practicing tapas

Tapas is one of the niyamas of yoga–the things you’re supposed to do (in contrast with the yamas, which are things you aren’t supposed to do). Tapas is the act of self-discipline. I have been struggling to cultivate this in myself in a lot of ways: go to bed at a decent hour, eat three squares a day, etc. But so long as I attempt tapas, I’m halfway to a more balanced life, right?

This sock is my exercise in tapas for the next few weeks. I’m determined to work on it only while commuting (or while knitting at lunch). I think of it as my go-to, kill-time knit that I make last. The only other pair of “commuting socks” I started got finished within four days, because I knit them at home. What can I say, I’m a one-project girl, and it’s hard to set something aside when I could be knitting it.

green sock

I started this pair of stockinette socks over the weekend, getting the toe done and my stitch count set (I debated how many stitches, eventually going with my first instinct of 60 stitches, but I thought it would be too tight at first). I haven’t worked a stitch at home since! I checked the length when I got to the office or home, so I knew when to start the heel, and I managed to work the whole short-row heel this morning on the way in. Now I’m on the leg, and I plan to knit until I’m out of yarn. It’s really fun doing an all-stockinette sock; I’ve never done that before.

And because I’m using the yarn that Laura sent me, I joined the Green Sock Flickr Group! Thanks, Lolly, for setting that up.

I’ve got some other green knitting underway (what I knit at home!), but I’ll wait to reveal that when it’s complete.

14 Responses to practicing tapas

  1. Ashley says:

    And here I was thinking that tapas was delicious little snacks.

    (I kid)

    I’ve been thinking lately that I need to have a stockinette sock going for precisely these reasons. Commuting, self-discipline–but also the plain ol’ meditative nature of stockinette in the round. No snarling at the pattern, no dropping back to fix cables, just the fingers and the yarn and the needles. Hmmm.

  2. knittingphilistine says:

    Stockinette in the round…I’m trying it with some *gasp* variegated yarn, and to my dismay, the first time I try this multiple colored thing, I have pooling. Pooling! Not a fan, unless it is in the dead heat of summer! Thus, my stockinette-in-the-round sock will be short-lived. Now I don’t know what to do with the yarn…try another pattern? Different needle size? How does one fix pooling?

  3. Knitting Bandit says:

    I’ve attempted soemthing similair to the commuter sock–it usually fails! But I think you’ll have the fortitude and strength to resist all at home knitting. There’s something very relaxing about a simple stockinette sock. I’m turning the heel of a fussy sock today and I am so ready to start a simple sock next–then on to my Anastasia’s…I swear! I want to knit those so bad! :-)

  4. MeBeth says:

    I have one of those socks going too but I’m REALLY having a hard time now because I only have a teensy bit to go on the second. Probably best to just be done with it and start a new pair!

  5. nova says:

    My first pair of socks were stockinette, they were so great and portable. No pattern to think about, no charts just easy stockinette, it was very meditative actually. I should start a pair of stockinette socks for my lunch break! In any case, yes, stick with your plan and only knit those deliciously green socks on your commute; and at home, knit the other thing!

  6. modjac says:

    My tapas is/are? devoted to drinking less, eating at least twice a day, listening to all the albums on my ipod in alphabetical order (started in september and only at P at this point) and trying to remember to go to bed (editors note: she writes this last statement at 11:30pm). Love ya.

  7. Meg says:

    hee hee, I have a commute sock on the go all the time and feel bad because I usually ignore it and read my book during my commute instead, the opposite problem to yours!

  8. Rachel says:

    I have the exact same problem with knitting my commuting socks at home. It really is born of laziness, so I do want to have more self-discipline about that. I’d get a lot more sweaters done if I didn’t spend my quality knitting time zoning out with tiny circular stockinette!

    I’m going to take inspiration from your post and rededicate myself to my efforts.

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