More Socks for Summer

You know, it feels a little weird knitting warm woolen socks in the summer- but I can't help it! They're such an addicting project!! In record time, Sock #2 of the summer of socks are off the needles and completely done. (From June 27 - July 4!)


Pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch
Yarn: Koigu KPPM (*slobber*)
Needles: US size 1
Thoughts: Quick and addicting little knit. I would definately knit this pattern again. I love how all the wiggles look like waves on the socks!


With those off the needles I decided to move on to a major challenge, sock #2 in my quest to knit a pattern by all the designers at the retreat, Cookie A's Marilinda socks. Holy! Intimidating! Batman! I bought the pattern, pulled the yarn out of the stash and cast them on and got ready to go.


Once I got into the pattern though- it was obvious that I was going to hit a snag in my plans. The yarn pools. (I doubt you can see it well enough in the picture above.) The varigation in the yarn doesn't spread evenly and instead I somehow managed to have a "dark" side and a "light" side. This pattern is complicated and impressive enough that I don't want it to be lost in bad pooling in the color of the yarn. After much discussion with the husband, he gave me the go ahead to break the yarn diet and order up something that will be similar and serve the right purpose for the pattern. I remembered seeing a yarn on the much loved Loopy Ewe that mentioned that it was subtly varigated to avoid the color pooling that sometimes occurs with hand painted yarn. And so, in what can only be referred to as enormous restraint, (afterall I only ordered what I needed and not what I wanted {because let's face it what I wanted was about 12 other skeins also} ), I put my order for Dream in Color Smooshy's Midnight Derby.** (PS- if you ever feel so inclined to, I've attached a link to my Loopy Ewe wishlist on the sidebar there so you can see what I've been lusting so heavily after.)

Before the yarn pooling incident occured, a few rows into knitting Cookie's pattern my brain started to hurt. This woman designs the most stunning socks- but they're also not for the faint hearted knitter. (Although her patterns are incredibly thorough, organized and well written.) The chart is complicated and I was using techniques that I never had before. So, to have a little break from all that focused knitting I cast on the simplest, plainest of socks-


Ah brain break socks! They're even self striping yarn! I imagine there will be pictures of these up shortly too. Feels good to be stash busting!

** I kind of love Sheri over at the Loopy Ewe- she runs such a great company. I'd say about 28 minutes elapsed between the time of my order and the email I got to say it was shipped! That's the kind of "wow" service you rarely get these days!