We Give Up! or We Tried, But We Still Did Not Find That Special Something

The sock and I took another trek onto the hill looking for That Special Something that people keep telling us about. By this point, since I feel like I've covered the whole hill at least twice over, I have started to think that the first person who told me about The Special Something was maybe having me on a bit. But you remember the last time I went up there, with Abigail and Vincent, and I mentioned that we ran into someone Abigail knew? Well, later that evening, that person IM'ed Ab and said, "So, did you see (blankety-blank)*?"  And she said, "What do you mean?"  He then proceeded to talk about That Special Something.  She said, "No! We were looking for it but didn't find it." 

He said what everyone else has said: "It's off the beaten path." 

Well, freaking hell.  I went about as far off the beaten path as I thought I could, but this little bump is really a bit bigger than I think it is, I guess. However, apparently everyone but us can find it. What's up with that, huh? Given the descriptions by people, I don't think it's something I could just miss or fail to see if I were walking past it.

Saturday afternoon, I ended up spending three hours trying to find more "off the beaten paths," and I guess I haven't covered everything yet. I'm not really giving up. I'm telling you, though, this had better be worth it, because after a morning of heavy lifting in the garden and heavy trekking on a hillside, on and off trail, I came back thoroughly worn out.

Meanwhile, I saw lots of old stone walls, hidden in the forest. Quintessential New England.
It boggles my mind to think that this area was once all cleared (hence, the old stone fences). Vermont, before it became dairy country, was sheep country. Sheep farming requires clearing of the land. Vermont is now about 80% forested. At the turn of the last century, it was 80% cleared. I simply can't imagine it.

~~~~I remember when I was walking around the fells of the Lake District in England, I said to my friends, "Isn't it amazing to think that this was once all forest?"  They looked at me as if I were green (ha), shrugged their shoulders and said, "I never thought of it."  I'm not sure it ever was, but in my imagination it must have been. You know, enchanted forests and all that.~~~~

After a while, the sock and I gave up for the day. The sock needed a little rest first.

As you can see, the first one is finished. There really is not any wonkiness in the ankle and heel -- it's just the way it's lying on the rock. 

I cast on the second one Sunday. I love the short-row heel (my first!). And Trekking yarn?  I love it so much, I want to make a sweater out of it. At least a baby sweater.  It would make a SWEET baby sweater.

*I don't want to ruin the surprise, in case I ever do find it.

Oh, P.S.  The sock is a 3X1 ribbed sock, the Trekking Color is 100.

Comments

[Kathy]

You short row heel look AWESOME. Did you use the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (or R-G) book as a guide?

[Marcia]

Huh. My Trekking yarn does not look ANYTHING like that at all. Mysterious.

[Lee Ann]

You sound like you're trying to complete a World of Warcraft quest ;-)

(Nevermind, honey. Need spells to find that Special Something? I could try to cast some....)

[Cookie]

Everything is so lush and green looking. If it wasn't so hot here, I'd be jealous. The sock looks lovely wonky rock and all.

Are you sure that there really is something out there? Maybe it's something people just say they've seen so they don't seem out of the loop.

[Manise]

I had wondered if you had found "the thing" yet. Hope you do soon, because I'm dying of suspense. Good Luck!

[Samantha]

I love stone walls! Our property is aproximately five acres,and all but about one hundred feet is surrounded by rock wall.

[--Deb]

Your sock looks wonderful. My second is about an inch of ribbing (and some heel surgery) away from being done, but it's still jealous of yours--at least yours got outside this weekend. We had nothing but rain, rain, pouring rain, drenching rain for both Saturday and Sunday. Neither the sock nor Chappy (nor I) got out of the house at all this weekend.

[gale (she shoots sheep shots)]

Sorry about the Elusive Thing, but that sock? Gaw-juss! We used to be into letterboxing , I was always not finding the thing everyone else found the first time out on the trail.

[claudia]

Mmmm.

Is the something legal or illegal?

[Sarah]

I wonder if it is what I think it is...it can't be b/c what I am thinking of has been there forever. hmm....i can't wait for you to find it so we can go look for it this summer. :)

[Maryann]

How frustrating! I hope you find it. Your sock looks great. I looove short row heels- for some reason, heel flaps drive me nuts. I am doing my trekking socks in Wendy's generic toe up pattern.

[Helen]

Now you've got me wondering! :)

The sock looks great!

[sandy]

I LOVE the contrasting heel and toe! LOVE. Will you teach me the short row heel? I am a dunce at it. Big gaping holes, oh, it's ugly!
Have "this person" draw a "map" to the "thing" next "time". We can't have you getting hopelessly lost in the woods!
heh! LOST.

[Dave Daniels]

Hey, maybe try the Google satellite maps and see if The Thing can be seen from space? (You can zoom in, also.) If it's anything like the Face on Mars, you might be able to see it.
You GOTTA teach me the heal thingy. I've tried and failed that one a few times.

[margene]

Maybe you should take someone with you who knows where it is...but then that could really ruin it for you. Keep looking! The sock looks fabulous!

[Roxie]

Magical photos - especially that stone wall sliding between the trees. Quite evocative. I can feel it germinating a chapter or two in an upcoming book. Wayy cool! I had no idea Vermont was so beautiful.

That Special Something - it's truely tangible? It's not that numinous sense of oneness with nature, or the trancendent peace of green light or something woowoo like that?

Rockin'sock! Now to do the second one . . . For a long time I gave up wearing matching socks. It was just too boring to knit another one just like the other one. then I got into the zen of movie knitting, and cured the second-sockitus.

[Carole]

C'mon. I think you're the victim of an elaborate hoax.

[pippi]

*killing me

hurry! find it!

[lorinda]

Love the sock and the serial quest for TT (the thing). You keep us coming back!

[Ruth]

What a lovely sock! Love the contrasting heel and toe.

You have piqued my curiousity about The Thing ... can't wait to find out what it is!

[Kristen]

TEASE!