52PPIV Progress Update

This is the progress update after the first month of the 52 Pair Plunge IV. I’m going to evaluate myself according to the 4 goals I’d set for myself at the start.

1. Finish the 3 WIPs and 8 pairs of hibernating socks I currently have on the needles. One of those pairs is from April 2009. Really it’s time to finish it.

I’ve finished 2 Hibernating socks…The Power’s Out at Work & Dad’s Fathers Day Thaja socks. Which leaves me with 6 more pairs of hibernating socks. Of the 3 pairs that were WIPs (works-in-progress) at the time I began The Plunge, 2 have gone into hibernation (one because I lost the second skein of yarn so I’m sort of stuck, and the other because I lost interest). The third is the Norwegian Rose colorwork sock I finished yesterday. I can't believe I actually finished these.

2. I currently have give-or- take 90 skeins worth of sock yarn. Enough to make 90 pairs of socks with lots of remnants. I will not stop buying new sock yarn but what if I can only knit the new after I’ve completed a pair with the stash sock yarn. Imagine if I cut the stash down by 26 skeins? That’d be a good part of a yarn bin free.

I’ve started and finished a pair of socks from stash yarn, the Missed in History Socks. I’ve started a second and third pair from stash yarn, but not yet finished them. I have not knit with any “new” yarn, which I consider a success. So far the only “new” yarn is the String Theory yarn I bought a couple weeks ago and that’s displayed too nicely to knit with it.

3. Knit more with DK weight yarn. I’ve never knit a DK weight sock but it couldn’t hurt to make a pair of house socks for The DH, Mum, Dad, & Myself. Those will be quicker than regular socks.

I’ve knit a pair of DK weight child socks, The Etta Mae Baby Socks. They were a quick afternoon knit. Nothing to report on adult socks in DK weight.

4. For every full size pair I knit, knit a pair of kids socks. Not baby socks. Those are so small they’re useless. Kids socks that I can give to Sophie or Simon or put away for some future child.

Definitely not keeping up this end of the deal. So far this month I’ve knit 4 pairs of socks and 1 pair of baby socks. I just don’t have the patience for it. I think it's a two fold problem, there aren't many toe up patterns, and I'm afraid to knit too small a sock and have it be pointless. About a week ago I tried one of Cat Borhdi's toe up kid socks and loved them, so I'm hopeful that there will be more of the Etta Mae's Baby Bootikins in my future.