Thursday, March 28, 2013

Handknit socks and storebought shoes

With an embarrassingly short time left to prepare for my trip - which, frankly, will be over before I know it and then I'll wonder what I made such a fuss about - I am still knitting socks to take with me.

Not only is this just sad - I was two rounds from finishing the toe of a Peeps sock before I realized I had started the foot two rounds early after not decreasing enough at the gusset - it feels foolish.

Truly.  I don't need socks to take with me; I have several pairs that would do, and also several more pairs that I bought from a store which will look (sad but true) a lot better with the clothes I'm bringing.  Still: two weeks without my own handknits?  please.

Boring Backstory

The problem probably started with pants, or rather, the lack of them.  I just assumed that it would be possible for me to find a pair of rugged black casual pants for this trip and that I could wear my wildest stripey socks in my ever-faithful black Mary Jane shoes, and life would be generally delightful and punctuated by repeat servings of gelato.

The backup for the casual pants was to be a black jersey skirt that would look great over leggings and, of course, wild stripey socks and the black Mary Janes.

For some reason, this just hasn't been possible. I did find several different, lightweight, versatile, and wrinkle resistant things to take - but they're all patterned, and the only colour they all go with is black.  Which applies also to socks.

Boring Main Story Resumes

In theory this was okay because I had the Circus Socks.


hello, repeat picture of Circus Socks!

That didn't help with the Mary Janes though, because they are knit in a sport weight, and I can't fit anything heavier than fingering weight socks into those shoes.

Still: not a problem because I'd just bought these!


Very practical black running shoes - cute, and just enough too big to make sport weight socks a delightful asset even after my orthotic insoles got in there.  WHEW.

Except that over the weekend I tested them on a five-hour outing that included supper (also known as an hour in a chair), and after about four hours I noticed my feet hurt, and they were still hurting the next night, and my knees weren't very happy with me either.  No way are these shoes going to get me through ten consecutive days of serious sightseeing; in fact, they'd cripple me.

At this point I started pulling out every. single. stripey sock I've ever knit, hoping I could find a pair that looked okay with at least one of the patterned pieces, and decided to gamble on bringing just one pair of shoes.  I mean, in normal everyday life I walk a ton, and I wear those Mary Janes every day to do it with joint-related impunity to boot, so I should be fine.

Except... what if it rains really hard and my shoes are drenched and I have nothing dry to put on for the next outing?

So I had to break down and do it.

I went to a running shoe store and bought official walking shoes big enough to fit my stupid orthotic insoles.

In good news: they work great with sport weight socks!


In bad news... well.


They're pretty clunky.

(I'm still going to take some wild stripey socks.  And they're totally going in my carry-on, for safety.)

Tomorrow: I'm going to post a bit later than usual so I can show you still more black and white yarn, but it comes with a pattern you might enjoy whipping up yourself.  See you then!

3 comments:

Marianne said...

The New Balance shoes are awesome for serious walking. I have several pairs, after having a total knee transplant and facing the possibility of a total hip (I was seriously injured years ago)and or knee transplant in the near future. My physical therapist recommended the NB brand and wow, what a difference!! I doubt if most pay attention to your shoes so clunky will not matter, it's comfort and protection for your feet! Besides, your beautiful socks will be a hit when they are discovered by the ladies!

linda gaylord said...

Love the print skirt-leggings-stripey socks-clunky shoes combo!sooo cute! I would so wear it myself! You will look adorable in it.I'm older than you,and I would dare to be seen in public in it.enjoy your trip in your uber-comfy shoes!(and bring as many stripes socks as you can stuff in your bag!You are probably only going to eat gelato in Rome once in this life time,and you are going to do it with happy feet!)

Trish said...

I think the shoes are great! They look absolutely fine, and are going to be comfortable - that's the key. And it be awful to be in Rome and too sore to enjoy the experience because of the wrong shoes!
:)