Knitting In Pairs
November 24, 2009
That’s knitting in “PAIRS” not in “PARIS”… although if anyone wanted to help me get to Paris so I could write that blog, I’m all for it!
This post is about anything that has to be made twice and the horrible, evil, inhumanity of it! Let’s list some of these items, shall we?
- Sleeves : The short sleeve or tank top style really isn’t a big deal at all. I mean, a few measly rows of pain and it’s over. But the especially tedious sleeve style is the dreaded “long sleeve”. These bad boys just make you want to curl up in a ball and cry. “What do you mean i have to knit the exact same 28 inches of stockinette stitch AGAIN!?” And if it’s a man’s sleeve – holy crap forget about it! Lord forbid you’re making a sleeve with a cable pattern too!
- Socks: As if turning that heel the first time wasn’t bad enough, let’s do it again, shall we?!
- Mittens: Ok – so really these technically need to be in the list, but let’s face it, there isn’t much challenging about mittens. Unless of course they have some ridiculously complicated, although beautiful, color work pattern on them top to bottom. Then I could see that second one being a bit more daunting.
- Gloves: Far worse than turning that heel, WAY worse than the second mile of the long sleeved sweater; is the glove. the horrible, awful, terrible, 5 fingered glove. I mean, really – who thought that evil contraption up?! Fingers are just plain mean. Think about it – not only do you have to make the glove twice, but that’s 10 times you have to make those stupid little fingers! that’s 8 loose ends to go back and weave in, 10 little tiny circles to knit on little tiny DPNS – what if your dating the 6 Fingered man from Princess Bride?! Man, you couldn’t PAY me to make him gloves. That’s just adding insult to injury right there.
Ok – so I think we get the point. Everyone who has ever knit something that required a pair has had to face the “2nd sock slump”. Or perhaps you prefer to call it the “Double’s Droop”? (TEE HEE!) How about “The Succeeding Failure?” (Oxymoron much?) “Replay Rut”? Help me out here…what do you call the “Double Doldrums?”
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4 Comments
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I have yet to make gloves with fingers (just a pair of Fetching for my daughter), so I can’t speak to that, but I’ve not experienced second anything syndrome so far. As much as I enjoy the process of knitting, which I do, I really, really enjoy actually wearing what I’ve made. I actually usually tend to churn out the second item even faster than I did the first one.
And I could never date the 6-fingered man:
1. He’s a bad guy.
2. He’s married to Jamie Lee Curtis (and she could kick my ass).
I realize that none of this is particularly helpful to you, and I do apologize for that.
Of course it’s helpful! I was just curious to see what other people deal with when they are making pairs. It doesn’t happen every time – I was exaggerating for effect – the effect of which I was hoping was humor. But on occasion I look at that second sock as I start the ribbing and think … ooh, why did I start this?!
I recently received a very sweet request for knitted gloves from a dear friend that I find hard to refuse. But I REALLY don’t want to knit all those fingers. I did short fingers for a pair of fingerless gloves and it was reeeeaaally annoying. I’m only looking at patterns in worsted weight so that they’ll go fast, at least!
Oh man! I know EXACTLY what you mean. I’m working on short fingers for a pair of gloves for a friend and they are seriously going to cause me to burst a blood vessel! I haven’t picked them up in a week because I’m so sick of them, and I’ve only done 2!