Scarred for life?

Today is May 9th. The official beginning of Sock Wars III. I bought my sock yarn yesterday (blue Cascade Heritage sock yarn--hey I'm on a budget and this is a game for pete's sake! Lighten up!). I checked my email, read several frantic Forum questions from others who also had not received their dossiers yet, downloaded the pattern, and began knitting in the church library this morning while waiting for the Mother's Day tea to begin in Eric's class.

I really had not posted much about Sock Wars III because, frankly, I kept forgetting about it due to the daily stress of all the knitting. Miya from Willow and Bloom is crazy with the baby hat orders, I'm still wrestling with that @#!!#%&* sloper for the sweater class, among various other knitting responsibilities, still working about 20 hours a week at the shop, and, oh yeah, there are these people here who think I should care for them. The housework is not happening. As in, I'm scared of my own bathrooms, my husband can't find clean underwear, we have 4 carrots in the fridge....I really need to rethink my priorities. So don't you think joining Sock Wars III and knitting a pair of socks as fast as I can during an incredibly busy weekend in which I'm working about 10 hours is a smart thing to do? When I bought my sock yarn yesterday and explained to Shannon what I was doing her only response was "you're WHAT?".

I can't explain it. It's a challenge. Reading the comments on the Forum is a hoot. People are so into it. Several participants are trash talking each other...I just think the whole thing is so funny, I just have to do it. And so I am. I have about 5 rows knit. There are people out there who have an entire sock knit already. Me? About 5 rows. I have no intention of winning this thing. I just think it's fun to be in the thick of it.

About 10 minutes before the Mother's Day tea was to begin I went out into the hall to wait outside Eric's classroom. Several other moms were there and they were watching me knit the sock. Most of them have seen me knitting before, so this was not new to them, but the whole idea of Sock Wars was something they have never heard of. "You're knitting both socks?" "Really?" "Do you even know how to knit socks?" "Can't you just send them one sock?" These were just the questions they were willing to express to me out loud. Any thoughts they were having regarding how crazy I am and what a waste of time this is they kept to themselves.

We then went into the classroom and found our places, marked by gifts from the kids. And beside each gift was a little program. On the front of the program is written "My Mommy Is...." and then there is a quote from each child. All of the quotes are lovely words like "Wonderful", "Nice", "Helpful", "Special"--you get the gist. Want to know what Eric said? He said "My Mommy Is A Knitter". I'm not pretty, sweet, the best, terrific--I'm a knitter. We were also given a card that each child made. Mine is pink with a red butterfly on the cover that Eric colored. Inside it says "Dear Mommy, You are special because......" and then each child was to put the most special thing about their mom. And what did Eric say? Yep, you guessed it. I'm special because I knit. I kid you not--every single mom in that room looked at me and laughed. Meghan told me that she asked Eric 5 different times and knitting was the one and only attribute Eric would come up with for me. The other moms were trying to make me feel better because I was so horrified. This is all Eric knows. He is so neglected that he could not come up with one regular "mommy" word to describe me. I have scarred him for life.

I then decided to look on the bright side and told the moms "at least he didn't say My Mommy Is Special Because She Drinks!"