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Yarnmule




"Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while,
then take up the sock again." - Dorothy Day

OCD Can Be A Good Thing

If you read this often (occasionally? once or twice?) you know that I usually go away for the weekend, to our little place upstate. Every week, I pack up knitting on Thursday night; this generally takes about an hour (I spend 5 minutes after work on Friday packing clothes & toiletries; that is how wrong I am). I usually pack three projects, more if I'm nearly done with something. I pull everything out of the travel bag and make sure I have every possible needle, notion, chart and book I could possibly need. I know that I'm only gone for 48 hours, I do. But you never know what will happen, and I can't even fathom a 4 hour return trip without knitting. The horror!

I have never been so glad in my life. This weekend I brought the BBMM sock, which was nearly done. I brought the baby hat, even though I really wanted to save it for subway knitting. I brought the super-secret sock project, which I fully expected to be my main project all weekend. And, just in case, I threw in the pattern & yarn for the next sweater I'll be making.

BBMM socks: finished before we even hit the interstate. Super-secret socks: Started on the way up. Pattern working. Toe; a little pointy, but lovely. A few repeats onto the foot: seriously too big. Gah. So unraveling she went, and I spent most of the weekend on the "you're never going to need this but bring it anyway" project.


Clearly, I enjoyed knitting this. I'm using a cotton/linen blend from my stash, on size 6 needles. I'm through two skeins already, despite the fact that I didn't start until Saturday. A close-up of the stitch pattern:





There's nothing incredibly difficult about this, but there's something interesting to do every right side row (decreases, YO's) so it remains engaging. I'm about halfway through the back, and since it's sleeveless, that means I'm a quarter of the way done!

I did knit about half a round on the baby hat, but it is officially subway knitting now. It's stockinette, in the round, on size 2 needles. If I had to work on it for a couple hours straight I might literally to die of boredom. So, 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there, and I will be done. Eventually. I may actually bring it to knitting group tomorrow night, as it would be perfect for not-paying-attention and too-much-coffee-can't-control-my-fingers. Good times...

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Sleight Of Hand

I have no interesting pictures for you. I truly feel like the slowest knitter in the world lately,but it's really just life kicking me in the butt. Some extra hours at work, lack of a seat on the train, and all of a sudden several hours of knitting have disappeared this week.

Of course, like the rest of the world, I will be spending the long weekend stuck in traffic trying to get someplace lovely. It means I won't be posting again until at least Tuesday, but it also means lots of knitting time.

In the meantime, I'm going to distract you by talking about knitting podcasts. They are my new favorite thing in the world. Even when I can't knit, I can listen to people talking about knitting, while drowning out the sounds of the subway. Ah, modern technology can be a beautiful thing... so here are some of my favorites, in alphabetical order, because that's how they show up on i-tunes.

1. Cast On, by Brenda Dayne: This is probably one of the most popular knitting podcasts out there. She gives a lot of knitting news, as well as some fabulous interviews, which always include the "deserted island" question. She'll keep you up to date on new podcasts, knitting websites, and the like. If you only have time to listen to one podcast, this would probably be the one. She's also got the most calm, soothing voice in the world; perfect for an irritating commute!

2. It's A Purl Man, by Guido: A male knitter from Boston. He did a podcast just before Mother's Day that featured his mom, and it was seriously cute. He also does some on-location podcasting, and quite a few interviews; one recently with some sheep farmers!

3. KnitPicks podcast, by Kelley Petkun: Brought to you by KnitPicks, the online knitting store. This is a new podcast; they only have 4 episodes so far. This is more informational than entertaining. The most recent podcast was all about the knitty gritty of wool (God, I love puns); cuticles and crimp and the whole deal. It makes me want to take notes.

4. Lime & Violet, by, uhhhh, Lime & Violet: Maybe the funniest knitting podcast ever. Lots and lots of yarn pron, and occasionally snort-laughing. And they love to knit socks. Fair warning though; this is NOT a clean podcast. Ever.

5. Stash & Burn, by Nicole & Jenny: I believe this is a pretty new one as well. It is, of course, full of tips about burning through your stash.

6. Sticks & String, by David Reidy: A podcast by an Australian bloke who knits. A really nice podcast that tends to cover a lot of ground; he does a lot of reviews & interviews, and a lot of "roving" podcasts. He's been to quite a few festivals lately, and usually does an interview while he's at one. I find this supremely interesting because of the differences in what he can get versus what I can. For example, it took him months of searching to be able to get KnitPicks needles (the horror!). Plus you get to listen to the cool Aussie dialect.

Alright, now go listen to some podcasts and pretend that I've given you something interesting here. I promise I will reward you with pictures next week. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

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Cuteness Achieved

The final ends were woven in last night...



And it's cute. I'd like you to notice that the stripes match on both fronts. Sleeves too; I actually knit those at the same time with 2 skeins of yarn to make sure of it. Hey, when you're knitting plain stockinette stitch, you need to give yourself SOME sort of challenge, right?

A close-up, you say?



Please ignore that button. You know, the one that doesn't match. The light is not so good in my living room at night, and I didn't notice until I took the picture, but it is a different button. That will have to be fixed before I give it away.

Do notice the cute rolled hems; I don't know why I love them so much, but I always have. It probably has something to do with working with the nature of the fabric. It's going to roll anyway, why not made it cute and contrasting. The color is pretty bad in these pictures, but trust me when I tell you that the solid matches the blue in the jacquard perfectly.

A little detail of the back:



The little patch is another favorite of mine. It's all in the details...
I'm going to wait to post the specs until I finish the socks and hat too. They were all knit from the same skeins, so it's hard for me to give details on that sort of thing until I finish. Which I will. Eventually. The socks just need the ends woven in, and the hat is in progress.
In other news, BBMM's socks are being reworked successfully. The first sock is finished, and is now officially perfect. I added 1-1/2" to the length. If you recall, I had originally worked the foot on size 0 needles, then went up to size 1 for the leg. This time I did the cuff in size 0 as well. They seemed like they might be slipping before, and this did the trick. Everybody loves a grip-top sock, you know (go to #370). I just have a couple rows plus the ribbing left on sock 2, so we are close.

Soon, I get to start work on something new. Planning is seriously in progress.

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Christmas In May

I don't want a baby. I have never, in fact, wanted babies. However, looking at this...




I'm telling you, maternal urges are busting out all over. I'm assuming it's temporary.

It has given me a great idea though. BBMM and I have recently started hosting Christmas for both of our families, at our cabin upstate. (Christmas + cabin in the woods + lots of snow = wintry perfection.) Last year I gave everyone what was quite possibly the ugliest excuse for a hand-made Christmas ornament ever. I bought a bunch of plain Christmas balls and a glitter pen, and drew a sketch of the cabin, and added the date. Not so pretty, but a nice commemoration of the week-long event. I decided that I should give out little token ornaments every year, and that they should not suck so much as last years. So this year; tiny Christmas stockings. Just think; I can knit a whole bunch of tiny little socks while remaining baby-free! AND I can use up some stash yarn.

Of course, I already have about a half dozen projects lined up (and those are just the ones I told you about). But these knit fast, so I think I can just grab one when I don't have any other subway knitting ready. See, it's like I'm not even starting a new project! I'm just thinking about a new project. And possibly casing on some toes tonight. Must... Resist... More... Socks...

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Sock Specs

Of course, I gave you photos of the finished socks, then told you nothing about them. Not too clever...


Pattern: An amalgamation, really. I used the Seed Stitch Rib stitch pattern from the Globetrotter socks, by Jodie Danenberg. However, I didn't follow the actual pattern; I used my regular toe-up short-row everything construction method from Sensational Knitted Socks. I only had two skeins of the yarn, and wanted to maximize, hence the toe up. As it turned out, I needed the third skein anyway.
The Seed Stitch Rib is a great stitch pattern for socks; a little more interesting than garter rib, and with a little more stretch to boot. The top ribbing is 1-1/2" of a regular 3x2 rib. After much trial and tribulation, I ended up with 80 stitches cast on, for a nice tight fit on a size 11 men's foot.

Yarn and needles: Patons Kroy Socks, 75% washable wool, 25% nylon. Color Gentry Grey (54042), assorted dye lots. Once I rip out and add some length, I suspect I'll be at almost exactly 2-1/2 skeins. It is not the softest yarn in the world, but I'm fairly sure it will soften up after I wash it; the gauge swatch did. Also notice the HUGE nylon content; they should wear like iron, and will probably last as close to forever as possible. This yarn is quite heavy for a sock yarn; a normal person would probably use size 1 or 2 needles, but I knit loosely, and almost always need to size down. I also like the foot of my socks to be knit as tightly as humanly possible. I did the foot on size 0 needles, and the leg on size 1. On my second go-around, I will probably do the top ribbing on a size 0 as well. As they are now, the ribbing is not much tighter than the stitch pattern, and I worry BBMM will forever be tugging up his socks. These are his first pair of hand-made socks, and I'd like them to be perfect. They will, after all, be my size template for all future socks for him.

If I could do it over: Well, I'd buy 3 skeins of yarn to start with. Other than that, I'm pretty happy, as is he. I still need to rip down and add length, but I honestly think he would be OK even if I didn't. I don't think I'll ever make him socks again exclusively as a commuting project though; they just took too long. Part of the fun of sock knitting is the quickness with which they can be finished, and I dragged this out too long.
A little shout-out to Herrschners at the end here (and no, I NEVER though I would utter those words). I bought the original two skeins from them, and when I ran out I called them to see if they would match dye lots. They said no. I tried another number; they said no too. However, both of the customer service reps I spoke to said I could send them a swatch of the yarn, and they would try to match it up for me. It seemed odd to me that they would do this, when they wouldn't match dye lots, but I did it anyway. I sent them a fairly large swatch of yarn, an original ball band, and a groveling letter. About a week later I hadn't heard anything, so I called. They said a new skein had been sent the day before. I got it fairly quickly, and it matched PERFECTLY. I was a little worried, and the first sock I knit every other row with the old and new yarn for about 8 rows. Invisible. On the second sock I took a flyer and just started knitting with the new stuff. Still completely invisible. I never actually checked to see if they happened to send the same dye lot, but either way they did a fantastic job color-matching.

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Except...

Friday's marathon of airport waiting was indeed productive. Witness completed socks!



(I'll have you know that BBMM took this picture himself. I'm THAT bad a photographer.) The second sock was bound off by the time my return flight took off. Except... they're a little short. Somehow my leg measurement plus ribbing turned into my leg measurement including ribbing. I'll have to rip out the sewn bind-off (which ought to be fun) and the ribbing and add some length. That can wait until a little closer to wool sock weather though, so I'm counting them as FO's. A little bit of stitch detail for you; please don't mind the overexposure.



I also started the baby socks on the plane; they just became my subway knitting for the week. The Devan cardigan is washed and blocked, and finishing began last night. I am attempting to finish these before I start something new, so I should make heavy progress this week.

I only received one vote on my "what's next" post. Mary, who is a regular at Wednesday night knitting group, voted for the sleeveless cable sweater. Mary, this swatch is for you:

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Decisions, Decisions

In a sudden development, I found out yesterday that I am taking a business trip tomorrow. It's one of those quickie trips where I'll be spending more time in the air than at the destination. Of course, to most people, this would be a drag. For a knitter, it means a couple hours in the airport, a couple hours on a plane, and then do it all over again!

So as I'm considering which projects to bring with me, I'm also realizing that some of the longer projects will be done soon. I started the ribbing on the first BBMM sock today, and the second only has about 30 rows left to go. They will be done soon (especially if I bring them with tomorrow). I started the first baby sock last night, and the toe took me just over an hour. If I decide to bring those with tomorrow, I can probably finish them, or come close. I will probably bring both sock sets, but I still have a desperate fear of being stuck in an airport with no knitting. Could anything be more tragic?

As far as the "what to knit next" question, I'm having great trouble deciding. And yes, this is where you come in! I won't be so fancy as to put up a poll, but please throw some opinions into the comments. Options:

1. Baudelaire socks, by Cookie A., from Knitty. If you recall, I've been dreaming about them since before I started the BBMM socks, but now that the moment is here I'm not sure about it. I think it's because I really want to knit them in red, as her sample, and I have only neutral yarn. I would wear the red about once in a lifetime, but they are hot hot hot! I'm sure they would be beautiful in the oatmeal heather I've got though.

2. I'm working on a sock pattern of my own. I've had a great many logistical issues; I think I've started about 4 times, and always ripped out after, at most, one pattern repeat (Part of the problem was the attempted use of The Ugly. God, it's ugly). I have been swatching madly, and I think I've finally found the answer. This would be secret knitting, as I might submit it to Knitty. The deadline for the fall issue of Knitty is June 15th; I doubt if I could work it out, knit a pair, and have someone test knit another pair before then. I would probably submit for the Winter issue instead, so plenty of time for that. Obviously no link to this one, but I already have a name picked out, so it must be inspiring!

3. This sleeveless cabled sweater that I would knit in a linen/cotton blend from my stash. This pattern has been chasing after me for a long time, but I wanted to save it for spring. Now that spring is here, meh. It does have all the things I love in a knit though; small gauge, interesting construction, and cables. Mmmmmmm, cables...

4. I want some knee socks. I think it would be these (because I appear to have an urge to knit socks exclusively by Cookie A. I am fairly certain I'm not the only one). I know, it seems stupid to knit knee socks just in time for summer, but there you have it. My knitting urges clearly do not fall into any logical order. I thought for a while that I wanted to knit argyle knee socks, until I realized there was no way to get around putting in a seam. In my mind, half the fun of socks is the magical lack of seams.

5. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with The Ugly. It hit me last night in a flash; Jaywalkers. I've never knit them before, and since the rest of the blogosphere has, why not play along? It's a simple enough pattern that I think The Ugly might actually work well. If it doesn't I'll have a bonfire with it or something.

6. I found this the other night. Very cute. Not sure if it's me. I might need to ruminate on this one before I decide if it's a go.

So there you have it, six options to choose from. Hopefully by the time I post later this weekend, with your help, I'll have a decision. And as long as the TSA guys decide I look harmless despite the pointy sticks, I should have a nice FO to show off as your reward.

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The Not-Socks Revealed

Well, finally, you're saying. For a variety of reasons (laziness, distraction) this has taken me much longer than I expected. However, the moment has come; finished pieces! The fronts:


The back:


Closeup of the patch on the back:


And the sleeves:


Here's a closeup of the adorable rolled hems, which are both on the bottom hem and the sleeve hems:


This is the Devan pattern, from Knitty. It's very, very cute. It's also quick because it's small, and easy because it's just stockinette. If this were adult sized I would go mad with boredom, but there's something so thrilling about seeing these tiny pieces come together so quickly. I started the back on Sunday morning, and finished it Monday night. I don't particularly like being around babies, but I sure do love making them clothes!

I should wait to sew my seams until I've blocked the finished pieces. We'll see; now that I'm done knitting it is very tempting to actually finish the thing. All that's left is the seaming, and a little blue button band. I think I've decided to add snaps instead of buttons though; buttons seem so fiddly on an infant, squirmy as they are.

I think I will distract myself from seaming by working on matching socks. Blue toes, heels, and rolled cuff, jacquard foot and leg. If I have time, I'll make a hat as well. I'm thinking about the umbilical cord hat (resized for the sock yarn, of course) but I also kind of crave earflaps; we'll see what I end up with.

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I Am Slow Like Molasses

It's awful, and I'm sorry, but I still have no pretty pictures for you. I'm making a bit of progress, but not enough to really show. The not-socks are moving along, and I will probably be able to show you something next week (yes, you've heard it all before, I know). I've been able to spend some time on the BBMM socks; I turned the heel on sock 2 last night, AND my new, hopefully matching skein of yarn is in the mail.

In order to give you something of substance, I thought I would finally post my notes/pattern for my DPN case. I don't have progress shots, but I'll give you some close-ups along the way to guide you. At some point I will probably create a word document, and post it in the sidebar. So, if anyone has suggestions about how to clarify this, please comment! I had a very difficult time explaining it all without progress shots; if you think this won't work without them, let me know. I could always make another one of these and take pictures as I go.


THE GREAT STASH-BUSTING DPN CASE

Materials needed:
-Fabric: about 1/2 yard, depending on the width.
-Lining, if desired: less than 1/2 yard. I used denim, so I did not line mine; the lining will show only on the inside.
-Packaged binding: I used 1/2" double fold binding, 3 yards per package, 2 packages. You could also make your own binding from the same fabric you use for the case or lining.
-1/8" ribbon or cord elastic: I only used about 6", so use whatever you have in your stash!
-Wider ribbon: about 1-1/2 yards. I used 1/2" wide, but anything up to 1-1/4" would work. Make sure you can write on it.
-Buttons: 2, any size.
-Tailor's chalk. If you don't have some, get it! It is inexpensive and available at any craft store that carries sewing supplies. I will warn you now; if you don't get some you will be sewing many straight lines, very close to each other, without a guideline. You will laugh, you will cry, and someone may get hurt.
-A fine-tipped permanent marker, in a color that will show when writing on your ribbon.
-Sewing machine & thread.

Directions:
-Cut one 15"x15" square of fabric, making sure to follow the grain. If your fabric is off-grain, the cross grain is more important than the vertical grain, so follow that.

-Cut another piece of fabric 15"x6". The cross-grain should follow the long edge.

-Cut a piece of the wider ribbon 15" long.

-If you are lining your case, cut a square of lining fabric 15"x15", and baste to your main fabric along the edges (wrong sides together), making sure the 2 pieces are flat and even when basted together. This will function as 1 piece of fabric from this point forward.

-Bind one of the long edges of the 15x6 piece of fabric. This will become the top of the inner pocket.

-Mark the smaller piece of fabric for buttons. Marks should be 4" in from each short edge, and 2-3/4" up from the non-bound long edge. The 4" mark is very important!

-This is the point at which I sewed on my buttons, but I would only recommend doing them now if you have small buttons, stiff fabric, and are very confident about your machine sewing skills. Otherwise, chances are good that you will run over a button, breaking a needle, and possibly hurting both your sewing machine and your eyeball! If you don't think you can catch just one layer of fabric once the case is sewn together (tiny pockets and all) sew the buttons on now.

-Place the smaller piece of fabric on top of the larger piece, wrong sides together. The bottom (unbound) long edge of the smaller piece should line up with the bottom of the larger piece.

-Baste the bottom edge of the pieces together.

-Place your 15" length of ribbon along the smaller piece of fabric, with the top edge of the ribbon about 1-1/2" down from the bound edge. This placement is not terribly important; it needs to be between the binding and the buttons, and not on top of either. Other than that it is up to you; do what looks right with your ribbon. Just make sure the ribbon is straight and smooth.

-Baste the sides of the smaller and larger piece together, catching the ribbon in your baste stitch. Again, make sure the ribbon is laying flat. Here's a refresher on the layout:



-Now comes the fun/hard part; making all the little pockets for the DPN's to slide in to. I'm going to give you measurements from the left side; mark them both near the binding and at the bottom edge. This is where the tailor's chalk becomes important; you draw straight lines and follow them with the machine. If you didn't get tailor's chalk, you will have to make tiny marks and eyeball the lines. Don't say I didn't warn you! From the left edge, mark the following distances:

1-1/4"
2"
2-3/4"
3-1/2"
4-1/4"
5-1/4"
6-1/4"
7-1/4"
8-1/4"
9-1/2"
10-3/4"
12"
13-1/4"

-You may want to pin the ribbon at each of these markings, to make sure it stays straight as you're sewing it. Again, this will depend on your machine sewing skills.

-Sew in a straight line from the top of the binding down to the bottom of the case at each of these marks. if you've already sewn on your buttons, you will need to use a zipper foot to sew the lines on either side of the buttons. you may also have to swerve a bit; this should be OK as long as it's not drastic. And a close-up of how the pockets are sewn:


-Please note that my pockets are NOT perfectly straight, nor is my ribbon. I didn't pin the ribbon, and you can see why I recommend doing so.

-Now for something simpler; we are going to make a single stitch-line to indicate the fold line. This is nothing more than decorative, and a guide, so you can skip this step if you like. If you using a lining, this line will help keep the 2 fabrics from bubbling away from each other. On either side of the case, mark a line 6" down from the top. Using your tailor's chalk, draw the line connecting the marks. Make sure it is straight and even, then sew a line on top of the marking, straight across end to end. Viola!

-Next we are going to baste the ribbon onto the case. That way we can encase the raw edges in the binding. Let's start with the little button loops, made from either you thin ribbon or cord elastic. You will need to cut them long enough to comfortably fit around your button, plus seam allowance. This measurement will be less crucial if you're using elastic. If you're using ribbon, cut them a smidge too long; the buttons will hold if the loops are a little big, but if they're too small you are out of luck! In my case, my binding was 1/2" wide, so my ribbon was cut with 1" extra; seam allowance on either side. Mark the spot for the loops at the very top of the case, 4" in from either side, on the wrong/lining side of the fabric. Pin your ribbon in a loop facing down, so the edge of your ribbon matches with the raw top edge of the case. Close the case and make sure the loops line up with your buttons. Once you are sure it's correct, baste them on. This picture shows mine completed, so the loops are facing up, but at this stage yours will be facing down.


-Next is the larger ribbon for closing the case. I cut each piece of ribbon about 15" long, but if you're using scrap cut it in half; anything longer than 12" will be fine. Cut one edge of each ribbon at a diagonal to keep it from fraying. Now flip your case over so the right side of the fabric is showing, with the top edge still at the top. Mark about 1-1/2" down from the top of the case on both sides. Pin your ribbon below that mark. Again, the raw straight edges of your ribbon will line up with the raw edge of the fabric, and the ribbon will be facing in toward the center of the case. This picture shows mine closed, after the binding is on, but it should give you an idea.




-Close the case and make sure the ribbon lines up so it will close securely. Once you've checked, baste on the ribbon.

-Only one more step; the final binding. This is basically pin and go, but there are a couple crucial spots that you'll want to check up on as you sew. The first rule is to make sure the basted on ribbon does not get caught in your stitch line; I pinned mine to the middle of the case just to make sure.

-Start the binding right at the pocket binding, on the left as you're looking at it. This is pretty inconspicuous when the case is closed.


-Sew from this point all the to the bottom edge of the case. When you get to the very end, back up a little more than the width of the binding (my binding was 1/2", so I backed up about 5/8"). You will then be able to manipulate the binding around the corner, creating a little diagonal flap; a mitered corner!


-Sew one or two stitches, so the needle is back on the binding, then turn and zip along the bottom edge. Miter your next corner, then pause to pin.

-Going up the side of the case, you will need to make sure the binding and ribbon are positioned correctly. Pin the binding onto the case all the way up the side, making sure your ribbon is still facing inward, and not caught on anything. Then you will fold the ribbon back over the pinned binding. This way, when you make the stitch that attaches the binding, you will also be sewing over the ribbon. Stitch up the side, miter the next corner, and pause to pin the top.

-Again, you will be pinning on the binding, then folding the loops up to catch them in your seam. In order to keep these straight, I had to use one pin for each side of the loop. Pin it, sew it, miter the corner, then pin the binding and ribbon going down the other side. You'll also want to cut and position the end of your binding before you sew the last edge. Cut the binding about 1/2" too long, then fold the ends under, making sure all the raw edges are tucked away. Sew it, then secure the stitches at the end of the binding.

-One more step, and it's an easy one. Write your needle sizes on the ribbon on each pocket. The numbers you write should fit the size needles you own; I started at 0000 (I know, they don't even make them that small) because I have a lot of small sizes for socks. you can start larger if you want; the last pocket should fit up to about a size 11.

-The case closes with the buttons facing out; you will see all your little stitch-lines on the pockets, and the buttons are more or less centered on each side of the case. Fill the case, close it up, and pause to admire your handiwork!


Lies And A Story

In my last post, I said something about having a lot of knitting time this weekend. I may have promised pictures. Ummm, not so much. I think I only worked about 2 rows on the not-socks, and the secret project got ripped out last night. I am telling you, The Ugly simply does not want to cooperate with anything I use it for.

So, in an attempt to appease you, I'll tell you a charming knitting story!

Last week I was riding the subway to work. The train was pretty empty for rush hour. I didn't get a seat, but I had a pole all to myself, so I hooked my arm around it and started knitting (I can knit standing on a moving train, but not without a little support). I'm knitting away, listening to the iPod, happy as a little clam, when someone taps me on the shoulder. I look up, and a young man is motioning me toward his seat. I blinked in disbelief and yanked out the headphones. He motioned again, and said "Would you like to sit?" I don't know if you have ever been to NY and ridden the subways, but this was a shocking development. People will frequently give up a seat to the elderly, or the disabled, or to anyone who looks like they need to sit. But this young man gave me his seat to a perfectly healthy young woman who was knitting. I thanked him profusely and took the seat.

I spend the rest of the ride thinking about him. Was his mother a knitter? His wife? Was he himself a knitter? Surely he must know someone obsessed enough to knit standing up on a moving train! Maybe someone had knit him socks before, and he knew the power of the handmade sock. Or maybe, just maybe, he was just a wonderful human being who woke up that morning and decided to be generous.

No matter how or why it happened, for that one day my faith in humanity was completely restored.

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