Not Quite a Rock Star

Because I am a whore for Blue Moon Fiber Arts, I bought a grab bag of Silkie when Tina offered it. Three skeins came, lovely all, and after binding off on a pair of beautiful but thought-requiring socks that I'll show you after I give them to their intended (hi, Lynn!), I wanted to do another pair of mindless socks.

Who loves mindless socks? Andrew, because he loves highly variegated colorways.

[The later pictures show the real color better.]

Let's start this story by saying that I usually knit socks with 400+ yard skeins. This skein had 360. We all know where this is headed, right?

Right.

I ran out of yarn at the toe of the second sock. 

Here's a tidbit to file in your brain under Useful Knitting Facts if it's not already there: You can't unravel ribbed knitting from the top (from the cast-on edge). Well, to be completely honest, you can, but it has to be done one tiny half-stitch at a time. You will hate yourself, knitting, sheep, silkworms, the person who is to receive this knit, and his entire family if you try this.

I had read this tidbit on the Yarn Harlot's blog a long time ago, and I had committed it to memory because I could tell it was Important. Then I ignored it and tried it anyway.

I began painstakingly ripping out the cuff's cast on. When I could not bear to do this anymore, I prayed I'd liberated enough yarn (even though I knew there was NO CHANCE I had), and began knitting the toe.

Plain Ribbed Socks (mine ravelled here),

knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie Socks that Rock,

Debra Anna colorway

That didn't work. No one is surprised.

I did what I should have done in the first place, which is take a break and eat some ice cream.

Thus fortified, I picked a stitch a couple rounds into the leg, SNIPPED, and unraveled it. When I was finished, I had the cuff plus two rounds or knitting that I unwound, and I finished knitting the toe.

Then I picked up all the loops on the leg that had been liberated and started knitting the ribbing again. I bound off using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind-off.

Two cuffs:

Two toes:

I had less than 9" inches of yarn left.

At this point, Rihanna's "Rock Star" is playing in a loop in my head.

Andrew tried on the socks yesterday evening. One sock is too small for his foot (the sock I ran out of yarn in, naturally--I probably started the toe too soon in hopes of having enough yarn.)

They're in time out.

I've started a hat.