Jaywalkers Finished
There was a small celebration in the mail this morning.
The wheel's mother arrived in a tidy box from Pat Russo. I took a picture of her returned to health and hearth, posing with the Jaywalker so the blog would know I was still on track and making progress.
It rained a lot today, so we all played indoors, and I knit all the way to here before the natural light started to fail. After I turned the heel, I caught up with comments on the blog, (my email is eating most of the stuff Typepad send me at the moment. The PC has a new mail program --Thunderbird-- that acts like everything with vowels in it is spam, so we are trying to teach it to be more hospitable) and something about Beth S's comment that she could never fit her Jaywalkers over her heel (etc.) got to me.
I realized that I had never tried them on.
Damn. This is as far onto my left foot (the smaller one) as I could get them.
Double damn: they were going to be quirky things with random yarn for the feet. They won't even be fit for gifting.
I put them into storage, reclaimed the needles, and moved on. I promised that I would knit them until they were done, and they are. Finished.
Tonight, I console myself with the Mystery Stole.
I'm at row 217, for those of you keeping track.
Glad to see the wheels mother so happy and healthy, however, I couldn't stop laughing at the Jaywalker on your foot- forgive me. Of all the gall- it's too small after all that? I'd be sooo finished with it too. The stole looks lovely.
Posted by: Manise | July 28, 2007 at 09:45 PM
What the Fluff? Why did the sock do that? Such pretty yarn, too. Too baad you have to tell it to put on its swim fins, it's headed to the Frog Pond. But I truly admire you for having the patience to knit the Stole! Quite lovely.
Posted by: Jeanne B. | July 28, 2007 at 10:02 PM
Yay for the wheel's mother! (And, really, why does noone ever talk about the fathers??) (grin)
Posted by: --Deb | July 28, 2007 at 10:47 PM
Ah, the Jaywalkers. I have the pics ready for a post about them. That's all I'm saying.
For now...
Posted by: Emma. | July 28, 2007 at 10:55 PM
That was quick on the wheel's mother. Glad to hear that it is back and in spining order again.
Dang those socks. Who do they think that they are acting like that?
I just love the stole and watching it as it grows. It is so pretty.
Posted by: Tonia | July 29, 2007 at 01:09 AM
Oh, that's too bad about the Jaywalkers. Is this a common problem with the pattern? It is a beautiful colorway you were using. They looked lovely. The yarn will make some other pattern very happy looking too.
So glad the wheel will be good as new. Karen
Posted by: Karen in Moorhead | July 29, 2007 at 02:02 AM
I feel much better. The sight of that poor mangled mother-of-all just wrenched my soul.
Posted by: Juno | July 29, 2007 at 02:14 AM
I'm sorry about the socks - I had the same problem with mine. I never did feel like knitting them again after the disappointment. I'm glad about the wheel though, did you find that the first thing you wanted to do when it was broken was spin?
Posted by: Caroline M | July 29, 2007 at 02:29 AM
Why a bag? Why not frogged?
I haven't knit Jaywalkers for similar reasons. And I knit slower than you. It still hurts lots when I have to frog.
Posted by: Laurie | July 29, 2007 at 06:52 AM
sucks about the jaywalkers.
Posted by: vanessa | July 29, 2007 at 08:09 AM
Yea... that's the thing with the JWs - the don't have a lot of stretch to them. There are larger size modifications out there - but it sucks to find that out 1/2 way through them!
Posted by: Nicole | July 29, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Not to worry! I found my jaywalkers relaxed after their first wash...
Posted by: Carrie | July 29, 2007 at 11:48 AM
So glad the wheel is restored to health. As for the socks, you've got to know when to fold 'em and walk away. Good for you.
Posted by: DebbieB | July 29, 2007 at 12:17 PM
Exactly the same problem with the Jaywalkers. Ripped back, bigger size, bigger needles and now it (Yep! only 1 so far) fits just fine. I do love the pattern, but, it is hard to kinda gauge until you get 70% of the first sock done.
Posted by: Caro | July 29, 2007 at 12:19 PM
I was kind of afraid of that! I have big feet too, and I can BARELY squeeze mine into my (upsized!) Jaywalkers.
Oh well, just be glad you didn't get them completely finished. Bleh.
Posted by: Risa | July 29, 2007 at 12:32 PM
My Jaywalkers ran smaller than all my other socks, but at least I can wear them. I think it's a tighter pattern than most socks. Sorry you went to all that work!
Posted by: Kathy | July 29, 2007 at 12:48 PM
EVERYONE said that about their Jaywalkers. I started out on size 1 dpns in the smaller stitch count, but fortunately had my friend for whom they are a birthday gift try them before I got too far. Wouldn't go over her ankle. So I did as so many others have suggested and switched to 2s for the leg and heel, and back to 1s for my friend's narrow, long foot, and all is well (to quote from HP #7.) Also, I'm using Tofutsies from Yarns in the Farms, and this yarn is a little thinner and less elastic than many sock yarns, in my opinion. Now, I have some black and white Tofutsies from the same source which I'm hoping I can work up into a nice Hedwig, may she rest in peace. (I hope you know what I'm talking about, or I'm going to feel very silly...)
Posted by: Mary K. IN Rockport | July 29, 2007 at 12:51 PM
The stole is looking good. I'm enjoying watching your progress. Sorry to hear about the Jaywalkers! I look forward to seeing the evolution of that yarn into something else. =-D
Posted by: Gigi | July 29, 2007 at 01:17 PM
Obviously the yarn had other ideas about what it wants to be. Listen to the yarn. Be one with the yarn.
Oooommmmmm....
Posted by: Kathy W | July 29, 2007 at 02:27 PM
BRAVO! Good for you for "finishing" the Jaywalers. Just had myself a little frogging party. And as for the Mother of all, all I can say is PHEW.
Posted by: Heather | July 29, 2007 at 03:44 PM
At least the wheel has been restored to health. That should help assuage all kinds of knitterly disappointments! :-)
Sorry about those Jaywalkers though. They were so pretty...
Posted by: Beth S. | July 29, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Dang! That is really too bad about the Jaywalkers. I guess they really didn't want to be finished? I've thought about that pattern too but the fit issues have worried me and I haven't yet tried it. Not sure that I will. MS is still lookin' good.
Posted by: Wanda | July 29, 2007 at 10:10 PM
personally i love the way you finished those socks!i always say, cut your losses . . .
Posted by: anne | July 30, 2007 at 08:52 AM
That sucks about the socks. If you're not going to finish them at least re-claim the yarn. That stuff is really pretty! On the bright side, the mystery stole is coming along nicely.
Posted by: susan | July 30, 2007 at 02:55 PM
Man, what a pain. I have only ever finished one pair of top-down socks, and they ended up loose around the leg. My first pair-slouch socks. *sigh*. I prefer toe-up, particularly for the easy-try-on-as-you-go reason. One of my many frogged socks was the Jaywalkers. Mainly, because I didn't feel like I was ready for them yet. I'm a big fan of Queen Kahuna's toe-up method.
Maybe that yarn doesn't want to be Jaywalkers?
Beautiful stole. That reminds me, I have a leaf lace shawl I need to work on...
Posted by: Jonelle | August 01, 2007 at 10:20 PM