Sunday, August 12, 2007

Fewer Witnesses, More Fun!

After a week of doctor's appointments, less than fruitful banking and various social activities, it was rather nice to have a day all to my Sheepie little self. I'm one of those whose batteries charge best with a little solitary down-time and I get my grump on something fierce if I'm denied. With the exception of a quick trip out this morning to refill the gas tank and play a little Tourist Tag with some of the visitors driving around our fair state, I was in for the day.

To say this was for the best would be an understatement. I hopped back on the Broadripple Bandwagon and knit the day away in glorious, unwashed, unkempt splendor. For reasons that don't entirely make sense even to me, I have taken to calling them, "Bripple Socks" and am given to shouting out a hearty,

"BRRRRRRRRRRIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

whenever the mood happens to strike. The more of a lip-flappin' vibration you can get into the consonant blend at the beginning, then the more's the fun. There is neither rhyme nor reason to the timing of the Bripple Battle Cry, but if there happens to be a cat somewhere in the vicinity then the fun potential rises to near criminal levels.

Don't let the complete lack of maturity fool you. I did more than run around the house blatting, "Bripple" all day. I actually spent some time knitting on the socks as well. A good deal of time, actually:





See?
Don't let the deep, rich color fool you. In an effort to sharpen the image, I successfully managed to edit out the true hues. These are bright green. Very, very, very bright. In the event that passers-by aren't alerted to my presence by the shrieking of the new favorite word, they will certainly see my socks. I will not be ignored.
While these have certainly been an easier knit for me than the doomed Jaywalkers, there have been one or two issues. I had something of a brain cramp with regard to needle size and somehow thought that a size one would be the best choice. Had I been in need of a nice broom handle cover, I would have been well on my way to the finest handle cozy since the beginning of time. Since it was socks I was really aiming for, a consultation with the pattern was in order and larger needles were procured. There have also been some discrepancies between my thoughts on sock construction and that of the pattern author. I'm not so excited about switching over to four needles for the foot from my comfortable five and I've also picked up more stitches on the heel flap for the gussets. I always pick up more stitches. I have a deeply ingrained inability to see a slipped stitch and pretty much pick up enough stitches to ensure gap avoidance with blatant disregard to what the pattern assures me will do. It seems to work, although I question whether I am going to be happy with this particular heel in the long run. I'll have to get a bit further along to see if I've snagged every possible opening or if I missed a spot and it is hiding itself behind a needle. But, in the end, I will follow The Sheep's Cardinal Rule Of Sock Knitting which states, "anything that will live inside the shoe doesn't count." I'm sure it will be fine.
I'm sort of hoping I can add one more pair of socks to the summer knitting total before school starts up in a few weeks. The overall production rate for this vacation time has been far less than I'd anticipated. One more pair of socks might go a long way towards soothing my stinging ego. I'd probably be really depressed about the whole thing if not for my newfound giggle-maker:
BRRRRRRRRRIPPLE!!!!!!!
SA

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great bripples. And they do look rather jaywalker-ish.

Anonymous said...

Love the Bripples sock. Now I can't stop saying it!

sheep#100 said...

Always pick up as many stitches as YOU think are necessary. And knit on five dpns, too.

Kris said...

I always pick up the number of stitches required by my knitting not the pattern then decrease down. So my gussets are a bit long....

Mel said...

Will being letting that cry rip in public on Tuesday night?

Knittymama said...

I can't handle four needles either.

I love Bripple! If I were knitting those socks (which I probably should) I would yell "Bripple!!!!" with each completed row.

Donna Lee said...

I am most comfortable with 3 working needles and one to knit with. I just modify patterns to suit my comfort level. I pick up stitches that I need for the gusset and that is not always what the pattern calls. I just try to make sure I pick up the same number of stitches on both sides. I am contemplating what to knit when I finish my current socks and brrrrrippppple socks might fit the bill.

Anonymous said...

You may have changed the colors beyond recognition but you haven't managed to disquise the yummy squishiness of that yarn. It looks like a lot of fun to knit, never mind the periodic "Brrrrriiiipppplllle!" bleating. Nice pattern, too.

April said...

Sheepie, you are delightfulness personified. :)

And a kick ass sock knitter to boot.

Get it, sock, boot? Hahaha.

BRRRRRRRIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

At the rate you are going on that sock, I'm sure you'll complete another pair before returning to school. I love that sock; I'm thinking I must add that pattern to my ever increasing "to-knit" list!

Anonymous said...

Very nice sock! That pattern is a fun one to knit.
Karen
http://nothingbutknit.blog-city.com/

mehitabel said...

mehitabel-the-cat spent most of last night winding yarn into fat little cakes. What a great way to enjoy my yarn, without actually knitting any! Today we have a Severe Weather Alert for the heat: it's going right up to Blast Furnace. At least, yarn winding can be accomplished in front of a fan, and with a lot of help from the resident fur-bearers.

Unknown said...

I should try some bripples myself. I did actually accomplish a set of Jaywalkers, but they could probably fit my foot as well as several broomhandles, though that would probably hinder my walking around in them...

Anonymous said...

They look great!

And I'm the same way if I don't get my "alone" time. :)

Lorraine said...

Thank goodness it's too late for coffee. This one had me ROFLOL and I would have been mopping up a mess.

Gotta get that pattern! Wonder what the kids will do when I let a bripple go!

Anonymous said...

I think you've gotten a lot done this summer. Don't forget the mountain of wool you've worked on! Your sock looks great, by the way!