Metric

I’m going to complain for a moment about the US not being on the bandwagon with the metric system. Who decided that we shouldn’t go to metric and why did "they" decide this? I want answers! Maybe I wouldn’t notice if I weren’t a knitter. Maybe I’d go about my daily life oblivious to the difference between inches and centimeters and never needing to care. Fact is, I’m a knitter and lots of knitterly things are in metric. Most especially needles and patterns. Quite bothersome to have to have BOTH measurements, but most do. My main gripe is with the needles, though. I’m irritated by the fact that there is no standard US 1 needle. It would be easier if there were no US 1 and it was just 2.5 mm or 2.25 mm or whatever mm size you needed.

Here’s why I’m so bothered by this…

I have US 1 DPNs. I bought a large circular – an addi Lace needle – in US 1. Last night I started casting on for that table cloth because my books had arrived and I was anxious to get started. I realize that even though I have to start by casting on 200 stitches, there’s no way the are going to join on a 32" circular. Damn the luck! I get out my US 1 DPNs thinking "No big deal, I have DPNs and I can start on those then use the circular when it gets big enough." I start to move the nearly 100 stitches to a DPN and I realize something:

THEY ARE SMALLER.

*sigh*

I look at the package for the addi’s. 2.5 mm. I quickly realize that my DPNs must be 2.25 mm. This won’t work. I can’t risk a change in gauge, however small, on such a large, intricate project. This means I need new needles. I really don’t WANT more needles, but I don’t see a way around it. After this table cloth is done, I have a feeling I will have a LOT of addi circular needles that are 2.5 mm since there is not an interchangeable set out there for such small needles.

*sigh*

Anyway…. enough with the rant. I’m over it. I just have to deal with it and buy more needles as I need them. I’m going to the yarn shop after work and hopefully I can find what I need. My sister will be coming with me because she needs needles for the hat she’s going to make (her second project!). Maybe I’ll get a little yarn therapy while I’m there. Some pretty sock yarn or something.

Since it’s been a while since I showed some pictures, here’s one of my completed sock and the beginning of the second sock. I’m already about half way down the cuff of the second one, but this photo was taken two days ago before I got so far along.

On that note, I’ll get back to work!