omg - It's PERFECT!!

Ok, so I was thinking that I really liked the whole fingerless glove trend going on right now... but what about in 2 years? Will they still be hip then? If I'm going to put all the time and effort into knitting something, it better darn well be wearable for more than just this season.

But what's the point? I mean, cute and all, sure... but you could do the same cute patterns and just add fingers, right? Besides, who - besides bow-hunters - wears fingerless gloves anyway?

Knitters! That's who! These'll be PERFECT for outdoor knitting this winter!

Ribbed for his pleasure?

So, I'm starting to put a lot of thought into Christmas knitting. There are two small children to knit for (not mine), Best Friend, Mom, MIL... I don't honestly think I'll get it all done. But one of the challenges I'm facing is, What on earth do you knit for a guy??

Socks take too long. No way, even if that's all I touched, would I get socks done by Christmas. And I'm totally scared of sweaters. And if you knit a scarf/shawl/neckwarmer for a female relative, knitting something similar for the male relative would make sense. Since guys don't tend to wear shawls or neckwarmers or fingerless gloves... That pretty much leaves scarves. Which is perfect, right? They tend to not require checking guage (which I HATE); they tend to be fairly easy, most of the time; and they're usually pretty portable.

Only, what on earth makes the difference between a men's scarf and a women's scarf? There are a zillion scarf patterns out there that look like they could be manly. Maybe I just don't have a good feel for manliness in accessories? I mean, obviously, anything with lace or sparkles and almost everything in mohair is not going to cut the muster for manliness. So, is there a width requirement on Manly Scarves? Is there a weight or fiber requirement? I'm thinking wider is better and chunky isn't a bad thing. Right?

Waiting to Dye

Ok, I have this idea. Need is the mother of invention, and I need Daughter-sock yarn. It would be wool. Maybe with a little elastic, but probably not. Darling Daughter likes oranges, pinks, purples, and green. So, I'm envisioning self-striping yarn in tropical colors - Mango, and strawberry and a little sip of Margarita. I think one skein should be enough for DD's little feet.

I was thinking, oh, this'll be easy, right? You get some RIT and some squirt bottles and some kind of realllly long pan... like a loaf pan, on steroids... Unwind the skein, rewind it in about a 2-foot-long loop, and go to town, right? So I went to Ravelry and searched for notes on dyeing. There were a TON. Most about Kool-Aid dyeing.

Oooh! Even better! Kool-aid already comes in tropical colors and RIT might be hard to find in "Mango"! And it's non-toxic... just in case she decides to lick her socks... But what if it runs? Or bleeds? What if it just isn't dark enough? And then there were posts mentioning vinegar. Vinegar? And posts mentioning microwaving versus cooking. Cooking?!? And about a gajillion posts discussing the virtues and draw-backs of using squirt bottles. And there was the occasional mention of why you should (or shouldn't) use pre-sweetened Kool-aid (It comes pre-sweetened?).

So, I'm thinking:

• This can be put off until Spring, when I have a clearer idea of how to proceed... leaving fall and winter conveniently open to heavier-duty knitting projects. Like winter scarves and maybe - gulp! - a sweater. And the baby blanket I owe Cousin-In-Law. And the baby sweater/blanket/SOMETHING I have owed Cousin for AGES.
• A loaf pan on steroids will be hard to build, but harder to find. Maybe I should use a big bowl - ooh! or a pot! - and dye in sections.
• Kool-aid (even with the vinegar/sweetener/cooking problems) sounds like a better idea than RIT.

Conclusion:

About mid-to-late April, when I've finally finished "Christmas" knitting, I'll go get unbleached sock yarn. I'll wind it into a 2-ft-loop. I'll set three pots of Kool-aid-and-vinegar-and-sugar-and-NutraSweet-and-water to Simmer and dye it in sections. And then lay it out and bake it to get it to set. Or whatever the dispute about setting the dye entailed.