The One About Inori

Nad wants socks for his birthday. Okay, I offered to knit socks for Nad’s birthday. (He’s hovering behind me and saying that “You don’t want your post to be lying, right?”)

And he initially wanted a stupid green, orange, red, purple, yellow vomit colour. I was rather disgusted. Then I asked him if the theme ‘SUNSET’ would be better and he agreed.

So off I went to dye some wool!!!

First I strung 2 skeins of Hot Socks (I bought this sock weight yarn when I was in Singapore last December and haven’t got any chance to use it yet) around two chairs about 6 to 7 meters apart. Then I soaked them overnight in vinegar.

This is my work space – out beside my carport because there isn’t any space in my teeny little house.

From left to right: 3 huge syringes I recycled from work, pot with 2 skeins of yarn soaking in vinegar, separated with a plastic cover, 3 glass bottles of acid dye and a roll of toilet paper to soak up any splatters. I was also wearing rubber gloves.

Both skeins laid out on the floor. (Bad move I tell you and I will tell you why later.)

Orange coloured in.

The red and a little bit of purple coloured in.

All coloured in!

I wrapped the yarn up in cling wrap to prevent the colours from running. Put them in a pot and popped it on the stove on low heat.

When I was sure that the colours were fast, I took the skeins out to wash in the sink. I added some wool wash to it. If you haven’t noticed by now, that is a tangled mess.

And this, is what I wish to tell you. To be careful not to tangle your yarn. Especially if you string it 6 or 7 meters apart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARGHHH. It took me 4 days to untangle both skeins. I didn’t take any pictures of it because I was too devastated. 4 days.. I didn’t knit for 4 days. All because I was busy untangling yarn.

Anyway, here’s the yarn (finally) in a skein:

I’ve named the colourway “Hurry Sundown” after one of our favourite country songs by McBride and The Ride (and incidentally, the song I think of most whenever I’m at work…..). Yes I know, we are country bumpkins. (We hate the music that plays over the radio these days.)

Anyway, Nad says that socks that stripe horizontally (which is how most socks stripe anyway), are not ‘natural’ looking. He wants socks that stripe VERTICALLY. So I’ve started on the one and only vertical striped sock pattern available, Sidewinders, and am a few rows into it now.

And he is complaining that it’s not long enough and blah blah blah.

This is my first time knitting socks and since it’s a non-conformist pattern, I wouldn’t know how to make adjustments! So I said to him, “If you don’t like it, I WILL wear it for myself okay?”

Only then did he say, “Noooo! It’s mine!!! Okay okay I won’t complain!” Hehehehe.

Men… tsk.