Ode On a Sock Yarn
Thou sproingy cushy softness lying quiet,
Thou lengths of stripey goodness in a skein,
Thou colors burst forth in colorful riot.
Wild Thing, how canst I express my anticipation?
What delights await my dpns?
What glories will reveal themselves?
As the sock grows on yon needle,
Patterning of glorious hues!
What mad barber-poling! What struggles to stripe!
Heathering like the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods spun this? What rovings loth?
What singles and plies? What wild ecstasy?
Wait — I think I can hear something. Yup. It is John Keats, rolling in his grave.
Here’s my sock in progress in my Wild Thing sock yarn.
It looks suspiciously like it is going to become a kneesock, doesn’t it? I’m pretty darn sure I’ve got enough. I’ve been doing increases up the leg and I’m thinking I’m now within a few inches of completion.
This colorway consists of shades of golds and burgundies — so not my colors. But I love this sock with such depth and passion that it inspires me to write very bad poetry.
I deliberately chose a colorway that was way outside my usual palette, just for grins. That’s one of the things that is great about knitting socks — it’s a way to knit with colors that you usually don’t wear because they make you look like crap.
I knit on this sock on train platforms and trains. When I enter a brightly-lit train from a dimly-lit platform, the colors of this sock leap out at me and I feel a flutter of joy at the sight. This sock just makes me so incredibly freaking happy.
Lucy Sez:
My momma is a nut-job. Just sayin’.
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the sock, but I sympathize with the color choice. I, too, love the oranges & yellows, but can never wear them. Maybe I’ll have to try a sock like yours!!
Oh, don’t you just adore the sock-hop stuff???? You should try spinning their superwash. I LLLLOOOOOVE it!!!
Ooh very happy yarnstuff! happy feet!
Wendy’s Wild Thing -
A sock whose beauty cannot
be denied.
I can just hear Al saying “More sock yarn!?!” and my reply, “I can’t help it, it’s Wendy’s blog!” Great socks, that yarn is incredible.
Reminds me of Vogon poetry, but MUCH BETTER than Vogon poetry, of course. Here’s the most famous of Vogon poems - which is ONLY the 3rd worst in this galaxy.
“Oh freddled gruntbuggly,
Thy micturations are to me
As plurdled gabbleblotchits
On a lurgid bee.
Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes
And hooptiously drangle me
With crinkly bindlewurdles,
Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
See if I don’t!”
I LOVE your sock. Love as in covet. Love as in how fast can I get the yarn and knit me some. OK, almost as much as I love Lucy!
What mad barber-poling! rofl xox kay
Oh Wendy - what a delight you are! and Keats might be rolling in his grave, but your ode is so fun.
You have made all our spinners very happy campers with your enjoyment of the Sock Hop Yarn. (now they are all wondering which one of them spun the ones you got *grins*)
I just started on my own Wild Thing sock yesterday!! I just love the colours - not an orange person either, but on my feet … can’t possibly make me look sallow or jaundiced!!
Love the mini-sunrise you’ve got going on with the heel!
One small critique of The Ode: The first three lines should begin with “Thy”, if what you’re trying to say is “Your”. Finally, that degree in Classics pays off!
Damn that’s pretty!
Love the poem,and really love the sock. I completely understand the knitting socks in colors that are, shall we say, difficult for one to wear. I am about to start a pair in a beautiful range of greens that very much fall into that catagory for me!
i have a question about your elizabeth I sweater..i would like to knit it, but it looks very fitted..and i carry my weight around the bust and middle…do you think it’d work on me? or would something else be more appropriate?
Well, if you’re a blue-green (and all shades thereof) lover like me, it only makes sense to enjoy oranges once in awhile — it’s directly across from our beloved colors on the color wheel and therefore complimentary.
OMG the KOARC is waxing Suess! Too much! Actually, I think you’d look great in those colors, they’d go so well with your hair! Not from your feet of course. OK the silliness is infectious & I’m so succeptible;) Lucy, Mommy’s talking to strange people again…
Colours like that would make me happy too. Maybe my feet would feel warm or at least just look really warm.
John Keats should have such gorgeous socks!
They are worthy of poetry of any ilk. I too am besotted. One nice thing about socks is exactly what you said — they are way down on your feet so you can enjoy the pure color of them, any color, regardless if it suits you near the face.
It’s okay. I know why you used “thou” rather than “thy”. Knitting moves me to bad poetry, too. I like it. I like it so much that I haven’t blogged since I posted mine because I want it to stay near the top of my page. You (thou) (teehee), on the other hand, must not, nay–
Thou durst not cease posting
Thou knitter most prolific,
Thou blogger most generous.
With thy knotty proliferations
Flying from thy nimble needles,
Rejoice in thy yarn so wild, for
When knitting time is in short supply,
When new yarn my budget doth deny,
Thy socks doth warm my own feet!
Knit on, oh thou Wendy, knit on–
Thy creations with flair are replete!
Whoa. I rhymed. That was fun. But, as you can see, there is obviously no degree in classics in my background. If Keats weren’t rolling before, he is now. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, I say go to the knee!
My bad poetry, since it is human, is obviously in a different category from Vogon poetry, and induces only a mild catatonic state which can easily be remedied with a chocolate-coated pill. I’m just sayin’. (Wait, she’s mixing metaphores!) (I promise, I’m not a stalker. Maybe a little loopy, but not dangerous. I’ll stop now.)
Love the poem, love the happy sock, love Lucy’s flying kitty pose
I forgot, thx for the compliment on the entrelac sock!
Oh thy feeteth shall be so happyeth!
That’s my kind of nut job. I think we’ve all been there. With some projects, its “Hmm… fun to knit, but I dunno.” And with others its sheer joy and you just want to dance around and tell the world!
It certainlyis a smile inducing sock! They will look fabulous on you!
Those colors look like Virginia Tech colors on my monitor. When did you become a Hokie fan? [Kidding! From what I can glean, I'm not sure you're a sports fan at all!]
No wonder it makes you joyful! The colours are fantastic.
The next book? Bad Poetry For Knitters Co-authored with KOARC!
And, see? Someone else saw Hokie colors there besides me! Gobble! Gobble!Gobble!
The sock/yarn: Crazy gorgeous.
Your poem: Wonderfully bad. (I laughed. I cried.)
Lucy: Channeling Marilyn Monroe?
KOARC: Priceless.
Have to ask you, do you always use your generic toe-up sock pattern? I just completed my first sock (the 1st one of 2) and used the “Birkenstock Sock” pattern…..holy k2p2….it took me a long time. Would your pattern go faster?
I love the color btw. It wouldn’t be mine either, but I’ve started wearing fun socks like that, just because. It makes me smile every time I see the colors peek out beneath my pants!
Baby chicks ARE cool Lucy…..
Mmmmmmmm… knee socks…. that could be a most excellent reason for me to try a toe up sock!
I’m with you completely on socks as an opportunity to wear colors that you wouldn’t normally due to complete skin mis-match issues. The orange yarn I’m knitting socks with now would never work near my face, but it will be perfect for feet!
And I do hope we’ll see more of your own handspun “sock hop” yarn soon!
P.S. The KOARC is making me want to go back and re-read my Hitchhikers books now!
But that is the cool thing about socks. they are down there on your feet! they can be “wild” and totally not match anything! make a statement with socks! have fun with them! knitting socks is so fun to begin with! the colors should be vibrant and different! outside your noramal palette and comfort zone!
I totally agree w/ the above. Socks don’t have to be in your “colors”. I love yellows and greens (so sunny and cherry) but can’t wear them next to my face (makes me look yellow or green), but I made a pair of socks in Lorna’s Laces ‘Daffodil’. I say “Definitely make a statment!” It’s all about the process anyhow.;-)
By the by - love the poem! So classic!
H
Love the sock, love the colours. I too use socks as a way to wearing all the colours that I wouldn’t ever normally wear - who’s going to see except me and those close to me. People at uni alwys ask about my socks, and whenever I havenew handknit pair I always have to show them off as they love the colours and are intrigued that I made them. My sock hop yarn should be leaving the states next week, so should arrive in time for xmas. Hurrah!!
Well said. I’ve been working on knee highs and I kind of stalled on them for awhile. But, I picked them up again yesterday and am feeling the love again.
I won’t attempt to compete in the poetry contest here!
Love how the socks are progressing. It’s fun to try colors you don’t usually go for and you’re right - socks are the perfect vehicle for experimenting.
Just so you know, there’s a book out there call, “Very Bad Poetry”. It’s worth every penny!
Lovely colorway on that sock.
very nice
Wild Thing Haiku
Sunny happy yarn
Dancing off knitting needles —
A song for the feet
Couldn’t resist. . .
Micturations???? Just keep your micturations (aka micturitions?) OFF MY SOCKS. otherwise, write on, blog on, knit on…
I’m on my third pair of toe-ups and beginning to get grandiose ideas for Christmas.
Very well said. That’s exactly why I do what I do. Umm, whatever that may be.
The socks are very happy indeed. What is the yarn like? It seems to have a crinkly apperance on my computer. How much yarn does one need to make knee socks?
oh NOW I see how much yardage my two skeins have … I think the sox might have to be much longer, a la our first foray into longsockdom that chilly night one month ago (yikes - can it have been that long???)
but first, back to the neverending half collar…
and KOARC had me snorting and chortling - nuthin like a man with a phenomenal sense of humour!
That’s what I love about sock yarn too. The chance to work with colours that normally wouldn’t look that great next to your face. I love your poem!
BUt she;s a nice nut-job. Besides, a crazy mond is it’s own reward.
Or mind. Either way.
Lucy,
But don’t you love her BECAUSE of her craziness?! At least that is what my cats and dogs tell me!!
I’m totally with you on the magic of color.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever…Wild Thing!
We like the longer socks…good for peeking out of longer skirts.
Here’s looking at you, Lucy!
A thing of beauty is a joy forever…Wild Thing!
We like the longer socks…good for peeking out of longer skirts.
Here’s looking at you, Lucy!
A thing of beauty is a joy forever…Wild Thing!
We like the longer socks…good for peeking out of longer skirts.
Here’s looking at you, Lucy!
Hee hee - my luridly stiped socks evoke the same feelings for me!