Like a lemming

As the Summer of Socks starts, I'm feeling a bit like a Lemming. Generally, I hate to follow fads and I've never been known as one to follow the crowd. In my knitting, I will often eschew an overly popular pattern (like Monkeys) simply because everyone else is doing it. Sometimes, however, a pattern just calls to you. Popularity, after all, is not a bad thing. Very often a pattern becomes popular because it is so good that people can not resist making it.

Acting like a lemming conveys the notion of following along with disastrous results. Such was the case with my Jaywalkers. When I returned to the knitting world last August it seemed that everyone and their brother was knitting Jaywalkers. I jumped right in even though I had read on many blogs and knitting boards that people had trouble with fit, even though I knew that I hated overly tight socks. I knit the darn things, hated how they fit, wore them about three times, and now, after washing, can't even get them on without a fight. Truly lemming like behavior.

Right now, however, I'm very glad to be following the crowd. There are a few very popular patterns in the Favorite Socks book. One of these is Embossed Leaves. I have chosen to knit Embossed Leaves as my first socks of the summer. I cast on with my salvaged Louet Gems from the failed Whitbys and can not put the sock down. This is addictive knitting. The pattern is wonderful and I love how the leaves appear before your eyes as you work your way down the chart. I'm already at the heel of the first sock. I'll have a picture soon.