Sock in progress

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

Sample Yarns | Natural Plant Dye

Back in September I mixed up a batch of dried pomegranate rind dye and experimented with it; here are the results!

Natural plant dyed yarns

These are all basic kitchen cotton yarn (Peaches & Creme 100% cotton). From left to right: dried pomegranate rind and lemongrass (yellow), dried pomegranate rind (yellow), fresh mint (leaves and stems) with iron mordant (gray), and fresh mint, dried pomegranate, lemongrass with iron mordant (brown). 

Wool yarn dyed with dried pomegranate rinds

This sock weight wool yarn was dyed with dried pomegranate rinds. I then overdyed it with either dried kukui leaf dye or dried bamboo leaf dye - I'm not sure which. Either way, it didn't change the color much, if at all. 

Vintage Knitting Needles | Shoplocket

Trying out Shoplocket for a physical item - this was easy to set up, as I already had photos and a written description.

Trying out Shoplocket

I just signed up for Shoplocket and I'm using this blog post to test out how easy it is to use; I'll likely be embedding this same listing in my Tumblr and Facebook. 

Small Victories

Sometimes, it's the little things. 

In this case, the oddball of yarn I used was just the right amount for the heel.

Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl Mc-Phee, in the book Knitting Rules.

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in colorways Turner (leg and foot) and Playa (heel and toe).

Link to Ravelry project: A Good, Plain Sock