sock and knit yourself happy.

[Anne]

I was hopeful March would not be another month of Mondays like February was, but it seems to be going that direction already. But if anything cheers me up, it's that beautifully perky yarn color you've posted. Go knit something with that right away.

[Michele]

For the Crocs, I receommend 'Angel's Rest', a pattern by Fiber Trends that is included with the sock pattern for the Peak Experience sock. I've used this pattern with several Opal yarns and love the results. Jaywalkers are nice with Opal, too.

[Scout]

Sending you some *snap out of it* vibes. M'kay?

[--Deb]

I'm in a bit of a funk myself--our office just had to let one of my favorite people go and there's a scary meeting coming up about the company's future--meaning my parents' future, my future, my house's future . . . I am very, very much hoping that March IS going to be better than February! (Oh, please!)

[Connie]

I have used the Tiger yarn for my kids using a ribbed pattern down the entire front of the leg and foot. It pooled a little funny on the foot but that's okay - it still looks good and the kids love them. I do not like stockinette socks. I am using the Chamelion right now for the Jaywalkers pattern because I saw the stockinette version and didn't like it. The Jaywalkers work well.
I LOVE the Snap out of it! ad!! I think I need to get some of this!! (Or slip it into some drinks of people I know :)

[Norah]

I agree--red and/or orange socks might be color therapy for you! Hope you're feeling better soon. I think it's natural to feel that way after a lot of crap happens....

[Jennifer]

I have used Opal to make two pairs of Thuja socks, from the Winter issue of Knitty. It's a simple pattern, easily adjusted for size, and works really well with self striping yarn. It's basically a ribbed sock with seed stitch thrown in. That's my advice, for what it's worth.

[Beth S.]

Opal = stockinette. It's the only way to go with this yarn. And may I suggest a picot edge, for a little change of pace? (A word of warning, though--once you try it, you may never look back again. It's that pretty, and that much fun to do. ;-)

The Funk is making its way around blogland. Perfectly normal for right now. It'll lift as soon as things start to feel more springlike, I think.

[heather]

that spirit trail red looks like a kick in the ass if i ever saw one. (in the best possible way, of course).

[Elisabeth]

Sounds like you need the Snap Cup!

*pulls out piece of paper and reads*

Norma is a wonderful, caring person who knits beautiful things.

*and everyone says, while snapping their fingers*

"Snaps for Norma!"

(Okay, if you haven't seen Legally Blonde II, you have no idea what I'm talking about. That's okay. Coherence has never been one of my strong points anyway)

[Cathy]

""People with a Crocodile totem have the opportunity
to develop new wisdom but they must be careful not to be consumed by this wisdom. Study each bit of knowledge carefully before going on to the next.""

Yeah. That is so you (NOT). What were you thinking?

And thank you Dave for the Cher bitch slap... I love that movie.

[Carrie]

So, I'm thinking some really good chocolate, excellent tea or coffee (spiked with some really good liquor) and some sort of movie that will make you bawl your eyes out might help. I think that there are some times that you can't start feeling better until all the feeling bad is purged from your system. Wear your Magic Socks.

[Imbrium]

The body in shifting in preparation for spring - metabolism is slowing down, and everyone feels kind of yucky. Get some fresh air, hot tea, and plenty of sleep. Here's to hoping that the funk passes quickly.

[claudia]

Stockinette. Put a picot edge on top.

;-)

[Erin]

I've heard a lot of how terrible February treated a lot of people, but to be honest, it was one of the best months of my life! At least there's one person in blogland who February treated kindly. Don't worry though, March should make you feel better!

[freecia]

You could try the Harlot's feather and fan solution. It might turn out nice. Or try one of the sockbug patterns?

In my opinion, a nice trip to the yarn store combined with planning a quick vacation (hey, you deserve it after the transcript from hell) would take care of some blehs. Try site59.com for some quick weekend vacation packages- how about going somewhere sunny and warm? That always does the trick for me. Unless I don't have any vacation time or budgt, then it makes my itchy feet really itchy.

How about getting some nice costly produce, a few bottles of wine, calling over some good friends, and having a nice dinner? Nothing like some good cooking smells and good conversation to help you feel more Norma.

[Kristen]

Oooo, honey, do I feel your pain! I was mentally cursing the gods yesterday--and I normally love a good fresh snowfall. Just try to concentrate on how good it will feel when spring finally gets here... (And make yourself some blini!)

[Marcia]

i like March because I don't have change my wall calendar until the 29th. Unless it's leap year. Of course.

::Hoping this is somehow a psychosocial issue that may come up on a big testie.::

[Lolly]

Let me know if you wanna join Project Spectrum, Norma! We would be happy to have you! ;)

[Debi]

That red yarn should give you a lift, its so pretty! I'm having knitting/life ennui right now too! Hope you snap out of it too! (or I'll come to a funeral in those red socks! - a badly mangled Moonstruck line too)

Cheer up hunny!

[Chery]

Check out what I did with dark blue/black Opal Krokodil: http://cheryknits.typepad.com/knit/2005/12/happy_new_year.html

I purled the blue stitches in the cuff, stockinette for the foot.