Priorities: I remembered to put this project bag in my purse before leaving the house today, but I forgot my office keys, so I wrote most of this post sitting at a coffeeshop waiting for the building to open.
Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, knit with Malabrigo Sock in colorways Turner and Playa
Although I cast on for the second sock immediately after binding off the toe of the first sock, this has been marinating a bit in my project bag while I focus on getting projects that are on deadlines finished. I've also been fussing a bit about the needles. A simple sock is soothing, pleasurable knitting for me, but I'm still working out which needles I want to use. I have a set of aluminum dpns that I've had for years and which are just the right length. However, it's a set of 4, and I prefer working a sock with a set of 5. A few weeks ago I picked up a set of 5 steel dpns which are lovely but just a little bit too short for my hands; I ordered a longer set that will hopefully turn up soon. I also have 2 short circular needles that would be great if the needles were just half an inch longer (I have big hands). I've probably got a single long circular in the right size, but I'm not a fan of knitting a sock on a single circ.
It's a lot of fussing for a pair of socks, especially a plain pair earmarked for travel. Lately, though, I have been opting to have a project in progress at all times that is just for me, with no deadlines and no specifications other than the ones I set myself, something that is for fun and that I will get to use when it is done. Earlier this year, when I spent a few weeks traveling, I packed several pairs of socks, mostly commercially produced, with wicking and arch support and machine washability. I packed the one pair of handknit socks that I own, knit for me years ago by Opal, which I had been keeping safely tucked away and treasured. Well, on this trip, those were the socks I wore every day except for the one day that I did laundry and had to wait until they were dry. Wool is excellent for travel socks - they don't pick up foot odors and can be worn repeatedly before washing (wish I could say the same about my boots). Knitting myself a pair of socks means making a nice treat for myself to wear on my travels in 2013!
Ravelry: A Good, Plain Sock