1000 Things

Sparkling water
Lighters
Batteries
Tealight holders
Flip flops

There's a store around the corner from my apartment with the name of 1000 Dinge (1000 Things). It's one of those stores that tends to live up to it's name, much like the 1 Euro store where everything there is, in fact, sold for 1 Euro.

Anyway, I ventured in there this morning in search of one specific thing.

Ladies panties
Mens underpants
Air freshener
Bicycle tires
Kitchen scales

Over the weekend I was knitting a sock for the darling Mollie who, by the way, should just be known worldwide as "Darling Mollie" because like 1000 Dinge and the 1 Euro Store, she lives up to her billing. I was well into this sock, just an inch away from starting the heel flap, when, while listening to B tell me about some new PC game he's currently into, I dropped a stitch.

Facial cleanser
Coffee mugs
Flower pots
Instant cappuccino mix
Dog food

Not only did I drop a stitch but this particular stitch decided to make a run for it and laddered down four rows before I knew it. This was accompanied by my suddenly blurting out "Oh shitshitshitshitdon'tdon'tdon'tFUUUUUCK! STOP!!". I love how I keep my cool under pressure, don't you?

Chocolate bars
Fountain pens
Needle nose pliers
Dishwashing soap
Toilet paper

This wayward stitch took pity upon me and stopped it's downward course. Now I had to get it picked up and up through all the rows back to the top. I just couldn't face either waiting for more experienced hands (read: my MIL) to fix my error or, God forbid, frogging the whole thing.

Yogurt
Condensed milk
Wine glasses
Kids sneakers
Change purses

The knitter's tool of choice to pick up stitches that have dropped down a few rows is a crochet hook. With it you put the hook through the loop and then...forget it. If you knit, you already know how to do this and if you don't knit, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. I have a crochet hook that's served me well in the past but it was before I became a knitter of socks and those who knit socks will tell you that most sock yarn is quite thin. It's going to be pretty hard to pick up a stich that was knit with a 2.5 mm needle on a 4 mm crochet hook.

Cream pitchers
Adhesive bandages
Hair brushes
Rubber bands
Pudding

The crochet hook route wasn't going to work so I needed to do something else. All of my 2.5 mm needles were busy holding together this sock in progress and while I have another set of 2.5 mm knitting needles, I didn't dare put down the knitting to get up and find them. In what seemed like an amazing feat of dexterity I was able to hold my knitting with one hand, keeping it balanced so the stitch wouldn't fall any farther, and with the other fish in my knitting accessories bag for a darning needle and a spare 3 mm sock needle.

Cookies
Masking tape
Flower vases
Photo frames
Folding rulers

I stuck the 3mm knitting needle into the errant loop and with the darning needle I was able to take the laddered yarn and slip it through the back of the loop while removing the knitting needle. My forehead was dotted with beads of sweat while I whispered "C'mon,c'mon,c'mon,c'mon,go,go,go,yes,yes,YES!YES!!!". After what seemed like an hour but in reality was probably not more than five minutes I had the dropped stitch back on its proper needle and was back once more to knitting Darling Mollie's sock. I likely exaggerate a bit but I think I got a glimpse at the sort of satisfaction a brain surgeon feels after he's tackled a particularly tricky operation. Okay, I exaggerate a lot.

Elastic band
Safety pins
Sewing thread
Acrylic yarn
and

Crochet hooks

I picked up a 2.5 mm crochet hook this morning. A surgeon needs the proper tools, you know.