Full speed ahead

I finished up row 90 just as the credits were rolling on Grey’s Anatomy, which brings me to just over 30% complete (32.6%, for those of you nerdy enough to want more specific numbers, like me). I really do love this tracking spreadsheet I created – it took seconds to set up, but with every row I not only know how far along I am in terms of total number of stitches, I know the total number of stitches I should have on the needles, the total number per section (since it’s divided into four parts), and most importantly, how far I have left to go. I am telling myself that I really do not need to create one of these for any large project I undertake from now on, but the allure of little numbers in boxes is awfully hard for math nerds like me to ignore.

I’ve been trying to pace myself because I know that when I’ve tried to do insane knitting before, my hands cramp up and my wrists hurt and I regret it. So I’ve been taking breaks at least every pattern repeat. This evening I spent some of that break time going through my list of Sockpal000za Sock Sisters. The moment I got the initial list I went through and dumped as many as I could into Bloglines, because it’s the easiest and quickest way I know to skim through a lot of online journal/blog entries at a stretch. I have an awesome group of Sock Sisters, though, because I am getting lots of update emails and having a lot of fun reading their entries and oohing and aahing over the gorgeous socks some of them have started to make.If you ever needed some inspiration to convince you to start knitting socks, browsing through all the participants of Allison’s Sockpal000za should do the trick.

I have not made any progress on my own sock pal’s socks, mainly because I have been focused on getting the sweater done, and also there is that little thing called the Knitting Olympics and an Irish Diamond Shawl taking up most of my available knitting time. But I have been pondering patterns and yarns and there are a few that seem promising. I do realize that once the Knitting Olympics are done, I will have to get working on those Sock Pal socks immediately, because I’ve got a bunch more socks to make by July, and those are going to be pretty important socks. You see, after the Knitting Olympics are over and I’ve finished my Sock Pal socks, I’m going to make three pairs of these socks, one for each of my sisters and I, which we will wear this coming July, as we take part in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a 26 mile walk through San Francisco to raise money for Breast Cancer.

I’ve put a bright pink button on my main page for you to click if you’d like to sponsor me, or you can click here. If you’d rather send something in via snail mail, drop me an email with your street address and I’ll send you a form and an envelope to send directly to the Avon Foundation. And think about making a pair of pink ribbon breast cancer socks for your mom or your sister or your best friend, your sock pal, or even yourself, to wear as well.