Thanks for your contributions, LS!
The First Trek of Trekking Blah
Recently I became the very happy owner of my first pair of hand-knit socks, the infamous Trekking Blah, and I must confess, I wear them A LOT, just not for the reason they were made.
The first thing that struck me about these socks is that they actually fit around the toes - a rarity for Little Sister's very narrow feet. I also love their soothing zenlike pattern, their surprising softness, and of course the love with which they were made.
Since these socks were made for trekking, I started to feel a little silly about the amount of time they were logging in the home office (40+ hours a week) vs. on the trail (0 hours, 0 miles). This also meant that I hadn't been out for a proper hike recently enough, so
enough was enough. We were going hiking, and in fact, we were going full on camping.
And so it was that my pals and I spent the weekend camping in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area , in the far northeast corner of Pennsylvania. Arriving a bit late at night to a cold, dark camp site, Little Sister was very happy to have not only Trekking Blah on her feet, but also very happy to have a few of TB's friends along: the hat that inspires every subway rider in Philadelphia to quiz me about its origins, and the similarly jealousy-inducing Broad Street Mitten that I adore. Everywhere I go wearing either of these items, total strangers accost me and complement my knits. Philly hearts Big Sister's handiwork!
In fact as you can see, the knitting paparazzi found me huddled in my tent that night sporting said gear:
The next day I finally put TB to the test on the trail, first at Dingmans Falls (a wee stroll to a big waterfall), and then on the Tumbling Waters Trail (a three mile trail through woods, up and down ridges, alongside waterfalls, ponds and meadows) at the nearby Pocono Environmental Education Center . TB certainly got a workout.
And they are absolute champs. No blisters, no irritating rubbing, no extra material jammed into the toe area of my boots, no drooping or slippage, just absolute fit. Neither cold (which is usually my problem), nor hot and soupy (common trail sock issue). These socks are the bomb.
Official statistics for the first trek of TB:
160 miles round trip, 4 miles hiking, 2 nights in a
tent on the banks of the Delaware, 4 jealous hiking
companions and countless adventures to come.
And now for your moment of zen:
8 comments:
so not only does she have good taste, but she knows exactly what to do to get more of big sister's handknits. nice!
love the shot of the socks with the waterfall. Little sis makes a great blogger!
Shoot. My socks have got to get out more. What a great time the TB socks had! Thanks for the guest blog LS, you can blog with us anytime! (and you need to start knitting, no?)
I had heard a little bit about LS's trip, but it was very cool to read about it from the handknit perspective. Makes me want some of these magic socks, too ...
Well Blogged!
Since I've travelled most of the miles watching these socks come to life, I'm happy to see that they are being so well used.
Whenever my grandmother gives a gift of clothing (including her own hand knits- just ask my younger cousin who got the sweater she started knitting for me and finished for him) her charge is always "Wear it in good health". Grandma would be proud.
Mr. S
Someone who can truely appreciate the qualities of a handmade sock and still use it like it was intended.
Your hike looks beautiful. The reflective picture took my breath away.
Lovely blog, LS. I know that Liz is happy to read it and know that her handknits are being put to good use. Keep trekking!!
Thanks everyone, it was a fun project to put together and of course gave me another good reason to hang out chez the K's on a Sunday afternoon, one of my favorite things to do.
Ann, I have to say that the purple crown made some waves with my children-having friends, and some knitting grandmas have recently been assigned a new project thx to your groovy handiwork.
Cheers all!
Post a Comment