BATTLE CRY!!!

War has been declared and I am now armed to the socks. What war, you ask? Why the Great Sock War of '06 of course!

As soon as I enlisted, I began basic training. I knit up a pair of socks in Trekking (XXL), a type of magic stripe yarn. We were all curious to see how it would look knit up, so off I went to boot (or is it Birkenstock?) camp. How long did it take me to knit up this warm-up pair of socks? Read 'em and weep sock warriors: I knit this pair in just two days. Plus, it's sock yarn, instead of DK (required ammo for the Sock War) and I knit tall socks instead of the short socks we'll be making in the war. I think I could actually finish my killer pair in one day. If I overnight them, that means a "kill" in just two days. I don't expect to survive the war, but if I can get the first "kill" I will be quite pleased with myself.

"Magic Stripe" yarn is really cool. You just knit along and the colors change all on their own. There is no joining of different colors and no buying of several different colors of yarn. They're as easy to knit as boring plain socks, but much more exciting to watch, and to wear. Magic stripe socks are like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get. Just looking at the ball of yarn, it looks like an ordinary variegated yarn. But when you knit it up, it really is magic!

Yesterday the armory list was posted and today I shopped. I momentarily perplexed the ladies at Hillcreek when I charged in demanding poisonous yarn fit to kill a sock recipient on sight, but they soon got into the spirit of my expedition. Bex and I dug around in the sale bin and came up with this Regia Crazy Color in DK weight.

The instructions call for 50 g, which I have, but I am doubtful I can knit a whole pair with just 50 g. Unfortunately, there was only one skein of this glorious color. What to do?

Why, I must supplement my yarn from my trusty yarn stash, of course! "Hmmm," I pondered, "what would make these socks really stand out and be especially deadly?" Why, something fuzzy, of course! So I dug around in my chemo cap yarn. Here are the odd bits of "Fur Real" I have left over. I've got some fuschia Berroco Chinchilla somewhere but I can't find it. I might have to get some more while the price is so good ($5/skein). The Fur Real is at a good price too ($4, half off the regular price of $8/skein). But stash yarn is best of all!

The Fur Real yarn is interesting to knit up. Most variegated yarns stripe. At least for chemo caps, the Fur Real made spots instead of stripes. The chemo cap on the left is from the pattern I posted in the blog. Note the rounded top. The one on the right was knit from a a popular pattern I used to use. Note the "missile head" top. It reminds me of Beldar and Prymaat Conehead of SNL fame. I "stole" the rounded top from the two-headed hat Alice made from the Knitwits' retreat.

Oh, I also picked up a set of Addi-turbos for my war-chest and learned a little known secret about them that I'm going to pass on just to you. Promise, now, you won't go sharing it, right? ;) Okay, did you know Addi's are guaranteed for life? Yup, they'll replace them for free. I suddenly thought of Mary, whose dog carefully extracted her favorite needles from a washcloth and ate them. So I asked Bex (in jest) if they were guaranteed even if chewed (by a dog). AND SHE SAID, "YES." All you have to do is hang on to the package they come in and you can return them (in the original package) to your retailer for a replacement. I'm sticking my packages in the folder with all my warranty stuff. Just remember, it's our little secret.

I'm a horrible penny pincher and I'll admit I resented spending $12-$15 for a set of circular needles I could get at Walmart for less than half that price. I got stuck buying my first pair of Addi's because I couldn't find the size I needed anywhere in town. Bex has 'em all, every single size and length of Addi's they make. I heard Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe is the only place other than the manufacturer where you can get any Addi they make. So I bought them, resentfully, and I tried them. Sure the tips are nice and "glidey" and the cable is super "flexi." Now that I know they are the last needles I'll ever buy, they're also economical!

I've got this scheme to knit everything on circular needles. With the magic loop technique, I can throw away my double points and I don't even need a collection of circulars in various lengths. With magic loop, one size fits most! Bex said if we get enough interest she'll let me teach a class in magic loop knitting. So if you'd like to throw away your double points and knit hats (decreases and all) or anything else in the round and on only one set of circular needles, vote for my class!

Ah. And now it's time for another election. I've got to decide which yarn out of my stash I should use to amend my war socks. You've seen my chemo stash: purpley pink ("pink elephant"), pale pink ("Easter Bunny"), blue green ("Peacock"), and blue (whose name I forget). It's too late for you to enlist in the Sock War, but it's not too late for you to participate. Help me design my killer socks. Which yarn should I use? Should I "fur" the cuffs or the whole leg? What about stripes of fur? Or the foot? Should I do a pattern stitch? What would make my socks the most deadly?