{Warmly}

Well we finally had a few inches of snow fall.  It only stuck around for a few days, but that was plenty to inspire me to work on a little bit of warmth over here.  Between making a variety of soups (homemade chicken noodle, split pea and chili) and gallons of hot cocoa to warm up little adventurers, I found some time to finish up one long neglected pair of socks for my Mama and start some for me, too.

When I finally presented my mother with her pair and watched her slip them on right in front of the blazing wood stove, I felt it - that undeniable warmth.

Making socks takes time.  Quite a bit, actually.  I could knit up a pair of pants or even a baby sweater in the amount of time it takes to knit socks.  Probably a few caps and half a dozen booties as well.  Socks are knit on tiny needles with thin yarn, yielding thousands of tiny stitches.  What's more, socks take a big hit in the "wear and tear" department - arguably more than any other knits.  One can walk holes right through them.  In light of the time and effort required, the thought is almost heartbreaking.

So why knit socks?  Why not buy a package of crew socks from Target for a fraction of the cost of handknit socks?

There's just something about them.  Not just the warmth of the natural fiber, or the harmonious connection that the color and patterning share.  Something about my Mom's little petite feet, crossed at the ankles, soaking up the warmth of the fire in socks I knit for her.  There's something human about hand knits, something intimate about yarn wrapped about my fingers, turning into tiny stitches, inch by agonizing inch, slowly creating something useful. Something that communicates more than I ever could.  Something to wrap up in, warmly.

I've got my share of Target crew socks.  And they are fine.  They get the job done.  But when I wear hand knit socks, I feel warm all over.



Want to knit some pretty socks too?  I used the Hedgerow pattern for Mom's socks, and Hermione's Everyday Socks for mine.  Yarn is Knit Picks "Stroll Tonal" sock yarn in Golden Glow and Springtime.