Grey socks finished. Grey socks on the feet – momentarily, as there is a real danger of spontaneous human combustion in the late summer heatwave we’ve got going on. In photographs, these manage to look less grey than they do in real life, and a whole lot less grey than they seemed whilst knitting.
I’m pleased with the fit of this pair, which isn’t always guaranteed even when I’m knitting socks for my own feet. And, despite being a little scathing about the colour, I do actually like the moody palette now the knitting is done. It also means that I might be able to ditch one of the worn-out pairs from my sock drawer – a true changing of the guard.
I came to understand that the reason these took so long to knit, and why I frequently thought about abandoning them, was the acres of grey wool on needles of exactly the same colour. These have been a sore test for my eyesight, especially this past few weeks when I’ve been struggling with my spectacles.
When I had my eyes tested earlier in the summer, there wasn’t any significant change in my prescription, so the reading glasses I was using were still perfectly fine. With this in mind, I decided to buy a pair of “flexi-readers” which I thought would increase the versatility, allowing me to look up to watch TV, or partake in conversations, then look down to knit or read. They are, indeed, great for TV viewing but, so less acceptable as reading glasses because there is a very restricted portion of the lenses devoted to my reading prescription. To be honest, they strike me as a jack of all trades and master of none. After 20+ years of wearing reading glasses, I should have realised that most of the close-work I do requires me to be looking through the main area of the lens and seeing a wider field of view, but that’s something that only occurs to you in hindsight.
There wasn’t a problem, though, because I still had my old reading glasses – until the old specs broke, as most will do in time. At that point, I was stuck with a choice between an existing pair which are suitable for screen-work and the flexi-readers. Neither worked that well for reading a book or a magazine, for writing my journal entries, and particularly not for discerning pale grey wool against a pale grey needle.
These socks have finally been completed thanks to my new reading glasses. I can’t convey how good it feels to have the right glasses again. The flexi-readers will continue to be good for TV viewing (with or without knitting to glance down at) and as my on-the-go glasses when out shopping, for travel to and from work etc – those times when I come closest to the “average” user and just glance down at a mobile phone screen every so often. What I do find seductive about the flexi-readers, and the reason I chose them in the first place, is that they are lightweight. I have quite a strong reading prescription in one eye which means that my glasses tend to be quite heavy. Next time I feel the need for a new pair, I think I will try the light-weight lenses which are now available.
So, it’s all new from my eyes to my toes! And it’s time to choose a new sock wool from my stash.
Pam Alison Knits 
6 responses to “Grey socks – a finished project”
Congrats on the finish! I think they look fab.
Thank you. It’s such a relief to finally have these off the needles – there have been far too few properly finished objects this year.
I am impressed that you can finish anything in the heatwave that we have been having. Well done completing your socks!
As a long term user of vari-focal glasses, I can sympathise with your recent struggles. These attempt to cover all bases by having a lower segment for close work, a mid section for slightly longer distance (say, looking at a computer screen or a person a couple of yards away) and a top section for distance, driving and such, but each segment blending into the next.
Problems occur if you try to watch TV whilst reclining, as you are then looking through the close-up part of your lenses and everything is blurry. On the other hand, trying to read small print on something on a high shelf, like a box of cereal or tablets, is also impossible. This is the price you pay for having one pair of specs for everything.
I can certainly recommend opting for high-density, light weight lenses which are more comfortable and less like beer bottles, and well worth the extra cost. Good luck with that!
Thanks, everything you say abotu the vari-focals rings bells with the flexi-readers, except these don’t go as far as the distance/driving prescription. I had been thinking about vari-focals since my optician visit in 2021 where they had been quite keen for me to consider them, but I knew I had no need of the distance prescription. Whilst my sight is on the borderline of being not quite good enough for driving, I don’t drive so that’s not a problem. It’s plenty good enough for walking around and I see a lot more stuff whilst I’m walking around than many other people do. Completing the socks has been very much a first thing in the morning and last thing at night effort. I must admit I struggled a lot with the heat yesterday and through last night.
Fortunately I get by with cheap drug store reading glasses as I literally leave pairs lying all over the house so they are handy.
I usually have one pair of off-the-shelf readers for emergencies, but I am a big believer in regular eye checks and in buying proper prescription glasses that suit my individual eyesight issues.