From the Sock Drawer

Up until the last few days, the weather was quite nice - 70 C, sunny, warm, and not too windy. The birds have been chirping and the trees have been blooming. I knew it wouldn’t last long. Rain, chilly temps, and a general dreariness have taken over.  Bah.  In response, my feet have demanded wool socks and I’m only too happy to comply.

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball - Brights | Needles: 2.25 mm

Dates: Jan 5 - Feb 1, 2011

@Ravelry (public link)

Long finished but never blogged, these are January’s socks and they’re far from dreary. I can’t help but smile when I catch glimpses of them peeking out of my jeans. Wild, shifting, and fraternal color is where it’s at. (Whatever “it” is.) Plus, my feet stay pretty toasty too. Just what I need during a grey March day. 

The pattern is my basic sock template: stockinette and toe up with a gusset, heel flap, and a few inches of 2x2 ribbing at the cuff. I mixed stuff up a bit by working all the increases in a straight line instead of my usual diagonal. Might keep that modification around for the next few pairs. If there’s any interest, I’ll write up the pattern.

Glorious color aside, I’m not sure if I’d used this yarn again for socks. Shawls, cowls, hats? Sure. The jury is still out on socks. It was a bit thin in spots and liked to twist back on itself. Zauberball isn’t the cushiest stuff either but it does soften up after a bath. During the knitting, I occasionally considered ripping everything out but quashed the thought. Let’s see if that comes back to bite me. So far, the pair is holding up well and I’ve got leftovers for darning when the time comes.

The forecast is predicting warm weather and sunny skies tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have to put these away for another foul day when they can work their magic.