Ready Or Not!

Tree full of bees.

Songbirds singing at 4 am.

Head full of snot.

Springing into Summer is just as much fun this year as every other year.  /falls over

Busy working on wedding lace for a dear darling friend while hating people, blocking people and wondering why I even bother.  Yeah, business as usual...

hotlinked from our Joan

Eishexe is the pattern.  STR but don't is the yarn.  This is the pair where the yarn fuzzed up while I was knitting the heel.  I know how they stay in business but it still amazes me...

The pattern!  It's in German but is fully charted and easy enough to figure out.  Hello!  I did it!  The pattern is knit cuff down with a great treatment of the cable toward the toes.  Being a slacker, I did them toe up with my usual CCSRs for toes and heels.  I know you can't see it in the photo, but there is a cable on both sides of the foot and one running up the middle of the back.  Love the pattern and will knit them again.

(Project page)

If you click through to Joan's blog post, you'll see the two cables on the top of the foot and a pair of socks I do not remember knitting.  That will not surprise anyone who knows me.

Pet Peeve Moment: In the comments for that wonderful pattern, there are a lot of lazy English speakers who whinge on about how they wish the pattern was in English.  They are a wonderful representation of one of the things that is wrong with our culture/nation/hobby.  It would never dawn on them to download the pattern and see if they would figure it out.  They are spoiled and stupid and unwilling to put out an effort.  Even though, by making the effort, they would be benefiting themselves.  Honestly?  They are the sort of people that keep me from ever mentioning that I knit when I talk to people.  I NEVER want anyone to think I'm like that.  I do not read or speak German but I've managed a few German only patterns  with more to come.  It's a shame that so many Ravelry people are unwilling to move out of their comfy little box and challenge themselves.

Don't even get me started on the people who need everything written out for them.  If you want to be a lazy knitter, knit garter stitch dishcloths and shut the fuck up.  Just like in life, if you work hard, you learn shit, get better at things, and get ahead in whatever it is you're trying to do.  Be it knitting, career or weight loss.  Quit your bitching and move on!

/ahem

Comments

[Kym]

I have no problem knitting from Swedish patterns . . . and I don't speak any knitting-related Swedish words. (Except for "garn." I know "garn.") But it's not that hard to figure things out with an internet translator for a few key phrases. And charts. They're universal! You, go! Knit those German patterns, Fraulein.

[Becky]

Hey, I'm one of those people who prefers written directions over charted. My brain just prefers words over symbols. That's not to say, however, that if I find a shawl/socks/sweater that makes my toes curl and there's only a charted pattern, that I won't learn to read it. Nothing gets between me and personal gratification... I need chocolate. TGIF!

[Mary Lou]

Thank goodness for charts! We can knit from any pattern in most any language as long as we can figure out the symbols on the charts, right? Your STR socks are quite lovely, well-done! Do you suppose that due to the fuzzing up while knitting, they won't wear as well as some other yarns?
I have an acquaintance who brags about how she's been knitting for 65 years (she started when she was 5)yet she didn't know how to do a three-needle bind-off or how to pick up stitches on the heels of a sock, or how to knit toe-up socks, etc. She drives me crazy. It's like bragging about what a great cook you are when all you make is scrambled eggs. End of rant.

[margene]

I don't mind the songbirds, in fact, I love them, but I'm with you on the rest of it.
At least you're knitting. I am not.
xoxo

[Carrie#K]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Could you re-word it? Maybe with charts? LOLcats? Wow./ducks. I was just *asking*.

Cute socks! I may actually have to knit socks to get rid of my yarn. I'd rather knit sweaters but they refuse to finish themselves.

[kmkat]

Great socks -- that looks like Falcon's Eye colorway. I used to have some of that, made a pair of fingerless mitts, rest of the skein disappeared off the face of the earth. Go figger.

Cmon, Cookie, tell us how you really feel about lazy/dumb/slacker knitters...

[Rose]

Thanks! Wish I could figure out how to state the obvious like you do. (Oh, love the socks.) Would you please show us the wedding lace or let us know which pattern you're following?

[Kitten]

People are conditioned by soooo many sources to require instructions, special tools, purchased/new/extra... I knew a girl who only knit squares because other stuff was "too hard". I know a woman who is brilliant and who mused to me, in all seriousness, "I wonder if I could make a jeans-quilt by hand" while we were discussing same and her lack of sewing machine. She had a d'oh moment when I reminded her that people did that on occasion in the olden days. It s one of my chief complaints about baking recipes these days that tell you, "in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whatever attachment..." as though you can't bake things without one.
Oh look, I ranted too.

[CindyCindy]

You tell 'em hunny! Some of my most favoritest things on Ravelry are from Russia or the UK(wait a minute, we speak the same language)and Finland. So many beautiful things. And, if you can't read a pattern, look up a program on-line that translates. Seriously? That's embarrassing to me. And, amen, to what Kitten said.

[Stacey]

The socks are lovely. Is this a preview of what is to come this summer? :D I think I might like Mary Lou Who.

I reserve the right to whinge about patterns that need written instructions because they have 20 charts and no clear way of identifying which one goes where or how many repeats to do. However, when you do write out the pattern, don't make it so damn wordy. I made the mistake of buying a pattern book before checking out an individual pattern first. Apparently, it's an issue. Yes, she has charts, but you have to jump from chart to written, because the transition rows are in the written and not anywhere near the chart.

[Marilyn]

I just read all the comments and it appears that you have gotten everyone in a ranting mode! ;)
The socks are super in all their stripy and cabley wonderfulness.
Hope the bees go away, the birdies shut up and the snot dries up...Immediately!
xoxo

[Melissa]

Isn't an on-line translation a good enough solution if you can't figure the pattern out yourself? After all it's been offered free of charge. With a chart and a pic you can usually figure out what is meant or at the worst something similar. Sorry to hear that your having a typical allergy spring. At least trying to hide inside from all the evil in the air is a good way to make progress on one's knitting. At least it is for me. Though today I'm getting to hide from evil cold air. Totally unfair.

Smiles after all it's Mega May.

[pdxknitterati/michele]

That's a very pretty sock pattern. And I do like the green on green stripe, very quietly elegant.

It's been summer here for a week, but rainy spring is coming back soon.

[joan]

I do love those socks and will not let them fuzz up!

We need to get our German(s) to bring/send German sock yarn for the next 2-3 pairs.

Is the lace done yet? Just cleared enough room to block but must find the box that holds the blocking pins!

xoxo

[Cheryl S.]

Sorry it's been so crappy lately! The socks are great, though. I totally agree about those whingers on foreign patterns. WTF? Should American designers translate all of their patterns into every other language? There are plenty of resources available for translating the damn thing yourself.

[Kelly]

Charts open up worlds! Also, who needs a pattern when you have your own figured out? That is exactly how I knit my hats and socks- my own pattern, insert option here. Lovely socks!

[Angie]

Very nice socks. That is a lovely pattern, for sure. We have a frost warning for tonight then we are expecting 80's. What happened to spring?

[silvia]

We've got crows in the neighborhood and I sleep with the window open (unless your reading this an are a housebreaker - then I don't) so I know those crows and songbirds enjoy the round the clock singing. I guess they've got nothing else to do since they can't play Candy Crush...

I adore those socks and I have queued them for when I finally finish something and can start yet another project. We will just ignore the people who aren't confident (or smart) enough to figure out google translator. If I can figure out something in Japanese...

[gayle]

The best thing about knitting is that there's always something new to learn, or some new challenge to meet. But I guess if you close your eyes and whinge loudly enough, you don't have to notice that...
Love the socks, btw.

[Patty]

Crappy breakfast and chirping bird inside the hotel this weekend. Oh Trip Advisor!!! :-) Good luck with that shawl and those socks may be my favorite yet!