For One Competitor, SOS 2007 Gets Off to a Slow Start

A cold drizzle fell on the crowd assembling for Summer of Socks 2007. The knitters and crocheters organized their supplies and settled into their favorite chairs, their faces betraying a mix of nervousness and excitement. Meanwhile a buzz moved through the spectators' bleachers as several celebrity knitters took their places.

The competitors raised their needles and hooks, yarn dangling off their fingers. The announcer's voice boomed through the loud speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! On your mark! Get Set! Cast on!"

A warm breeze blew over the crowd as 506 knitters and crocheters cast on. The diversity of methods (toe-up, toe-down, one sock or two) was eclipsed only by variations in yarn gauge and colors. Sock knitting and crocheting is a true panoply of choice and expression, all for the humble sock.

We caught up with one contestant this morning to find out how things are going after just one day of sock knitting. Janneke van Dijk is standing by in Holland. Janneke?

Thanks, John. I'm here in The Hague with Akaijen, of the Knitting Sutra blog, who's preparing for day two. Akaijen, tell us how it's going so far.

"Things started out really well. I'd been training for a few days, working out my pattern and honing my technique. And I was feeling really good yesterday morning. Since I'm in Europe, I had plenty of time to eat and get hydrated. We couldn't cast on until 11am, so I even worked a few rows of the last sleeve of Jemima to get my fingers warmed up. I had my skeins organized in my Smurfy Bag, you know the one I felted a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was a good sign that I found a use for that bag.

"My cast on went well too. I worked my usual figure eight cast on, which I think is the best way to get started on a pair of socks quickly. There's no fluffing around with waste yarn and provisional cast ons. No wasted stitches because you start working on the socks right away. But something wasn't right, and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was."

What happened next?

"Well, every few rounds I usually count my stitches just to make sure that I'm working the increases correctly. So there I am counting, 'two, four, six ... 34, 36,' and then I realized what was wrong. I'd cast on the wrong number of stitches. I was on my way to knitting oven mits!"

So what did you do?

"I did the only thing I could do. I ripped it all out and cast on again."

With the correct number of stitches, right? *insincere laughter*

"Right."

Do you think this set back will affect your overall performance in Summer of Socks 2007?

"Not really. There are a lot of great competitors in this year's competition. For me, this is really a warm up to next year. I have a lot of skills to learn before I could really be in the running for 'Most Socks.' All I can do is show up and give it 110%."

What's up for today?

"Today I'll be doing some travel knitting. I'm heading up to Leiden on the train, and I'll bring the socks with me. This is a good opportunity to work on my "Socks on Vacation" photography techniques. It's just a day trip, but Holland's pretty scenic. I think I have a shot at the photography competition. Still, there are a lot of great photographers in the mix. I need to be on my toes."

How did you feel after the first day?

"A bit drained, actually. And I noticed that my long-distance vision was a little blurry after staring at small stitches much of the day. It was a lot of sock knitting. So, I switched back to Jemima's sleeve to watch the Daily Show with my husband, B."

Really, you put the socks down?

"Yeah. I really wanted to finish Jemima before SOS started. It's easy stockinette, so I can almost work on it without looking at my needles. It was a good cool down too. I won't do very well if I push myself and get finger cramps. It's all about the pacing for a long event like this. The last thing you want to do is burn out in a month. I could see that happening to me if I'm not careful."

Well, good luck, Akaijen.

"Thanks, Janneke."

Back to you, John.

Comments

[becky]

The Hare and the Tortoise my friend, the Hare and the Tortoise.

Just so you know, I actually pictured a stadium full of knitters getting ready to start and thought "Holland is so cool." I need to quit revealing these details of myself. People will come to believe I'm really stupid!

Thanks for the 2 socks on 1 circ link- here I go- or maybe I'll just try another postal bag.

[Heather]

You are so seriously hilarious...

I have so many unfinished wips that I actually experienced a touch of anxiety yesterday about what my plans were for SOS!!

[Jen]

Dang, ya'll! I was trying so hard to get out of the house before the comments started coming in and I got sucked back into blogging. ;)

Becky: Holland is definitely cool. As in cool weather. What kinda bleeping summer is this anyway??

Heather: yeah I just saw what Lolly is up to with fancy embroidered socks... I might need to flex a little more muscle on the next pair. Push out of the comfort zone.

[Jessica]

LOL! Make sure you link to this post in your first blog report. I love it! :)

[Jeannie]

Very cute and so funny! It sounds like you got over the little bump in the road just fine. My fingers are taking a little break from the sock and surfing the net a bit. As for your question on my blog, the answer is yes. I plan on trying to focus on socks, but the mystery shawl #3 is soooo tempting and the first clue comes out next week.

[tiennie]

That is hilarious!

[ali]

Great writing! I definitely enjoyed that. And you're right- pace yourself... it should remain fun!
Happy knitting-
ali