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i am happy to report that the insanity that pervaded the last post has abated to some extent. it helped to be able to talk about it, and to tell my friends i was in trouble, and have them just listen, or check on me, and tell me it was ok to be where i was. things are still a bit weird, and i am far too stressed out about work, about money, about the meaning of life. im still on a personal emotional roller coaster, and thats probably not going to lessen for a while, i just need to learn to go with it, and still be able to get through the day and do what i need to do. but right now, i feel like lots of balls are up in the air and they could fall in any direction at any moment. its a strange feeling for me.
and it really did help when i stopped taking the antibiotics, the side effects passed fairly quickly, but that was a scary experience. at least it pointed out very quickly the link between body and mood, something i need to remain vigilant about.
i’ve been trying to hang on to normal things, like going to guild on saturday, topped and tailed by breakfast and lunch at orto trading (great place). it was cold in sydney on saturday, and i was grateful for the knitwear as missfee and i scurried along the streets of surry hills.
we had a great meeting, and i felt hugely rejuvenated seeing my knitter peeps again. i didnt get much knitting done at guild itself, but i caught the train home and nearly finished the second sock in the pointelles, finally getting them off the needles last night. they had a little soak
and a block, and now im wearing them, and i dont want to take them off.
they are a perfect fit, although i really need to do a stretchy cast on every time. i made no modifications to the pattern, they are the large size (70 stitches on 2.25mm needles), in the lovely madelinetosh sock yarn in ‘composition book grey’.
i really loved knitting this pattern, it reminded me how much i love Cookie A’s designs. they’re not necessarily easy and theres lots of charts, with no two rows the same, so they’re not mindless, but i think that was what i needed. and i always find her socks really quick to knit, something about the way she sections them off makes you want to just get through these next 70 rows!
there is lovely detail in this pattern, the kind of flower motif at the top that blends into the diagonal stripes, the way the stripes look like they cross over (but dont), the repeat of the flower motif at the back of the leg that comes around to the front of the foot.
these only took me about 4 weeks, which is probably a long time for a pair of socks, considering i knit nothing else in the meantime, but i’ve had a lot going on and some days even knitting seemed impossible.
but these have helped restore some equilibrium. now i just have to decide what to go back to next. it might the ‘colour affection’ in Loft i think. garter stripes, also oddly soothing for the anxious heart and mind.
k xx
I really need to get hold of that colour affection pattern and knit one. I have Fyberspates Scrumptious 4ply to play with, and really should just get onto it.
But it’s great to hear you sounding better, and oh! those socks! so smooshy and pretty. I am in awe.
I think the mind-body link is pretty strong, I always start to lose the plot when I’m overtired and/or overstressed. So glad to hear you’re feeling more like yourself this week. The pointelle socks rock (I heart Cookie A too) and yay for colour affection, garter stripes are definitely soothing. Good for social knitting too, if you ever wanted to run away for a knitting weekend sometime…
Love the socks. There’s something classically Japanese about the combination of florals and geometric elements – lots of kimono fabrics have such combinations.
Pleased you’re feeling somewhat better, but as the comment above implies – maybe you need a weekend away…knitting.
Oh a knitting weekend away. What a clever idea. I wonder how one might go about arranging such a thing…..
Oh a knitting weekend…sigh, how lovely would that be. Oh well.
The socks look great! And I think four weeks is quick!! But I am a terribly slow sock knitter these days!
I am never very conscious of the link between body and mind/mood, although am becoming moreso lately, a bit sadly.
Cookie’s patterns do seem to go quickly. I think, like you, I want to get to the end of a part and so I keep on going. I love the color and look of your socks. They look so warm and comforting.
Antibiotics are odd things. They always throw off my whole system. I am grateful for them but I am not fond of taking them.
I really like your socks, especially the criss-crossy diagonal stripes. MadTosh really nails the grey don’t they? I’ve got some Tosh Sock in graphite burning a hole in my stash at the moment, and the colourway makes me smile every time I see it in my stash containers…
Glad life has righted itself for you and you are feeling happier. They are beautiful socks, so complicated but worth every hour of knitting. Great photos too!!