My yarn betrayed me

... or maybe my knitting needles betrayed me.  Has this ever happened to you?

Here's what happened to me.  I was knitting Carolyn's socks on the weekend.  I got both socks up to the heel flap on Sunday afternoon and I was SO happy because that put me a tiny bit ahead of schedule.  But the stripes weren't matching up, as usual, and I was trying to mess with the numbers a little so the solid green heel flap yarn wouldn't land right at the end of a green stripe in the leg.  And I got to counting both legs to see what would work.

Well, I'm used to the stripes not matching up perfectly, but this was ridiculous.  One sock at 53 rounds was the same length as the other, at 42 rounds.

There are only so many explanations for this.  I might have counted wrong.  I might have inadvertently knit one cuff shorter than the other and need to count the ribbing rounds as well.  I might have a problem with my needles.

Bingo on door number three.  I must have counted each sock six times before I accepted that I needed to check my needles, and then I checked them six times too. 

Both are marked 2.75mm, which translates to 2.5mm in a round needle - mine are square - but there was no denying what I've noticed in my hands anyway.  One set is definitely a bigger needle size than the other. 

So at this point, I was mad at my needles, and then I was scared, because I always knit my Stoddart socks on these two sets of needles.  Always.  I always have both socks going at once, so that if I make a pattern change on one, I can make it on the other at the same time... otherwise, I'd forget. 

And as you may recall, I only had these needles free for Carolyn's socks because I finished Julia's socks.  So by that logic, one of Julia's socks must also be wider and longer than the other.

But they're not!!  For some reason, the mohair yarn isn't affected by the slight difference in needle size.  I don't understand it, but it seems to be true.

And let me tell you, I was giving a pretty harsh side-eye to the yarn as I ripped out the tighter of the two socks. 

I'll keep you posted on whether or not I finish in time for Carolyn to take these home with her, but for now - I'm knitting!



ps guess what - the cable technician came back today and set us all up!  After all those calls and gone-wrong appointments, it took ten minutes.  He got up on a ladder and installed this:

and left.  It's a prong thing that will support the cable where it comes up from the wall and out to a nearby telephone pole.  Ray gets to do the rest.  Fingers crossed that the phone line will be as straightforward.