the blue blog archives: auto pilot

Another day, another repeat on the second sock of my pal's waving lace socks. I've been knitting on auto pilot trying to get this sock done before we leave for vacation this weekend. I don't think I'll make it, but I am impressed with the progress I've made just keeping my head down and knitting through the blur.

You see, I've passed that phase where you've learned the lace pattern and don't have to look at the chart. At this point I've completely forgotten the lace pattern and am genuinely shocked each time I look down and find myself still knitting it without incident. I'll suddenly stop and think, where the hell am I, what row is this even? And I got no answer. But my hands keep knitting. It's like when I'm reading some long bedtime story to the boys that I've read to them a thousand times before (like Dr. Seuss' "If I Ran the Circus" or one of those Magic School Bus books). I'll be reading and reading and then it'll occur to me that I have no idea where we are in the book. Did I even read the last pages? Did I just say out loud the crazy sequence of thoughts that were going through my head about what we have planned for the next day, what some idiot driver did ahead of me on the way to the mall earlier and how I can't wait to go downstairs and sneak another piece of birthday cake? But the boys seem riveted to the book so I continue and instantly start daydreaming again.

These days all I'm thinking about while knitting and reading out loud is all the stuff I gotta pack. Packing up three kids for two weeks - yikes! Yes, we're going on a big vaca and I'll be completely offline. Believe me, this was not my idea. The whole vacation was planned by the in-laws to be a relaxing holiday on the beach, so there's no television or computer or internet that I'm aware of. Yikes! That means the end of sockapalooza will run on auto pilot. But you all are making such amazing socks and are doing so great with the pligg and with updating the database that I'm sure things will go great. If you have any questions about the end of sockapalooza, post them here and I'll answer them in one last post before I leave on Saturday.

1. Fellow palooza, Mad caterpillar, has made some awesome sockapalooza sock labels to wrap up your pal's socks! I was going to make some but since she's already done a much better job than I ever could, I'm happy to just make the announcement.

2. Fellow palooza, Allena, is making sockapalooza project bags! You can order one to send to your pal or to keep for yourself. I got mine!

The OFFICIAL END AND SEND DATE is August 7th. You can send your finished socks off anywhere between the 1st and the 7th, depending on how far they have to travel. If you've got an international pal, go ahead and send them out on the 1st. If your pal is in your country, send around the 7th. They aren't supposed to arrive by the 7th, but be sent on that date. That way socks will start arriving on the 8th, 9th, 10th....

Be sure to INCLUDE A POSTCARD WITH YOUR NAME on it to reveal yourself to your pal. Find a postcard from your area so your pal can see where the socks have come from. You can put other gifties in the package, but it's not required. And you might want to include your email address so they can write back and say thanks!

When you finish knitting, UPDATE THE DATABASE. UPDATE AGAIN when you send your socks to your pal. And UPDATE IT AGAIN when you receive your socks from the pal knitting for you. That's three updates I need from you. They all work the same way: go to the database, click on update info, use the link that will be sent to your email and then click on the appropriate button.

USE THE PLIGG to link to posts about your finished socks and raves about the socks you receive.

I'll be back to send my socks off in time and watch all of the socks arrive, so I'll get to see the best part. Now to those of you still knitting, get back to it! :)

posted by alison at 9:05 am | in sockapalooza 4

Comments

Sockapalooza question! How do we do the "reveal"? Is it just a note in with the socks or something more fiendishly complicated?

Have a good holiday! :-)

Posted by: Bronte at July 19, 2007 9:44 AM

You'll be packing stuff for three kids for two weeks, I'll be packing stuff for two kids for three weeks! We're going on vacation within the next couple of weeks, too. My internet will be very sketchy, grab it when I can for a few minutes kinda thing. I may have to mail my Pal's stuff a little early cuz I won't be able to do it on the road. Hopefully mine will arrive while we're gone, so I'll have a pleasant surprise when we're back!

Posted by: Sheri at July 19, 2007 9:46 AM

Have a fun and safe vacation!

Posted by: Michelle at July 19, 2007 9:58 AM

I can't seem to find the post where it says the date we're supposed to send everything out....August 2nd seems to be stuck in my head. What was the final call on that??

Posted by: Amanda at July 19, 2007 9:58 AM

Have you checked Brookline Tab this morning?

Posted by: may at July 19, 2007 10:08 AM

The benefit of auto-pilot is that years later when camping with a bunch of teens who suddenly NEED a bedtime story, you know all the words to Green Eggs and Ham without the book.

Posted by: elan at July 19, 2007 10:28 AM

I got my sock bag from Allena for my sockpal yesterday, it's so cute! And she's making a custom non-monkey one for me! I really recommend her work & she is so nice to deal with!

Posted by: Bertha at July 19, 2007 10:31 AM

Oh boy, I saw the bag and I had to order it. What an enabler you are!

Posted by: Catherine at July 19, 2007 10:50 AM

I totally hear ya on this entry! I've done exactly the same with reading to the kids, and knitting! I stop and go, oh no, have I been knitting wrong, and I haven't. It really seems like an auto-pilot so to speak.

Have fun on your trip!

Posted by: Lynds at July 19, 2007 12:01 PM

Thank you for the two announcements - perfect timing and exactly what I was hoping for.

Have a wonderful unplugged vacation.

Posted by: Ina at July 19, 2007 12:32 PM

Talk about autopilot and being tired: I looked at your sock and thought the heel was actually the entire length of the foot, and wondering how on earth you'd knit a sock like that. And then it dawned on me it was actually the heel and life turned back to normal ;-)
Enjoy the trip - my turn for packing for 6 in a few weeks - but can't wait to be away from the computer for 2 weeks!

Posted by: Cybèle at July 19, 2007 12:44 PM

Have a great vacation, Alison.

Posted by: Anita at July 19, 2007 3:50 PM

Hey I can't remember or figure out how to update that I have finished my sock pal's sock. Can you let me know please?

Posted by: Maggie Stanley at July 20, 2007 8:25 AM

Never mind I figured it out :)

Posted by: Maggie Stanley at July 20, 2007 8:31 AM

Funny and true. Hey, I bought those sock monkey fabrics, too, as well as socks for a sock monkey, and the yarn for the sock monkey hat -- and with not a single grandchild in the offing, sigh. You're getting HP7 BEFORE you leave, right?

Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport at July 20, 2007 8:44 AM

1)Funny and true. 2)Hey, I bought those sock monkey fabrics, too, as well as socks for a sock monkey, and the yarn for the sock monkey hat -- and with not a single grandchild in the offing, sigh. 3)You're getting HP7 BEFORE you leave, right? 4)Have to rush to the needles and try to finish a Hedwig from your pattern before midnight tonight!

Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport at July 20, 2007 8:46 AM

ANSWERS:

USE THE PLIGG to link to posts about your finished socks and raves about the socks you receive.

I'll be back to send my socks off in time and watch all of the socks arrive, so I'll get to see the best part. Now to the 75% of you still knitting, get back to it! :)

Posted by: ALISON at July 20, 2007 11:01 AM