Elton John Socks and a Day at the Zoo

I actually intended to show a different project in this post but it didn't happen and, as it turns out, these socks are the perfect project for this post because I gave them to my mom for Mother's Day this past weekend.  And they also tie in with the zoo theme because they are striped like a Zebra!  How perfect is that?

I loved knitting with this yarn because of the beautiful colors and the nice feel to the base, but it wasn't without its challenges.  I wanted to knit something special both to showcase the unique dying style and also because they were going to be a gift for my mom.  So I poured over a ton of patterns to find something unique and cool and ended up purchasing two beautiful patterns, neither of which did I end up using.  I won't bore you with the details but suffice it to say the experience left me with lighter pockets and a broken cherished rosewood needle (sob) before I threw in the towel and decided to let this gorgeous and unique yarn shine with a basic sock pattern.  It's best not to fight against what a yarn wants to be.

I called these my Elton John Socks because the colorway is Tiny Dancer and that of course is the title of a famous Elton John song.  I am an L.A. Lady after all and this is the music I grew up listening to in the seventies.  It's an association, and appreciation, that I fear will be lost on my mother.  When I listen to Tiny Dancer it takes me back to my teenage years and the parties at the beach, dancing in the sand and in general getting into mischief.  Something I did far too much of true be told.  But I did have fun!

I'm feeling sentimental so I've linked to few few music videos from that era with the caveat that the technology back in the 70s wasn't the best so the songs aren't well preserved:

Tiny Dancer    Elton John
Driver's Seat  Sniff 'n' Tears
Touch me in the Morning Diana Ross
Sweet Home Alabama  Lynyrd Skynyrd
Everything I Own  Bread
Make it With You  Bread
You're So Vain   Carly Simon
Maggie May  Rod Stewart
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
Dreams  Fleetwood Mac
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Comfortably Numb  Pink Floyd
L.A. Woman - The Doors

I could go on but hopefully these songs will bring back fun memories for you too or if you are younger than me perhaps it will introduce you to the music of my generation.  Although you had to be there because as I said the videos do not do the music justice.

Particulars: Colorblock Sock Pattern, a free Mr. Puffy pattern (I use this pattern for its basic sock construction); US 1 Needles; size: 60 stitch count; 1 skein Republic of Wool, twist fingering, (colorway Tiny Dancer).  I love, love, love these socks and found them hard to part with!

A Day at the Zoo ~

My mother loves visiting the Zoo so this year to celebrate Mother's Day we took my mom and dad to the San Diego Zoo which is a world famous Zoo located in Southern California.

To make the experience more special we bought tickets to the Zoo's Animals in Action program which allows visitors up close encounters with some of the exotic and endangered species and is a program designed to highlight the plight of these amazing creatures.  This world is increasingly a hostile place for animals that are at the mercy of human activities and desires. If you want to learn more and/or become more involved in ending practices that lead to extinction, I recommend visiting San Diego Zoos wildlife conservancy website EndExtinction.org and One Green Planet which are organizations that are dedicated to saving and protecting wildlife from poachers and environmental devastation.

On a lighter note, a fun part of the Animals in Action program is that you learn interesting trivia about the animals such as that a zebra can (while running full speed no less) bend its spine backward so that it's teeth can reach its tail to bite a predator that might be trying to pull it down from behind. That's amazing flexibility!  Note to self: enroll in a yoga class.  And in case you ever wondered if a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes they are in fact black with white stripes.

But the very best part of the experience for me was seeing my 90+ year old mom feeding a Rhino!

Incidentally the top picture is a Clouded Leopard and the other cat is a Cheetah.  Both are beautiful creatures to watch in action and need help protecting their habitat.

Until next time, be well and love well and this summer why not plan a trip to the Zoo!  Or at the very least knit yourself a pair of striped socks.  We are traveling to Israel in June so if I don't have a chance to post again before we leave I'll see you later this summer!