My, those socks do rock!!

March 31, 2006 ...

Wooly Headed Ruth posts the following query and photo:

Tell Me Honestly -- Would you wear these socks? I mean, I like the bright, stripey, Easter-egg look we have going here, but maybe that's just me.

Aswim in Knits Danielle (that's me!) leaves the following comment:

Yes, yes, yes! And if your sock pal doesn't like them, I can take them for her!!!

Danielle's good taste in loudly colored sock yarns is confirmed by others ...

I would SO wear those socks!!! (Margene !)

Most definitely - they are beautiful! (Lolly !)

I'd wear 'em. Absolutely! (Carole !)

I would! I like them! (Scout !)

Note the collective sock wisdom of the commenters. I'm in good company :)

Several weeks pass. Some sock progress photos are posted. Other WIPs are shown. Some Buzz Lightyear costuming is acquired by the Young'un. Daily life continues. (It involved guinea pigs and trips to the Museum of Science on a rainy vacation day...)

Finally, when I checked the mail today, I found out that this sock-in-progress grew up to become MY SOCKAPALOOOZA SOCKS!!

What do I think of them ... ?

I think they're faboo!

(Look, Ruth, they fit!! You can stop holding your breath now!!)

Check out the heel ... it's perfect!

I like my socks snug. I HATE when they slide down and bag at my ankles. I wear boots for most of the winter. I insist that my socks peek out of the top, since I hate the way it feels to have the boot touching my leg. And I hate it when there are wrinkles in the sole of my socks. As a kid, I used to fold over the toes of the socks, onto the top of my foot, just to tighten up the fabric on the sole.

(Yeah, I'm weirdly compulsive. I think we covered that in the last post, in which I color my socks with Sharpies.) So, when I say that these fit just right, I mean it. They're long enough to poke out of the boots, and snug enough not to wrinkle. Perfect :)

Um, did I mention that Ruth sent a few other things too? (All wrapped up in tissue paper that matches my sweater, I might add...) The package looked much nicer, until I tore into it like a rabid dog ... unfortunately, this photo is post-rabid-dog, as I was far too excited to stop and find my camera before tearing into the box.

There was a sweet little froggie card, and a postcard of her hometown. A bar of Toblerone chocolate (droooool....) and a bottle of Gloves in a Bottle, which I can't wait to try, as the little pot of hand cream that I carry in my knitting bag is almost empty.

She also sent some adorable little knitting notecards ...

And 7 little fishbowl buttons (waaay too much fun ... they even have little air bubbles etched in above the fish's mouth!!)

And the socks came in a sleeve that Ruth made. Complete with wooly sheep and Papyrus font. That's one of my favorite fonts (yes, I have favorite fonts ... shut up!). I used it on my wedding invitations.

The yarn is "Socks that Rock" in "Queen Rock" colorway, and the pattern is the Madder Rib sock from Knitting Vintage Socks.

I LOVE everything :) This was such a great Sockapaloooza swap! The best part about it is that I met Ruth a few months ago, some time between the announcement of Sock Pals and the time she started knitting the socks, at the Team Boston Knitting Olympics in late February. If I remember correctly, we were even wearing very similar handknit socks at the time. We chatted for a while, and had a nice time. Now I know her ulterior motive -- she was digging for info on what kind of socks I would like!! Well, it worked out quite well...

Thank you soooo much, Ruth. Everything is great! I hope to get to thank you in person at another Boston area knitting event some time!