Sock Madness, Mad cow and Meniscus...

One of these things is not like the others, but all the items listed in my blog today have one thing in common...knitting or not knitting well! I joined the Sock Madness competition and it's going to be a fun! We got the first pattern this a.m called Mad Cow. I can't say anything else about the pattern except that it's done in two colors. Here is a picture of the yarns I'll be using.

The varigated yarn is from knitpicks in a color called Sock Garden and the solid is wildfoote's Lullaby. Both are 50 gram skeins. The fun thing about this competition is even though I may be eliminated, I will still receive all seven original patterns! So, even if I lose, I win! This first round is a timed one and the first 16 competitors from each team to post their socks on the flickr group will advance to the next round. I'm a team member of Nancy Bush's traditional knitting. Each team is named for a well known knitter/sock designer. My weapon of choice: magic loop and top down. Wish me luck! I'll need it. I'm not the fastest knitter on the planet!

The sock you see on the left was the current sock to keep me busy while waiting for sock madness to begin. It's a simple self-striping sock in spring colors done in a basic pattern I found at: http://www.chicknits.com/socklove.html These are bare bone directions, but clear and easy to follow. Actually, at this point, I could knit basic socks with my eyes closed! The basic directions are like a security blanket for me. 8-D So, for now until the madness ends, these socks have been banished to the Stash.

In the mood for something medical...

I said that the items in my post today were all related by knitting. The fact is my knee is not knitting together! Boo Hoo... I had an MRI done about two weeks ago and met with the surgeon, who has now become my surgeon. I have a horizontal tear in my right medial meniscus with effusion (no, I'm not cursing at you...just fluid in the knee). It will not heal by itself, so I will be having arthroscopic surgery this Friday to fix it. Here's what a picture of a normal knee and a torn meniscus looks like (always need pics in a blog..lol) The picture on the right is normal knee anatomy with a nice smooth intact medial meniscus. A tear can cause the knee to lock or be unstable. I'm of the unstable variety and every so often my knee gives out. The tear you see in this MRI picture (not mine) is what a horizontal tear looks like. The surgeon feels it will be an simple repair and many people are up walking on crutches one to two hours after they wake up from surgery. Well that's nice Doc, but I'll also take that ice pack and the percocet Rx (or whatever they give for pain these days) thank you very much! Now for the good part..11 days home from work and LOTS of knitting! Anyone not a knitter reading this must be thinking I touched in the head, but that's how we knitters think and I know I'm not alone! Thanks to everyone to who has sent me well wishes since I started this topic. You're all the BEST!

Have a great weekend !!!

Irregular Socks ...How'd I do that!

When I was a kid, I'd go shopping with my mom and she'd sometimes buy an item labeled something like: "Irregular sheet" or just a white tag with "irregular" written and stuck to the outer packaging. I asked her one time what this meant. She said "It means that the item wasn't perfect. It had a little defect", but was still good to use. I thought to myself: "Hmm, in that case, I knew a lot of irregular things and people!" I did wonder why she'd purposely want something "irregular". Especially, when she had to pay for that way! Funny thing, I usually coudn't find the little defect and when I did it was usually a little extra stitching where a small tear might have been or the color was dyed evenly. My mom was right. It was just fine. Perfect in it's own way.


Well, my just finished socks are just a bit "off". First of all, I used a pattern from the Plymouth company that was supposed to be a a simple top down sock with short-row heels. I've knit several pairs of socks and thought this would be a breeze (all my other socks had stitch patterns). These socks had a little bit of ribbing and then it was just knit until I got the length I wanted for the sized needed to fit. The pattern wasn't well written and a beginner would've sworn off socks after knitting these. Now, despite how the pattern was written, I should have been paying more attention to setting up the sock for the toe portion. Instead, I blindly followed what I thought was the right place to start the decreases. Having knitted for a bit, I should be able to look at a pattern and modify as needed or least know how to set up a toe. I had already kitchnered (real term?) the toe and was admiring my work, when...damn! My seam was going right down the center of the sock! So, I have one sock that's irregular( 8-D ) and one that's done the usual way. They both fit/feel fine and mostly knitters would be able spot the mistake. I decided to leave it as knitted ! Can you tell which one is irregular?

It also counts as a project spectrum color FO for February/march!



I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks. It's amazing how time flies! When I last blogged, I was moaning and groaning about my knee. First of all thanks to everyone who wished me well ! I didn't get to e-mail everyone back. So, here's the scoop: An X-ray was taken and the only thing it showed was a little degeneration and free floating debris. Not enough to cause the pain I was having. I finally got to see the orthopedic Doctor this week. He thinks I tore the meniscus (cartilage). So, I'm having an MRI on Monday and then have a follow-up appointment a few days later. So, I'll keep you updated. It is definitely feeling a lot better than when I last posted. The only time the pain worsens is when the knee gives out on occasion. That's the part the Dr.'s not happy about. However, I'm feeling much better now, I'm also a knitting maniac again!

It's 11:19pm , but I had to post and now...Good night and dream well!