This is a beautiful sock: Bayerische
I mention it because I am feeling very unfulfilled knitwise (no pun intended), and when I see a sock like this I am reminded of just how much I have to learn.
I looked at a lot of sock patterns today because I suddenly felt very sure I needed to knit myself a pair of socks for Japan. The main pair of shoes I am bringing are slip-ons that aren't worn with socks, which on one hand is great: many of the traditional places, like shrines, temples, and some restaurants, require you to remove your shoes before entering. Sometimes slippers are provided, sometimes not. At any rate, having easily removable shoes is clearly a plus. However, being a little unsure of the whole barefooted aspect of this ritual, I did a little research and luckily, someone had blogged the answer for me:
"I felt so odd in the fellowship-hall-mausoleum, like I should whisper, and I was embarrassed that I had bare feet in the provided leather slippers, because I'd worn sandals to the temple. Miyuki said bare feet were no problem, but 99% of the people I've seen have had socks. The young women wear knee-highs peeking out at the tops of their stiletto-heeled boots, and everyone seems to wear socks or stockings. I'm going to start carrying a pair of socks or knee-highs in my handbag for when I wear sandals. I wonder if it's sort of too casual to go barefooted, for health reasons, cleanliness, etc."
This confirms my suspicion that I may indeed feel uncomfortable with bare feet, despite an impeccable pedicure.
The easy solution to the problem is to just bring a pair of socks with me, thus my sudden compulsion to knit myself a special pair. Socks are kinda hard though, and I only have three days left until take off. Plus, it's fairly obvious I've got a whole lot of more important things to do in preparation for the trip than to knit socks. So there will be no newly knitted, fabulous pair of socks. I just have to accept it and move on.
