A tale of two socks.

It was the best of yarns, it was the worst of yarns.

And wound from this skein, is a tale of triumph and sorrow....

....of love, and of loss.....

...of perseverance.

Our tale begins on a dark and not-so-stormy night. The Maiden fair was waiting with bated breath, for the clock to strike midnight. At the awaited hour, an epic battle would begin.

Her preparation was complete as she refreshed the page. The list was made, and her plan for victory was precise. The new years midnight yarn sale at Supersock.com would be her greatest conquest! As the page reloaded once more, she finally saw what she had been waiting for--- the Add to cart button! Like a flash of static electricity she quickly collected the items into her cart. The last skein of Noro Silk garden sock in rainbow? Check! Four skeins for a striped scarf? Check! Malabrigo Rasta for slipper socks, Halleluia.....Check! As she dashed for the checkout she chose one last fateful skein, Cherry Tree Hill sock in the Peacock colorway. Upon checkout, she was anguished to find that her precious Malabrigo had been snapped up by another customer! Dash! Faster than you can say superwashmerino she entered her credit card info to ensure the acquisition of the other fine yarns.

Finally the battle was over. She had lost the Malabrigo, but was sure that her other selections were just right.

And she was correct. The colors were perfect! Especially the Peacock sock yarn. Simply divine! And fit for a princess. No glass slippers for this girl, no way. Only the finest hand knit socks would do.

Ready to embark on this new adventure, she began her socks, two at a time on magic loop, with the assistance of a book sent to her by her Fairy godmother.

The maiden fair was a warrior princess of much renown. However, having been defeated by the evil race of double pointed sock needles, and also having succumbed to a dreadful disease known as second sock syndrome, she knew that quick and decisive action was called for. The socks were quickly cast on.

After completing the ribbing section late one night, she fell under a deep dark spell. When she awoke, she found that the yarn had stopped pulling gracefully from the center of the ball! Gingerly, and then with more force, she pulled. No! it was stuck! What could she do? In the epic battle that ensued, she fought the dark forces of fiber in an attempt to rescue her precious sock project from the clutches of the most vile curse of all.....Yarn Barf!*

*(yarn barf=the most inhumane enchantment to ever befall an innocent knitter, when a once tenderly wound center pull cake of yarn starts spewing it's innards in matted and knotted portions)

You see, maiden fair had chosen to work from both ends of the ball in order to conserve the yarn she had fought so hard for. This however, was almost her ultimate downfall.

Many hours of sleepless night were spent unwinding the tangle only to have the yarn break. In a fit of despair, she cast the gnarled mess into a heap beside her bed.

The next morning, she awoke to the forlorn remains of her project. Her heart was broken. So much of the yarn had been lost to snarls and disaster.

Or so she thought.

She consulted with the village advisers on Ravelry and Facebook. To her delight, many good souls assured her that not only could it be saved, but there were lady wizards in nearby counties who could work their magic on her yarns should she need such intervention.

Bolstered by the good will of these fine people, so charged ahead. Weaving a special blend of Peace and Patience enchantment as she worked, she labored bit by bit to recover the mass. And lo, by sundown the spell was broken and her work could resume.

Only one thing stood in her way. The amount left on the ball recovered after the break in the yarn would surely not be enough to complete the sock without joining in yarn from the larger ball. The magic of the wool/nylon blend would not be able to transform her into a princess unless each sock was made from an unbroken strand!

With her hope hanging by the very thread she was knitting with, she stitched onward.

Her heart was beating faster as each toe decrease was completed...."I'm almost there.....I'm almost there!" she chanted as the rows grew shorter.

Finally, in the last stand at the battle of Kitchener Stitch......

Victory. Sweet, yarn coated victory.

As she placed them on her feet, she knew that her princess powers came not from the yarn, or even wearing the precious socks, but from her will to see them through to completion. Had she discarded them at a time when all hope seemed lost in a knotted mess of wool, she would have cursed herself for eternity with self-doubt, and been haunted with it from that day forward.

Instead, she earned herself some warm feet, and the praise of all the subjects in the kingdom (who are all jealous, and want their own socks.... rainbow colored ones have been requested by the little elves and grey ribbed socks for prince charming)

No circular needles were harmed in the making of these socks.

The end.