March 21, 2007

Gearing Up for Round 2

Sock Madness Round 2 starts tomorrow.

I'm competing against Jo. She and I have decided to just have fun with round 2 and be happy no matter what the result.

I was surprised by how competitive I got in round 1. But it's hard to muster up a desire to crush your opponent when you really like her. When she's someone as charming as Jo. When she was the one who tipped you off to Sock Madness in the first place.

I'll still knit the socks as fast as I can, because that's the whole point. Also, I enjoy pushing myself to be a better, faster knitter. But I'm not going to think about it as a one on one race. Maybe I'll even slow down just enough to make sure these socks are higher quality than the Mad Cows. And in the end, I'll be happy for whichever one of us goes on to round 3.

I've got my yarn.



Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Sand Ridge colorway.

I'm swatching it right now on my US 2 dpn's. So far, I seem to be getting the gauge just right. That makes sense to me. The first pair of socks I ever knit were with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I knit them on my US 2 dpn's and they came out huge. (Next time I use Shepherd Sock, I'll knit it with my US 1's.) Which is why it seems about right that I'm getting the right gauge with the Shepherd Sport on the US 2's.

I've got my yarn. I've got my gauge. All I need now is the pattern.

Good luck, Jo! I'm cheering for us!