More socks....

I finished the first of my Anastasia socks.



Fun to knit, nice simple and easily memorised pattern and I LOVED the Magic Cast On.I made the leg a little shorter than the pattern, but I prefer that given my short legs. The second sock will be knitted in mirror image, using ssk instead of k2tog.

So why, instead of casting on for the second sock, did I end up casting this on instead?




This is a plain old vanilla top-down sock from the Violet Green Sock Calculator, in Regia Cotton Color 5407 Istanbul.

Must say, I love this yarn. It's cool and light and the colourway is gorgeous, like fresias or sweet peas. I have more in a pinky-orange blend, called Jazz. It came from an amazing Ebay bargain, where you bid for pot luck on a random selection of colours of Cotton Color, your only guarantee being that you got your yarn in pairs of balls. It eventually worked out at £1.50 per ball (!) and I struck really, really lucky in the two colourways I received, I think. They've been sitting on my desk for a week now, begging to be cast on. So I did.

Now bearing in mind I declared I was going to go on a learning challenge with each pair of socks I knit over the next year, what have I learned/intend to learn from these socks? Well, it's the first time I haven't cast on my second sock straight away, so I may be about to learn all about Second Sock Syndrome with this pair, no? Also, this is the first time I've had to go down to 2mm needles to get gauge/tension of 7.5 stitches per inch. I've had to revert to an ancient set of No14 UK/2mm/Size 0 USA dpns found in a charity shop because I don't have circs in this size, but it's been interesting to note that after several socks knitted on circs, the dpns are still smooth for me. And this is the first time I've used a cotton blend sock yarn. Very pleasant, have to say. I might try some of the Regia Bamboo sometime.

And I've also learned I really like knitting plain vanilla socks. Very relaxing. Well, if it's good enough for the Harlot, it's good enough for this Fishwife, no?

PS. Many apologies if I owe you an email that you haven't got yet. It's not that I'm ignoring any of you lovely people, just that what with the party, party preparations and a very exciting but exhausting Saturday (more on that later) I was fit for nothing on Sunday except lying on the sofa and knitting socks. I'll get to grips with the backlog asap, I promise!