Monday, January 30, 2006

"cut off a bit of the heel, and it will"

So I couldn't wait until the heel was done. I just had to try the sock on.

It won't fit. It would theoretically fit my leg and my foot just fine. The problem is, I have a heel. The leg of the sock won't stretch enough to allow my heel through. I can get my heel into the leg, but not very far. It just won't go.

What do I do? Do I finish the socks? On one hand, I put so much work into this one. It's really pretty, and it would be a shame not to finish it on. On the other hand, I already have small feet. This sock isn't going to fit anybody. And if I find someone who can get their heel into it, I have no doubt that the leg and foot will just be saggy and big. Plus, that someone would probably be a child, and I know no children.

I'm currently in shock/denial. These socks are just built to not have a lot of stretch to them. I don't think I could knit them so they'd fit properly and so it would be possible to get them onto my foot. I thought before that these would be mostly show socks, but now I know that's all they ever could be. Do they even count as socks if nobody can wear them? No wonder they're not on an actual foot in the book. (Okay, to be fair, none of the mittens or socks in the book are modeled.) Obviously, I'm transitioning into the anger phase of this knitting tragedy.

Any advice? I don't think blocking is the answer. If I can't physically stretch them over my heel, they will never go. I'm tempted to give up now, and concentrate on Ingeborg for the next week or two, until the SFCKAL begins.

(And if anybody knows where the quote in the post title comes from, that will do a little bit to cheer me up. :)

13 Comments:

Blogger Trista said...

I believe it's what the wicked stepmother says to the elder stepdaughter in the original Grimm version of Cinderella... at least that's where I've seen it. :)

*big hug* I'm really sorry to hear about your sock rage!

1/30/2006 2:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Before deciding whether blocking will work, you should try wetting the sock and trying to see if you can get into it. Sometimes wool will stretch more when wet. Just a thought though...

1/30/2006 2:21 PM  
Blogger Landstown Poultry said...

Oh my. I am so sorry to hear of this horrible tragedy.

The title is a quote from Cinderella. It's a bit between the stepmother and Lucinda about the shoe that the prince has brought for the girls to try on. With that tale and this, sadly, that is not the acceptable solution. :-(

I weep for you...but, they sure are lovely!

1/30/2006 2:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh no! if they end up a human size, you could send them to Afghans for Afghans, but that would still involve putting a ton of work into the second sock.

If you can't get it to fit your foot, I think you should frame it. Seriously, I've seen framed t-shirts, handkerchiefs, old quilt blocks, etc. You can get someplace to mount and frame it for you - it won't be cheap, but it would be gorgeous and all your visitors can admire it.

1/30/2006 2:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"and when you're his wife, you'll have such a life, You'll never need to walk!" Into the Woods, and out of the woods, and home before dark!

Gahhh you put the last musical I did back into my head I give you the Glare of Death. @_@


As for the sock, if you're really intent on wearing it, you should frog and redo, if you can figure out how to make the pattern bigger. If you're just looking to have something to keep you occupied, then finish the sock and consider it a Lesson Learned.

Or, stop where you are, and make a decorative fragrent sachet out of it? A small lavender-filled pillow sachet or some such. Or fill it with a fabric bag filled with rice and have a microwave/freeze cold/hot pack.

Not that I frequently mess up my WIPs and have to determine alternative uses...noooonononononono. Yes. A bit.


Big *hugs* and hope that "acceptance" comes soon.

~schizospider, who needs to get her arse a blog.

1/30/2006 3:25 PM  
Blogger AnneB said...

Oh my! I was so waiting to see a photo of the sock on your foot. It is so gorgeous. Don't frog it. Line it with a plastic bag, fill it with chocolates and hang it by your computer. The only consolation is it isn't a year long project that wouldn't fit in the end. We've all had those!

Anne - watching the ice fall

1/30/2006 4:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, man, what an awful fate for such beautiful work. Maybe cut down the tops to see if they'd work as ankle socks, and turn the rest into some sort of bag/sachet/coaster/decoration? Is the ribbing-to-heel or heel-to-toe length enough to turn it into a mitten? You'd just have to unravel a couple of stitches and put in a thumb.

Or maybe just leave it be, and give it to a friend as a somewhat nontraditional Christmas stocking? The prettiest sock puppet ever?

1/30/2006 5:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can you try turning more than half the stitches? Lucy Neatby suggests this for short row heels that are bigger around the angles.

- Monica

1/30/2006 5:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PS - Here's an article where she suggests turning 60% of the stitches.

http://www.inknitters.com/Issue1/lucy.pdf

Monica

1/30/2006 5:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heh to the quote.
I know it's Cinderella's evil stepmother, as many have said, but now I have the song from Into the Woods running through my head.

"When you're his bride, you can sit or ride. You'll never have to walk!"

1/30/2006 7:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is the leg (1) a straight-sided tube, and (2) the same circumference as your foot? Could you perhaps take off the top layer of ribbing and knit a toe on it, then frog just back to the heel and do a leg in plain one-color stockinette/ribbing? Admittedly, this would put all the gorgeous Fair Isle on the part of the sock obscured by your shoes, but at least it would be somewhere.

1/30/2006 11:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Didn't these socks come from a mitten book? Couldn't they now become the mittens (or glves) they should be? Perhaps with a very long arm warmers.

1/31/2006 1:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cannot believe how many musical theater geeks there are out in knitblog land. I suddenly feel far less alone.

1/31/2006 2:25 PM  

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