Dilemma solved, I rode my bike to the yarn store. I've not been in a real yarn/knitting store before. I usually buy my yarn at Michaels, and, on one occasion, Walgreens. It's amazing what you can buy at Walgreens. This store however was an actual knitting store dedicated to all things knitting; yarn, patterns, knitting needles, and all manner of knitted goods displayed oh so casually as to say to the unsuspecting "go ahead, pick up that ball of yarn for 8.50 and you too could make a clever little sweater, with matching hat." There is no warning though that says you'll need at least 50 of those little balls of yarn (at 8.50!), and no matter how hard you try, you'll never make something quite as beautiful as that sweater. In fact, your sweater will resemble a very large lumpy dishcloth...with holes.
No matter, I was there only to pick up some knitting needles, and enough yarn to knit a sock. I wasn't even going to attempt fate and try to knit two socks. I was only going to commit to one, and see how it goes from there. The minute I walked in the store though, I was out of my league. It started with the needles. They had a selection of bamboo needles. Bamboo! And only bamboo. No cheap metal needles here. These were imported from Japan. Designed especially by tibetan monks who had mediated to the sound of wind chimes for fifty years before making them, no doubt. But I was determined to make my sock, so I picked up the needles that looked like chopsticks (I wanted to knit socks, not eat them!) and wandered over to the yarn section.
Yarn is pretty. Pretty, pretty yarn. Yarn is seductive. Yarn comes in lots of soft, pretty packages that makes you think you can knit all kinds of clever things. Real yarn is also real expensive. I bought one skein for 12 dollars! That's right, I am going to knit a 12 dollar sock. Yes, I am aware that I can buy socks for less than 12 dollars. However, I am going to knit my own sock. My very own 12 dollar sock that I will probably never wear. I picked a very bright pink, because I knew I would be working on this project for a very long time, and I wanted a cheerful color. No matter that I don't wear pink. No matter that I can buy a package of socks for less money, time and effort. I am going to knit a sock, dammit, because sometimes I am strange and oddly stubborn. (Sometimes?!)
It took me three hours last night to finally cast on correctly. After gouging myself repeatedly while working with four tiny bamboo needles, this is what I came up with...
Three hours. And now I have a wee little cuff that I realize my big fat foot will never fit into.
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