I set myself the challenge of knitting myself a pair of socks each month this year to replenish my sock drawer and to make sure I knit something for myself that I love – you really can’t beat hand knitted socks. However, the sense of loss when a sock mysteriously disappears or meets a tragic end is magnified when that sock is hand knitted. I still have the single sock left from a pair I took on holiday last year, the other I imagine having an adventurous secret to be life in the Alps, where I think I lost it.
3 months into my challenge I am facing such loss again. This morning I was putting away the laundry and there was one of my beloved Fountains socks in the basket. These were the socks that reignited my love of sock knitting and that were knitted through a memorable journey this January – yes THIS January.
However, my beloved sock was hardly recognisable, rather than lovely heathered yarn knitted in a pretty lace pattern, I was faced by a felted lump of a sock, bearing little resemblance to its former self.
My response; to yell the name of my partner, who responded to my cry and my coming down the stairs and brandishing said felted sock at him was:
‘it managed to get into the dryer’
Well, there you have it.
My intrepid fountain sock had taken on a life of its own. Much travelled in its knitting, the wanderlust had gotten the better of it and rather than wait with the other more pedestrian socks in the washing basket for a gentle wool wash, it had forged ahead and clambered into the washer with the bedding. No doubt battered by that experience, and with the determination of a climber suffering oxygen deprivation, it had somehow managed to keep pace with its larger and more agile pillow case and sheet washing companions, and reached the summit of the tumble dryer. The tumble dryer however was a step too far for my over achieving sock and now it lies abandoned on the slopes of the mending pile whilst I hope for inspiration to answer the question ‘is there anything I can do with this?’
In the meantime – I’ve searched my leftovers to see if I have enough yarn to knit a new companion for my remaining fountain. The knitting equivalent to a saviour sibling perhaps, and it’s tight, but I may just make it…
and perhaps I should start knitting socks in threes…
Oh no he didn’t just use the “mistakes were made” defense. So sorry — that is always heartbreaking.
Pretty much, but with the ‘I didn’t do it on purpose’ thrown in to. Now, I didn’t think it was deliberate, just careless – but tried not to over interpret the meaning of being careless with my hand knitted socks because that would get us nowhere!
Wise woman. 🙂
So sad to see the 2 socks together – I feel sorry for you!
Thanks Anne-Lies, I was feeling rather sorry for myself too, but now I have a plan and hopefully a happy ending!
I might be able to help! I found your blog by accident by googling ‘Susan Crawford’ and ‘Waterstones Lancaster’ and read about your sock dilemma. I bought 4 balls of the King Cole Little Dorrit yarn in a charity shop in Kendal a few months ago, and it’s just sitting in my stash doing nothing much. The chances of it being the same shade and dye lot are slim, but if they are the same you are more than welcome to a ball. The shade is 40 and the dye lot is 1732. It looks very similar and the label is the same…let me know if you run short. Good luck!
Wow, how kind – I love that the internet generates such random encounters and that wierdly my yarn is also shade 40, although a different dyelot. Thank you so much for your wonderful offer. Once I’ve cast off my current sock and freed up my needles I’ll get started on a new fountain and let you knw how I get on – If I am short it will only be a little bit – I’ll keep in touch and thank you once again.
I just found your blog! I can’t remember what steps I took but I was reading another’s blog and I think there was a link…. Ah-well, I love the delema of a missing/hurt/abused sock. I have been thinking of knitting 4 socks with the same yarn using 4 different patterns. That way if one goes missing it might just be ok!! I keep my socks out for hand washing and since I live alone I would only have myself to blame should one go missing.