Socks Suck

The other day, I asked myself what it is that I "do"--what interests me. Well, watching television, certainly. But Battlestar Galactica doesn't occupy my thoughts nearly as much as knitting does. I ran out of yarn while in the city yesterday, and was honestly devastated. My fingers itched and twitched like they were going through withdrawal. And while I'm not a leisurely knitter, but instead race through projects in a rush to get to the next one (like any self-respecting addict), the pleasure for me is not so much in the finished product, but in the activity itself. (Although I have to admit that when something comes out the way its supposed to and looks good on me or on its intended recipient, this makes me irrationally happy).

Now, I can just picture Guy's face reading this: "Really? But you glare and snarl and swear and complain about crappy needles and sticky yarn and other things that just sound like gibberish and I smile and nod and make what I hope are comforting noises and it's all very strange."

See Guy, those are indications that I do like it--where would be the fun without the challenge and frustration? My dad has this new car that he thinks about constantly and takes apart and swears at. This is love.

However, all the annoyed-sounding noises coming out of me while I was knitting socks--those were valid. I have admitted it to myself: I do not like knitting socks. Even toe-up, the supposed nirvana of sock-knitting, was irritatingly tight and awkward and I abandoned it before completing three rounds.

I have made three--well, 2.75--pairs of socks for assorted family members as Christmas presents. And I've certainly got the construction down at this point and am mucking with patterns in an attempt to make it more interesting, but no dice.
They are not portable as many have claimed, they're boring--you just go round and round and round for eternity; it's like driving through Chicago.

And I hereby apologize to the recipients of these socks: at least one of these pairs is mismatched. Boredom is a killer.