Mod Anastasia Socks (or Chapter 3 socks)
Nov 16th, 2007 by jennie
When I’m in the middle of writing — I mean when I’m really into it — I usually need something to keep my hands busy while my brain works. I’ve knit many things this way and in the process I’ve found that the best knitting for writing is something simple and circular, but not too simple. No stockinette, or my brain goes into a zen state where I stop thinking all together. No, what I need is something that changes, but only every row or two. No long purl rows (i.e. no lace), no complicated travelling stitches (although, in the end, the Drunken Bee turned out to be a pretty good pattern for writing). I need something engaging, but not distracting (and a variegated, beautiful yarn usually helps). Enter the Anastasia socks.

Pattern: Anastasia socks, by Minty
Yarn: Claudia’s Handpainted, in a colorway I can no longer remember (lovely, lovely greens!)
Needles: US 1 dpns
Modifications: Well, obviously I omitted one eyelet row (I’m not much for lacey socks. One set of holes was quite enough, thank you.) I got worried that they were going to be too small, so I modified the stitch count a little. Now they are a wee bit on the loose side, but still totally wearable and comfortable. And I think they are beautiful! When first finished them and put them on, I realized how long it had been since I finished an adult-sized FO just for me. I love them. And I finished them just as I turned in the bulk of chapter 3 to my dissertation group (thank you in advance for the words of optomistic encouragement on the fact that I am already on chapter three; unfortunately, I don’t write in order. This is only the first chapter completed. And it’s not even completed yet).
Now waiting to cast on for last-part-of-chapter-3-and-all-of-chapter-1 socks!
In the meantime, look at what else I’ve started (sorry non-ravelry folk. It’s the christmas season!)






Great socks - I wish that I had been a knitter back in the day, working on my thesis… And I totally know what you mean about writing in order. Chapter 1 (unless you have an introduction) is a beast to write - you really need everything else done.
REally like the socks — might make the Anastasia socks that I have in my queue (for mom, rather than the falling leaves, need to finish for Xmas, after all) that way, i.e. with less holes…
and sending some happy writing vibes over! — In my current job, I need to produce memos for senior management on a weekly basis, so need to get over the funk of starting to actually write something really often. It is so easy to decide to need more research….
Hopefully your dissertation will go along like my last research paper for grad school did - one minute I had x pages and was having trouble writing anything, and the next thing I knew it had doubled in length.
I like your socks!
Good luck with that chapter. Can I say it’s liberating to hear that you started with ch. 3? The idea of diving into an introduction is so daunting that before I left school I was having nightmares about it.
Love the socks! I think the colorway is “eat your veggies” — I have socks made out of the same stuff.
I’m just here to cheer you on.
Go, go, go!
Nice! Hope you get a little break from the writing for some knitting and Turkey this week.
they are beautiful!
best of luck~
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