Dad's X-Country Ski Stockings

A little story for those out there feeling a bit guilty for not finishing all the handmade presents they were hoping to for the holidays:

This is a pair of cross country ski stockngs that I made for my dad years ago.  I wrapped and gave him the first sock on one Christmas morning and the matching sock on Christmas morning, too ... a full year later.

I'm trying to document some of my earlier knitting, so I took pictures of these when I was back in Seattle in November.  They were made from Wendy Guernsey 5 ply wool, I believe.  They were the third pair that I knit from EZ's pattern, published in the Spring 1990 issue of Knitter's magazine.  The first was a pair for myself in opposite colors than these, and are long since worn out and gone.  The second pair was in red and white for my mom.  She can't find hers.  For my dad's pair, I widened the side section with the zig zag and added the diamonds to make them wide enough and keep the floats from being too long. The close up is of the shaping on the back of the sock.

I was helping my mom download pictures from her camera when I came across this picture of my dad all dressed up to play waiter in his socks, dress shoes, skiing knickers, shirt, and tie.  This was at a luncheon my mom had for a group of women on my aunt's 70th birthday this fall. 

Apparently he's done this one other time, surprising my mom when she had her Sewing Club over to their house. That's the norwegian version of a Stitch and Bitch, only these women have been getting together every 3 weeks for the past 40 years or more!  (sort of like Ya-Ya's of the scandinavian variety. These women would go to the ends of the earth for eachother and the husbands really only know eachother through the women.)  They've actually followed the trend and changed the name of their group to S and B.  They're all in their late 60's and 70's. I don't think the focus has ever really been the sewing or knitting, but nobody really gets much done at my knitting guild, either.

You think my dad looks cute in his norwegian knee socks?  Check out these and these beautiful pairs.  Gee, and I've only worn mine skiing.  I would never have thought of wearing them with a skirt, let alone heels.

Comments

[amanda]

Your dad is ADORABLE. Really. And him dressing up to play 'waiter' to your mom and friends is simply wonderful. thanks for sharing that sweetness. I'm so in awe of your sock making--it's something I've never been able to do and have great respect for you who can! Happy New Year!!

[Chery]

Beautiful socks!! I must again tell how much I like your photos. They are great. Happy New Year.

[Adrian]

Those socks are beautiful, I love the photo of the ratty old pattern, and your father is so stinking cute!!

[Rebekkah]

Wuh! Just wuh! (If you don't know, that's my sound for things that are too good for words. The sound of a jaw dropping.)

They look spectacular in black and white. I'm going to have to try to find that magazine issue...

[di]

They're beautiful! I'm so impressed you made three pairs.
I gave my first ever pair of socks to my dad for his birthday. I have him one sock one year, and the second sock many, many, years later.

[Jan]

Breathtaking!! A good reminder of how striking a pattern is when knit in black and white/cream. Lovely.

[mumintroll]

Your dad looks great.This socks are so beautiful.

[kelly]

tee hee! your dad looks so charming. And the socks are wonderful, I'd gladly wait a year for one. ;-) and it's an encouraging story for me, who crashed and burned this Christmas and didn't get a third of my gifts sent yet--even without any knitting in the mix!

[shobhana]

wow! they are fabulous!

[Kathie]

Hugely impressive. Someday I HOPE to accomplish something with such knitterly warmth and detail. Awesome, in the real sense of the word!