Sock Virgin...

...or why knitting socks is a lot like writing a love scene.

I love to learn. Always have, and hopefully always will. As a sock virgin, I'm happy because my love affair with learning has been fed -- almost to the point of gluttony.

One of the greatest things about being a writer, for me anyway, is that I'm always learning new things, whether I'm researching some obscure fact or just learning more about my characters and their story world. I've even learned a few things about myself, which is always a good thing. My most important lesson, however, has been to never take myself too seriously. By that, I mean never falling so in love with my words that I can't rip them right out of the pages. I've learned this is also true of knitting socks, because every single time I think I've caught on, I end up having rip stitches right out of the socks I took way too seriously.



Hence the picture here. This is my first attempt at a sock. It's wrong. Horribly wrong. I misread the pattern and didn't realize it until after I'd turned the heel, finished the gusset and had started working my way toward the toe.

So what could knitting socks and writing love scenes possibly have in common, aside from the fact that I've often had to rip out my words and start over? Well, there are many components that go into writing a love scene, not to mention the great need for Patience. Right there is the probably the second most important lesson I've learned this month when attempting to pop my sock cherry. Patience is definitely a major compoent -- for studying and understanding the pattern directions, which at first (and sometimes second or third) glance appear to be written in a foreign language. More patience is required when attempting a new cast on technique which promises elasticity so said sock will slip onto a normal sized foot. When writing a love scene, patience is also a requirement. Some things just can't be rushed, and my characters will be the first to complain if I attempt to rush things they just aren't ready to commit to.

Patience was definitely a requirement in completing my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting, but patience, and a whole lot of persistence in learning new techniques definitely paid off. My eldest granddaughter will have a nice warm, cozy sweater to keep her warm during the long North Dakota winter this year.

But back to socks...

The greatest love scenes ever written are the greatest because of Emotion. Emotion is part of what gives us all that "ahhhh" moment in fiction. That moment when the hero and heroine know that this is the absolute right thing for them, even when it comes at the worst possible moment in their story world. Not always an easy feat to accomplish in writing, and I'm betting my RTY mates here will no doubt agree with me. What I never realized, however, was how much Emotion would play into my trek into Sockdom. I've been nearly reduced to tears when I realized I'd misread the pattern. I've sworn in anger when, after realizing I'd read the pattern wrong, the sock I was so diligently working to complete would only fit Shrek's big feet. My heart broke when I realized the only way to fix the problem would be to start over from scratch.

And oh, the Conflict that caused me! But conflict is important. It's the glue that holds our stories together. Without conflict between the hero and heroine, there is no story. And any love scene worth tangling the sheets is steeped in that conflict. Creating a sock has had me steeped in conflict -- many, many times. I hate it. I love it. I'm never doing this again. I can't wait to make more so I can give them as gifts. Conflict, conflict, conflict!

A very wise writer once told me back in the day when I was just beginning to learn my craft that in order for my readers to believe that my heroine did someting really stupid, it had to be motivated. Think about some of your favorite books or movies. Going down into the dark scary basement is a stupid thing to do when there's a crazed murderer on the loose, but the hero has to go down there because that's where the heroine has been tied up and he has to save her -- she's the love of his life, after all. Motivation! Ah-ha! And yet another necessary component to reamining in sockdom. Motivation to continue venturing forth, because I refuse to be a Sock Hop Wallflower.

Now what kind of writer would I be if I didn't allow my characters (and by extension, my readers) to experience that all important Ecstacy? Not a very good one, that's for sure. I'd have a whole lot readers, not to mention my character, highly irritated with me. Everyone needs a payoff. And Ecstacy is sure to be had once that sock is completed. The joy of knowing that I finally got the pattern right, that my heal is turned properly and I'm well on my way to completing a sock that will actually fit the foot of a human being!

So, with my Learn to Knit Socks booklet's Basic Sock pattern, my freshly reballed sport weight yarn and a new pair of US#1's, I'm back in the game and ready to Sock Hop once again. Since I'm bumping up against a deadline at the moment, I can't exactly promise I'll manage to complete both socks by month's end, but I've got a good start going -- again. And that's something, right?