Glorious Sock

Dear Sweet Wife,
I sit here now, my marriage solidly certified with my fine and glorious sock,
and think of so many good days to come. It makes me happy that we can joke
and tease constantly even if the world around us spins with unsubstantiated
and reckless seriousness. More importantly, my one foot is very warm and
life is good. Love, m

Well, that's really something, isn't it? A love note. Stirred by a single, solitary sock. And a sock that might well be the single ugliest sock in the world.

But not for long. I am busy knitting its mate - even an ugly sock has a perfect-for-it match.

This is actually my first sock ever. It is Knitty's Widdershins. This is a fabulous pattern - toe up, with a magical cast on that is easy, secure, non-fiddly. A beautifully turned shortrowed heel, slip stitched along the back. Options for cables, which I took because I haven't knit cables yet and thought this would be a good place to start before I begin my epic Cabled Riding Jacket from Teva Durham's Loop d Loop. Anyway, the pattern is awesome!

The yarn, not so much. It's KnitPicks Memories - something I picked up on a whim planning to do something for small children from it. And here it is in its african violet/spring garden glory - all purple, fuschia, apple green and buttercup yellow. On a large sock it makes for a bunch of single row stripes of highly contrasting colors.

And in cables it's just plain fug. I did know that going in, but I figured since it was just a "test sock," it wouldn't matter.

So I sat on the couch and knit and My Pilot looked over and asked what I was making.

"A sock," I answered, Click click click.

"For who?"

"I'm not sure yet - it's pretty ugly." Click click click

"Could it be for me?"

Stop the clicking. I turned and looked at him, reclining back on the couch, his pixie feet propped on my lap. "Sure - but it's really a pretty ugly sock. Would you really wear them?" (It's important for you, gentle reader, to understand that My Pilot is particular about his socks - he likes midweight Thorlos in grey, khaki, or navy. He does not like other midweightsocks, nor does he enjoy wearing Thorlos that are lightweight or heavy, or colors other than those already mentioned.)

"Yes I would wear them. I would wear them all the time," he said earnestly.

"You wouldn't have to wear them all the time. Just once."

"Can I really have them?"

Well, of course he could have them. Sweet soul - how could I resist.

And so I knit away, and finally finished the first sock. It was ugly, but structurally sound and fit him reasonably well.

I slid it onto his dainty dancing foot - pixie-like, as I already mentioned. Man was that sock ugly! He was so happy, he beamed.

"That's one ugly sock. In fact, I think it might be about the ugliest sock ever knitted. I'll make you some good socks that you can enjoy wearing - in fact, when we go to town on Thursday I want you to pick some yarn, and then we'll find just the right pattern for it."

Wiggling his toes happily and gazing at his sweet foot clad in a mishmash of color and texture, he said, "But I want another one just like this!!"

I melted. And today at work he took his single sock and showed it to way too many people - Nan at the cafe, Catherine (a wonderful knitter herself!!), Don, Jean at the gallery across the way from ours. I melted again.

And then he took some pictures - And Blogger isn't cooperating, so I can't even show them to you right now. But I will get them up, and you are most certainly free to make disparaging remarks about this unattractive sock.