Merike Socks Part Trois

Finally finished the Merike socks that I started in July 2006. I completed the first sock on July 15, '06 but then it sat in the sock yarn organizer until the last week of August this year. I finished the second one fairly quickly, but my sketchy notes from three years ago were dicey to say the least.

I really THOUGHT I had decent notes for the significant mods I made to the heel, but alas no. The first sock is on top, and the second, while it looks a squidge wider in the foot near the toe, looks very similar to the first in the heel area. Until I put it on, that is. Then, the egregious weirdo thing that happened last time with the first draft of the heel also happened here. Way, way too much fabric around the heel. Grrrr!!!!!!!!!! If you think I am frogging back to the heel now, well, you should know better than to do drugs. Maybe I will snip the stitches at the heel and re-knit the heel and see if I can't figure out a way to Kitchener the foot to the new heel. I have been annoyed as hell by the second one after trying it on, so I had to have a time out before touching them again. Maybe I'll just leave them in a drawer forever or at least until I decide to burn them.

For the life of me, I CANNOT understand what the deal is with that sock and the heels.

Now, since I am obviously full of vitriol, I might as well rant about Joann Fabrics. Yes. Read that again. F.A.B.R.I.C.S.

Like hell. I wanted to make three or four pairs of slacks for work based on a couple of pairs of slacks I already have. I was looking for 2 and 1/2 yards of lightweight rayon, a most delightful, soft, nearly wrinkle free fabric with a lovely drape, usually in very pretty prints, that can be machine washed, line dried, and here is the important part: NOT ironed. Since going through the "change," I can't tolerate things like wool suits, gabardine suits, medium or heavyweight linen, or any fabric that isn't very lightweight, and since that three-month-long contact dermatitis problem from something in the garden last year, I need very soft fabric if it comes in contact with my skin. I don't mind cotton, but come on, even the softest cotton is going to require IRONING. Screw that. I don't mind ironing to death while sewing. It's a matter of course. You cannot sew without ironing. But after the thing is done, no more ironing for you.

In my prolific sewing days, I never went to a Joann's unless I was somewhere beyond the range of my local fabric store. They just didn't have the rep, if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, the place calls itself a fabric store; they even claim this in their name, so I figured, if that's all that is available now (the other good fabric stores have long since closed in Michigan), ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

On display in the sidewalk bins were piles of pink and purple fleece. No, don't get excited. It's not THAT kind of fleece. It was the other kind, you know, polar fleece.

Inside, the store was divided into quarters: the front right quarter devoted to fabrics. In a fabric store. There were five or six rows of quilting material, and the entire wall that the ran the depth of the store had more quilting material.

Then there was one half a row of bridal/evening wear.

A pod of costume material, a pod of holiday (Christmas) material. A pod of something that seemed to be back-to-school for tiny tots. Since fall is approaching, a pod of corduroy. A row of the ever ugly sports team cotton that looks like the team spirit sheets for eight year old boys.

Then an entire wall of fleece. Then two more pods of fleece. Then half a row of fleece.

There was, of course, the ubiquitous and very disagreeable polyester that tried to pass itself off as silk and satin (silkeen and satineen). If it wasn't fleece, then it was polyester.

Let's face it, rayon is a very common fabric. It's not Dupioni silk that can be tricky to find in the States, for heaven's sake.

Not a bolt or remnant in the store. Instead, miles of quilting fabric. Okay, that's hyperbole. The only thing they had miles of was scrapbooking crap and fleece.

There was one display of zippers, one of other notions like elastic, zigzag trim (who still uses that after 1965??), and bias-tape. A couple of displays of buttons, and two racks of thread that looked crappy. Oh, and the ever craptastic Fiskars scissors that should only be used by kindergarteners. Not a good pair of shears in sight. Not a pair of pinking shears in the store.

I was pissed. I guess I am going to have to try to order material online. What an absurd concept. At least the Tigers won.