Sock It To Me!

I like to knit socks. I know, I know, you can buy socks at Target for $3.00. When I first started knitting, I heard about people knitting socks, and I thought it was a trifle bizarre. I remember having a conversation with my mother in which I think I said something along the lines of what a stupid thing it was to spend all that time knitting socks. I mean, don't people know they sell them at Target for $3.00? And then I started seeing pictures on the web of all kinds of snazzy socks that people had knit. And I was in the yarn store, and they had some really gorgeous sock yarn. And it went from there.

Now I know why people knit socks - they are small and portable, the yarn for them is affordable (sort of), and if I do a plain sock (my favorite kind) I can drop it at a moment's notice, a must for the times when I hear a crash from the next room followed by a shouted "I'm okay!" (This is one of Big Trouble's favorite activities). I have discovered, however, that my feet are too delicate for the average, more reasonably priced sock yarn. My feet find these yarns itchy. Somehow, my pampered feet (I was trying to come up with a synonym for feet, and The Professor suggested "shoe meat" and "the espadrille's nougaty center," but I digress) can only truly enjoy the handknit sock experience when they are made out of fine merino wool (my loss is my mother's gain). Luckily, many companies are happy to make this lovely (and sadly expensive) sock yarn in a variety of magnificent colors. I have searched and searched for the perfect sock pattern, (after many that are too tight, too saggy, too whatever) and finally found one. It's from Knitting Rules. It's a great pattern, and fits perfectly. Here they are in Cherry Tree Hill:














I'm making another pair (couldn't help myself) out of the lovely Bearfoot Mountain Colors I got at Woolworks. It is beautifully soft, and the colors are wonderful (although my photography definitely leaves something to be desired):


These are socks I finally get to keep; my toes are thankful.