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A Finished Object and An Important Lesson

Writer's picture: deb Milsteindeb Milstein

I recently picked up a long-languishing WIP. I thought I was just crossing something off of my list, but finishing these socks became so much more than that. I started the “Vanilla Is the New Black” Socks (now named Sunfish Socks by dh) back in October of 2017. I had heard about the pattern on a number of knitting podcasts, and I was interested in trying out the new heel. I don’t remember why I stopped knitting them; I was already onto the heel of the second sock. I do remember why I didn’t pick them back up, though. I was daunted by the prospect of figuring out where I had stopped. I had totally psyched myself out.


Fast forward to January 5, 2025. We were on our way out to an alumni event I was attending in the Bronx, and I knew I had a longish ride in the car ahead of me. My two current wips are a sweater and a stole, and I didn’t want to bring something so large in the car. For one thing, I wouldn’t be carrying it around with me. I’d be leaving it in the parked car. And so, the quickest thing to grab was my sunfish socks. 


I steeled myself for the challenge of figuring out where I was in the chart and trying to match it to where I was on the heel of the sock. Guess what? Instead of feeling confused and stressed out about getting it right, I learned how far I have come in over 7 years of knitting. When I began the Sunfish socks, I was fairly new to sock knitting, and I don’t think I had worked from many charts before. Now, I have designed two pairs of socks, and I write knitting charts for fun as a brain break (yes. really.) It took no time at all to figure out where I was in the pattern. In addition, I actually understood the intent of the pattern and the structure of the sock at first. 


The socks are a little big. I made a mistake in understanding the gauge of the yarn I was using, but I kept going anyway. I thought about ripping the socks out entirely and casting them on again now that I have a better understanding of gauge, but I didn’t. I want a reminder of the significant progress I have made on my knitting journey.


It isn’t often that you get a reminder of how far you have come. I am grateful for the lesson. Bonus: I have a wonderful pair of bed socks to add to my wardrobe.



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