Cranky Crafting at the Cranky Yellow

Alex and I were on Cherokee St. when we noticed several strange textile sculptures strung in a storefront window. Above them, a sign read "The Astounding Cranky Yellow." We were drawn inside, I think, because we were both wearing textiles, and one of my shirt stripes was yellow.

The Cranky Yellow is an independent publishing house/gallery for art, music, film, literature and textiles (an all-around artist's co-operative). Among other odds and ends, they also sell vintage knitting patterns. The best of the bunch was a 1948 Beehive Hand Knits Socks for Men & Women. As I purchased the book, the uncranky guy working the front counter mentioned a grand re-opening back in February, but I was so excited about my sock book I couldn't listen to the details. I don't even knit.

Men's Classic Rib Toe
k 1, sl 1, k 1, p.s.s.o., knit across to within 3 sts from end of needle, then k 2 tog, k 1; on 2nd needle, k1, sl 1, k 1, p.s.s.o., knit to end of needle; on 3rd needle, knit to within last 3 sts, k2 tog, k1. 2nd rnd: Knit around. Repeat the last 2 rnds alternately until 24 sts remain on rnd. Weave sts together.

Huh? Well, once I find an English version of this pattern, you may soon be able to stop by the Cranky Yellow and purchase some of my very own Men's Classic Rib Sock Toe creations. Not the full sock, just the toe part. Or, Toezies, as I like to call them. I haven't read beyond that, but once I do I suspect you'll be able to find Healzies and Archzies in store sometime late fourth quarter. Just in time for stocking stuffers...filled with knitted coalzies.

Cranky Yellow
2847 Cherokee St.
St. Louis, MO 63118
314.773.4499

30 ways to say 양말

Print this list and keep it in your shoe for any upcoming trips to Uraguay or the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Alternatively, you can point to your feet in any country. ¡Eso sí que es!

albanian: çorape
arabic:جوارب قصيرة
bulgarian: Чорапи
chinese: 袜子
croatian: čarape
czech: ponožky
danish: strømper
dutch: sokken
english: socks
finnish: sukat
french: chaussettes
german: socken
greek: κάλτσες
hebrew: גַרבַּיִם
hindi: मोज़े
hungarian: zokni
indonesian: kaus kaki
italian: calzini
japanese: 靴下
korean: 양말
lithuanian: Kojinės
norwegian: sokker
polish: skarpetki
portuguese: meias
russian: Носки
serbian: чарапе
spanish: calcetines
swedish: strumpor
thai: ถุงเท้า
turkish: çorap
vietnamese: bít tất

Streets to Set Foot

Sox St, West Columbia, Lexington, SC 29169, USA
Sox Ln, Perryville, Perry, MO 63775, USA
Sox Cir, Chesterfield, SC 29101, USA
Sox Dr, Sturgis, St Joseph, MI 49091, USA
Sock's Ln, North Brewham, Bruton, Somerset, UK
Sock Ln, Mudford, Yeovil, Somerset BA21, UK
Sock Hill Mudford, Yeovil, Somerset BA21, UK

Irish Every Day were Lucky Socks Day

How to start your very own blog about, say, socks.

There are a lot of really interesting blogs at your fingertips these days, but making your own blog stand apart from the crowd and its fingertips is easy. Simply pick a subject that isn't as exciting or thought provoking as things like sky-diving or science.

Become a master of the subject you choose. Experience it. Study it. Make soap carvings of it. Completely immerse yourself in your subject. I thought I was familiar with my subject, yet I wear socks Labor Day through Memorial Day and sometimes struggle to present new material to my reader. To compensate, I often wear two or three pairs of socks at a time, keeping copious notes of their characteristics. I also get misty-eyed, knowing I'll never know everything about socks. Just most things.

Who is your reader? Well, there are millions of internet users in the world. There are millions of blogs. Most of those blogs will be better than yours, so that leaves one reader for your blog. I'm the reader of my blog, and I'm glad I have this forum to say I have so much more to say about socks. Now decide who your reader should be, write, then pester the hell out of Gary.

The Touch, the Feel of Cotton Socks

Diorama Panorama

A fake ficus tree and a leather chair were nestled in the far left corner, next to two retro-model photobooths, evenly spaced along the back wall. I imagined walking into the photobooth storefront and taking a few pictures today, using my arms to spell S-O-C-K in each photo block, or showing only my feet. Afterwards, I'd take a rest in the chair and review my photos, reminiscing about a happier time in my life only moments earlier.

The door to 3123 Morganford Rd. was locked, so instead I did what anyone else would do in my situation. I took pictures of the photobooths.

I've used the old photobooth at the City Museum several times, and I've seen photobooths at the Mad Art Gallery on few occasions. Hoping to find more local booths, I stumbled across photobooth.net, which has compiled an extensive list of photobooth locations from around the world. Their visit through St. Louis was in 2005, so I decided to update the status of the booths. Unfortunately, the list has dwindled:

St. Louis
Lucky Strike, Hazelwood (closed)
City Museum, St. Louis
Galleria Movie Theater, St. Louis (waiting for update)
Mad Art Gallery, St. Louis (on occasion)
St. Louis Centre I, St. Louis (closed)
St. Louis Centre II, St. Louis (closed)

Besides the fun of cramming into a small booth with one or more loved ones or loved socks, is the joy of being instantly rewarded with photo prints. It's like getting chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. Both should arrive within 3-4 minutes, or something's broken.


*Photo Location: Photobooth|Stl - Photobooth Rental Company. Their website lists them at 4406 Arsenal St., but the storefront shown is at 3123 Morganford Rd.