November 26th: New socks

There are a lot of things I'm thankful for. But I'm not going to speak to that today, not really. I hope you had a calm and fulfilling Thanksgiving holiday, or just a truly excellent Thursday (for those of you not in the US). Our holiday was quiet. We went to go see Fantastic Mr. Fox (which is really good, by the way, and very much a Wes Anderson film). Since I like to keep my hands busy at a film, I cast on a sock.

I chose a yarn that I had picked up one day at Joanns. I don't usually shop at Joanns; at this point I'm a pretty hardcore yarn snob, but I was engaging in retail therapy after a dentist appointment and noticed on an endcap Premier Yarn's Deborah Norville's Serenity Sock Weight. Why Deborah Norville has her own line of yarn, I do not understand. But the fiber content is 50% superwash merino, 25% bamboo, and 25% nylon. And it was like $3.50 for 230 yards, so $7 for a pair of socks? Not bad.*

So today I cast on 28 stitches at the toe and increased to 68 stitches around. I'm using size 2 needles - maybe 2.5; they're 3mm anyway. The fabric produced at this gauge is decidedly a bit loose, so I think smaller needles would be better. I'm really surprised and pleased with how this is knitting up. The bamboo gives it a silkiness and a drape which is lovely. The fabric is very soft. And the self-striping/self-patterning is fairly subdued in the purple spice colorway I chose. So far I'm really enjoying it! I'm surprised.



And also? I am loving this whole casting on thing. I cast on for this sock and a Christmas gift today. Wheee....


*Note: I would not, under most circumstances, pay $7 for a pair of socks from the store. But for sock yarn this is a good deal. So it goes.

EQ!

I moved 7000 rocks this morning. Well, lithics. Mostly chipped stone (arrowheads and that sort of thing). But it was still a lot of lifting! So I headed down to my LYS afterward. I had read in their newsletter that they had received a shipment of Kauni Effektgarn, and I was interested. You see, the EQ colorway knits into this beautiful rainbow and I wanted some. Like woah have I wanted the EQ colorway.

So I mosey on down and they have it! So I bought it. I'm thinking a triangular or half circle shawl for this pretty stuff.



Another yarn craving satisfied.

Grey socks, white snow

Like so much of the country, we're being snowed on. It means the roads are slippery, the sidewalks are icy, and it's chilly out. It also means the backyard makes a nice backdrop for new socks.


These socks are my first using Trekking XXL... and I think I like it. It's soft and lovely, and I like those gradual color changes. Construction is nothing special. Toe up, short row heel, a few increases on the leg. I think I'll wear them tomorrow for real. Keep me warm on the walk to work.

Patriotic socks

I finished these socks while watching the Vice Presidential Candidates debate this evening. So I will call them my patriotic socks. Which they are. If you live in, uh, Azerbaijan, New Caledonia, or Namibia.



Actually, I think of these as my boring socks. So boring that I made the first one in April and only started the second one last Saturday. And had forgotten in the meantime how many stitches and what size needles I was using. Oops.



The yarn is from Sunnyside Ellen. But I got it in a swap and didn't know it was self striping. I'm glad it was - I am not a fan of very different colors pooling. A nice yarn though, and the dying is good too. A little lighter near some of the color changes, but very nice.

The socks are my regular recipe for boring dull stockinette socks. Toe up with Judy's Magic Cast-on, an appropriate # of stitches around - 72 in this case, a short row heel, and a bit of ribbing at the top. A great big yawn, but a comfy and fast basic sock.

They remind me of baseball for some reason. Does New Caledonia have a little league team?