Take a Walk on the Wild Side

In Salt Lake City you need an orange flag to cross the street in a crosswalk, so you can bet that jaywalkin', and all that jazz, is a very dangerous way to go.
After a couple of false starts my Jaywalker socks took off running. It's all in the yarn, folks. A yarn with a little more substance than some of the thinner sock yarns is much better for this pattern. In the stash was a beautiful bright Dorchester Farms Hand Painted yarn that Cara had sent from Rhinebeck. It turned out to be the perfect weight, similar to STR.
Everything went well (and quickly) once the fit issues were handled and it was fun to watch the yarn do its thing. I ended with a round toe, instead of my least favorite, the Kitchener toe. The socks made my feet very happy.
My advice, if you don't want to Jaywalk, is to take a ride on the wild side. Cara you can now change my icon to a walkin' happy face.

Pattern: Jaywalker from MagKnits by Grumperina
Yarn: Dorchester Farms Hand Painted (no color name)
Time to knit: December 6, 2005 - January 9, 2006 (two false starts)
KAL by Cara
(This was to be my one and only pair, but I LOVE Cara's Two Pop Rocks Picot socks. As soon as this Stashalong is over...I'M GETTING MORE STR!)


















wow, great pictures! when I saw the licence plate, I read 'needlepoint' (just a few letters are missing).
Posted by: Julia | January 18, 2006 at 03:39 AM
Nice pictures and nice pair of Jaywalkers! I just cast on mine...
Posted by: Lene | January 18, 2006 at 04:02 AM
love the socks pretty colors to go with the pretty Utah photos!
you just inspired me to startitis on the second of my jaywalkers :)
Posted by: stinkerbell | January 18, 2006 at 04:04 AM
Your Jaywalkers look great. I love the colors.
Posted by: Erica | January 18, 2006 at 04:09 AM
You've inspired me! I cast on again last night -- tweaking the numbers one more time -- because I'm a jaywalker at heart and I refuse to be left at the curb! I'm determined to finish them before I start my Knitting Olympics project, too. Yes, I am crazy.
Posted by: Jane | January 18, 2006 at 04:15 AM
Your socks rock! ;-)
LOVE the colorway!
Posted by: Wendy | January 18, 2006 at 04:49 AM
Oh god, she's bit. Wonderful post...from the pose, to the setting, to the license plate, and the grrl.
Posted by: Laurie | January 18, 2006 at 05:41 AM
How cute are you, perched on your car?! I love it! Ooooh, that's right...Judy told me you teach needlepoint. Girl, you are good at SO many things!
Beautiful socks---I'm with you on the kitchener toe, and am not familiar with the round toe. I'm gonna have to look into that one.
Posted by: Kim | January 18, 2006 at 06:04 AM
The only thing more impressive, would be to get a photo of Rocky (with the flag in his hand) helping you across the street.
Posted by: susan | January 18, 2006 at 06:05 AM
Very cool! Gotta love those colors!!
Posted by: Kim | January 18, 2006 at 06:09 AM
Salt Lake City is one weird animal, innit? An orange flag to walk in the crosswalk? Geesh. I guess that's better'n being almost mowed down, as I was often in Paris and London. So if a car hits a pedestrian who isn't carrying an orange flag, is it considered the pedestrian's fault?
Posted by: Norma | January 18, 2006 at 06:12 AM
P.S. Oops. Nice socks. (hee, where's my head?)
Posted by: Norma | January 18, 2006 at 06:12 AM
Those are the most fun FO pictures yet! They look great.
Posted by: Beth | January 18, 2006 at 06:13 AM
You look pretty good while Jaywalking ... I need to pull mine out of limbo and finish.
Posted by: Ruth | January 18, 2006 at 06:14 AM
Lovely socks :-) really pretty colourway. I must resist buying any more yarn! I am not exactly in the stash along but I am doing my best to reduce the stash before Hubby blows a gasket - It is getting increasingly difficult to get to the wine cellar as all the wool boxes are in the way:-)
Posted by: janine | January 18, 2006 at 06:20 AM
Excellent photo shoot! I should have you style my FO photo shoots. :) The Jaywalkers turned out really well, too!
Posted by: Chris | January 18, 2006 at 06:29 AM
Lovely socks but I smiled more at your being outside to model your socks! Did you get any "oh my, nice socks!" from anyone or did they ask why you're carrying an orange flag? LOL
Posted by: Roxanne | January 18, 2006 at 06:29 AM
Oh thank you Margene! It's another emotional hangover morning here (boring I know) and you are the PERFECT antidote! I'm so glad you persevered and have given the socks a thumbs up. I can make hundreds of these socks, but honestly, without the Margene seal of approval, there's something missing. BRING ON POP ROCKS! L, C
Posted by: Cara | January 18, 2006 at 06:33 AM
Great socks. I'm so glad they turned out well for you. I'm looking forward to starting some myself!
Posted by: Zarah | January 18, 2006 at 06:37 AM
Yay! Great socks! Here in Boston, we don't really know what jaywalking is, as both driving and being a pedestrian are sporting events in a way. You'll have to explain the flag thing to us.
Posted by: PumpkinMama | January 18, 2006 at 06:41 AM
Great socks and fun pics as always!!
Posted by: Kathleen | January 18, 2006 at 06:45 AM
I'm with you--bring on the Socks that Rock!!!
Posted by: stitchnsnitch | January 18, 2006 at 06:49 AM
I love them, and I love the photo shoot. The orange flag and the license plate coordinate well with the Jaywalkers. I echo Pumpkinmama in my confusion about the orange flag, so what's the story?
Posted by: Susan | January 18, 2006 at 06:55 AM
You have the most creative way of displaying your knits. I love the Jaywalker photos. Very cool!
Posted by: Rachel H | January 18, 2006 at 06:58 AM
Love the license plate!
Posted by: Theresa | January 18, 2006 at 07:05 AM
That is some fine photo stylin'. It's also quite clear that this car is yours. :)
Posted by: claudia | January 18, 2006 at 07:05 AM
Great pictures -- what fun socks...
Posted by: Ann | January 18, 2006 at 07:11 AM
Nice pics, I like the sock colors. I won't try that where I work, on a college campus. Round toe sounds interesting.I am not completely happy with my Jaywalker's toe.
Posted by: Paula | January 18, 2006 at 07:25 AM
Your Jaywalkers look great. Congrats on getting them finished.
Posted by: Kris | January 18, 2006 at 07:28 AM
Great socks and photos! Walk on.
Posted by: Vera | January 18, 2006 at 07:38 AM
Damn, I need to find some roving just like those socks...gorgeous!
Posted by: Lee Ann | January 18, 2006 at 07:39 AM
You are one wild child for sure!! I just love the photo's :) My Jaywalker socks are still on the needles but will be finished soon!
Posted by: Dene | January 18, 2006 at 07:50 AM
Must look like a parade on a busy day, all those people carrying flags in the street! Really? Do they really have to do that? (And do they?)
LOVE YOUR SOCKS!!
Posted by: Vicki | January 18, 2006 at 07:52 AM
Rockin' socks, Margene.
Posted by: Celia | January 18, 2006 at 07:53 AM
Haha! I love your pictures! Aren't you afraid of wearing holes into your socks, wearing them out on the pavement like that? (I've ruined so many socks that way. I baby the two pair that I've made for myself.)
Speaking of the lovely jaywalking flags in Salt Lake, my little Matthew used to get so excited to cross the street in SLC just so he'd get to wave the flags! There is just not another city quite like SLC.
Posted by: Kim/Chef Messy | January 18, 2006 at 07:54 AM
You are such a Cover Girl on that Car! I love that picture -
Great socks but I love the casual elan of your scarf as well!
Posted by: Bonne Marie | January 18, 2006 at 07:54 AM
Snazzy jaywalkers! I made a friend a pair of socks from that colorway and loved it. I tried to get more at Rhinebeck to make a pair for myself but they were sold out by the time I got there. I am hoping he has it in April at the Tolland show. I did get a pretty green color from him as consolation yarn though. ;)
Posted by: Karen | January 18, 2006 at 08:00 AM
Why do you like the round toe better than the Kitchener? The reason I ask is that the pattern I am knitting right now called for a round toe and I wasn't sure how I liked that so I substituted a Kitchener toe.
Where do you get the flags from? I am envisioning buckets of orange flags at each streetcorner...
Posted by: Martha | January 18, 2006 at 08:00 AM
Those do look like fun socks (although I'm still not tempted to hop on the bandwagon! ;) ).
In NJ once, a cop actually told me that cars had the right to run me over while I was in a crosswalk. Is it any wonder we moved?
Posted by: Liz | January 18, 2006 at 08:05 AM
Your Jaywalkers are beautiful. Love the photo shoot.
Posted by: wendy g | January 18, 2006 at 08:07 AM
YAY!! You sure are Jaywalking now, grrlfriend (I'm in Mpls, am I allowed to use that word??)
The toe came out like a really cool spiral...
Posted by: Renada | January 18, 2006 at 08:10 AM
Those photos really made me smile! Love em!
Posted by: Carole | January 18, 2006 at 08:11 AM
Are the orange flags available at the crosswalks? I'm sure I've crossed the street in SLC before without one. I'm always a little confused about the streets there too. I understand the concept of how they are laid out, but finding a place from the address still confuses me. I'll just have to visit more until I get it right. Love your Jaywalkers!
Posted by: wool winder | January 18, 2006 at 08:41 AM
You know, the first time I saw an orange flag for crossing a street was in Ketchum, Idaho. So SLC isn't unique. Plus, it's really cut down on the number of auto/pedestrian accidents. I love when people use them. Well, and of course I also use one since I'm a bit risk-averse.
Wow, do you realize this is my second comment today.
Posted by: susan | January 18, 2006 at 08:42 AM
Awesome. You do good work.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 18, 2006 at 08:51 AM
Great picture series! The socks look great, and I love the creativity. Good for you!
Posted by: --Deb | January 18, 2006 at 08:51 AM
Yours have to be some of the prettiest Jaywalkers I've seen yet! Beautiful!
Posted by: Esther | January 18, 2006 at 08:53 AM
Gorgeous socks! I love the color!
Posted by: Kristi | January 18, 2006 at 09:02 AM
Your socks rock! :)
Posted by: heather | January 18, 2006 at 09:03 AM
Those Jaywalkers turned out great--love the color. I really like your license plate--fun :)
Posted by: Kim | January 18, 2006 at 09:04 AM