Sock Madness Weekend

Round 1: MADCOW SOCKS complete!

I think I finished in the top 12.
Finished photos were to be posted on Flickr and I think about 11 pair were posted ahead of me.

Sock Madness patterns arrived in mailboxes around 8:00 Saturday morning. Had mine printed out and cast on by 8:15. Only did about 6 rows of the cuff before heading off to town for 3 hours to take mom to get groceries. Next week is sister-in-law's baby shower and mom declared we must get gifts...no time next week.

While my Sock Mad mind screamed NO! I have no time today! the reasonable functioning portion of my brain agreed she was right and we needed to get it done. Do you know how many red lights you are likely to sit through when you're in a hurry?

ALL OF THEM. And you will just miss most of them at the yellow and sit for the complete sequence of yellow, red, left arrow, straight...okay you may go green.

I was back home by noon and thanks to Internet connection standing by, went to site to see if "Repeat Pattern 4 Times" was a booby trap. 4 times or 5? Questions were raging in the comments section but moderator declared she read it as 5.

So 5 it was, although I think it would have said 4 more times? Not a problem so long as I didn't get myself disqualified doing too few. I am very determined not to be a whiner after the KNIT OFF tragic scarf episode. NO COMPLAINING ABOUT A SOCK PATTERN FROM ME!!

Turns out designer meant 4 and they promise to check future patterns to avoid confusion. I like patterns with lots of little "sonar checks". Notes written into the pattern along the way telling us number of rows now complete or number of stitches left on needle. You know. Patterns written like they think they might be speaking to an idiot. I'm good with that.

Of course a blinding, almost consuming panic began about 2 in the afternoon when on the third attempt at doing the SHORT ROW HEEL as written I concluded I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I've never done a short row heel. I've barely heard of them!

Came back to the Internet and YES we must do heel as written.

A blinding, almost consuming panic may not be the best state of mind to learn a new technique! My first short row heels are not perfect by any means. If Amazing Lace had me fascinated by "Holes on Purpose" you can imagine how frustrating "Holes by Accident" are.

I have not been won over by short row heels method. Yet. I may only ever attempt them again free will if a future Sock Madness pattern demands it of me. Because. No whining.

Had first sock down beyond the middle of the foot by 9 p.m. Took a nap until after midnight and then finished sock 1. Cast second sock on with my first cup of coffee Sunday. We lost an hour just as I was finishing the first toe.

Technically, it may have taken me and hour to knit the last 16 stitches!