Sunday, October 16, 2005

of socks and waffles

Tada! I completed my first official pair of Socktober socks last night: Blueberry Waffle Socks in Lion Brand Wool- Ease Sportweight Blue Mist, on Size 4 dpns. Hairy Legs (not to be confused with the author of this post) obliged me again by modeling these socks intended for my dad. Getting into the spirit, he even suggested a photo shoot location, which wound up being in the bathroom next to the toilet, mostly because it's the only place in our house that's illuminated by more than a 60-watt lamp after 9 pm. (Because that's the one place in the house you really want illuminated!) We tried both with and without flash to get an accurate color and stitch representation. Funny thing is that upon review, I only notice the hair. And how much more starkly noticeable it appears with flash. And for the last time, those are NOT my legs!! This was a super quick and fun knit and was just what I needed after the seemingly interminable hoodie.

It's ironic that I would knit a pair of socks called "Blueberry Waffle." For the record, I cannot STAND blueberry waffles, but when I saw the title in a list of sock patterns, I was drawn to it like a magnet. It all goes back to my childhood (doesn't everything??), when my mom used to force me into eating those toaster-variety Eggo Blueberry Waffles for breakfast. Which in and of itself may not have been that terrible a thing, but my mom had a sadistic way of making us roll out of bed and right into the kitchen for breakfast. I have since realized that I am not not-a-breakfast-eater (had to double-check the double negative to make sure that's what I meant to say); I simply prefer some downtime between opening my eyes and having food shoveled down my throat.

Those were some awful mornings in the early '70's...sitting across Fredo with a plate of Eggos. Both because of the Eggos and because of Fredo. She had this way of staring at me with her huge puppy-dog eyes that really irked me. Bad enough I had to stomach those damn waffles, but to have her looking at me was almost more than I could bear. "Stop looking at me!" I'd hiss, shooting her my most evil eye. Quickly, she'd avert her gaze, but those pathetic puppy eyes would stir feelings of guilt, making me more irate. Angrily, I'd stick a forkful of waffle into my mouth, only to have my reflexes betray me with a gag (yes, Bossy Boots' talent for deliberate gagging is inherited). Of course, this would cause Fredo to look at me again. With total horror in her eyes, she'd fixate on me as I commenced with my daily gagging/almost-upchucking side-show routine, all the while vehemently whispering, "Stop looking at me!" Exasperated as hell, my blueberry-waffle-loving-mom stopped intervening after a few days of this routine and pretended that she couldn't see or hear anything. Luckily, that is another talent that has been inherited.

In a twist of ultimate sadism, I, of course, force my kids to eat blueberry waffles for breakfast. Total anachronisms, however, they seem to love it. Having inherited mom's see-no-evil, hear-no-evil talent, though, I can't be entirely sure.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

The socks look great!

I am SOOOO behind on my Soctober fest socks...finally cast on tonight.

Oh, and I measure my success as a mother by my ability to see all without appearing to observe anything.

Jillio said...

great job on the socks! i'm trying sooo hard to get in on some socktoberfest action, but dang it, work just sucks right now. for all the sexy single socks i got right now, i can't get myself to make their twins :( stresss!!!!
your waffle story makes me think of when my parents would have us eat cereal before going to school. my little brother used to slurp his and eat his cereal with such exaggerated relish. i think my nephew inherited that trait...

Acornbud said...

Wow great socks! I'm just casting on now thanks to you :)

Breakfast wars ;P What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or something like that.

Anonymous said...

Love the socks and I love the name. Is it just me or do the Eggo blueberry waffles taste different now? My son of loves them too, but they always leave a weird aftertaste in my mouth.

Laura said...

Hilarious post! Great looking socks, too. I'll have to look for that pattern; Mr. Affiknitty would love them.

My kids eat toaster waffles almost every morning, though they eat the gluten-free variety.

Anna said...

You're socks look fantastic!! You did a wonderful job on them!

I can't stand blueberry waffles either!! Blah!!! And I TOTALLY hear you on the waiting until you've woken up a bit before you eat.

Karen said...

Now why would someone ruin a perfectly good waffle by putting BLUEBERRIES in them? Blaaa!!!

However, the BLUEBERRY socks are delicious! And never in a million years would we think those were YOUR hairy legs . . . I think you could NEVER shave and they still wouldn't look like that.

jillz said...

Cool socks!

knittinmom said...

Great socks! And the hairy legs don't bother me at all. They're guy socks - they're supposed to be on hairy legs!

I'm not a big fan of blueberry waffles, either, but I would've died and gone to heaven if my mom would've given them to me as a kid. I only got to eat non-processed, preservative-free, sugar-free food like Cheerios. My daughter, on the other hand, can have whatever she'd like (except cookies, which is a frequent request), but she refuses to eat anything for breakfast. Aaargh!!!

Jillio said...

so when do we get to see the finished "under the hoodie"???

emmy said...

Hi! Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. I love the socks! Funny..I cast on this weekend for a pair in Lorna Laces...purple and blue color. As for me we NEVER had frozen anything growing up...I would have loved an Eggo! My kids love em. I have been reading your posts and I have been on the floor laughing at the "decision" post..MACE!! HAHA!

=joy= said...

hi chris - i was referred here by aloha&oreos... i'm going to be in town until the 30th and was wondering if there's a spot for a lowly tourist in your knitting circle? ^_^ leave me a comment on my blog to contact me. thanks!