FO #16 Magic Stripes socks

Just in time for summer, Spanky has a new pair of wool socks. These socks were mostly knit on planes going back and forth on my various trips. I finished them the week after I got home. They are just plain stockinette socks, using up stash yarn I bought a million years ago in a big box craft store in Florida because I had just learned to knit socks, and I thought Spanky would like these colors. I also liked the fact that one ball would make a pair of socks, and that the ball was much cheaper than the other sock yarn I'd bought. And you know what? It isn't any worse than the more expensive stuff. It is pretty soft, and I actually really enjoyed knitting with it and watching the stripes come out. I'm not one of those people who is 'so over' the self-striping yarns. I really like striped socks, and since I am partial to plain stockinette, it helps keep my interest to have something to watch as I'm going along.

Anyway, because I'm lazy, and because I don't keep stuff in my head so easily, I just used the plain pattern on the ball band, and came up with these crazy high gussets.



I am pretty sure my row gauge was off or something, and rather than listen to my gut, I just continued following the pattern hoping everything would just work out in the end. Again--lazy. But it did work out, really. I mean, they look weird when you look at them on the blockers, and one is a bit longer than the other, because when I was knitting the second one, for a while, I didn't have the first one in the bag, so couldn't compare, but Spanky can still wear them because once you put them on, you can't tell.




Yarn: Lion Brand Yarn's Magic Stripes, color #202 Sea Blue Pattern
Needles: I think I used US 2 dpns, although the ball band says size 3 needles. I don't think I have size 3 dpns, and I didn't think they were necessary for the gauge of the yarn.



So all in all, I'm happy with the result. Spanky's got new socks, I used up some old stash yarn, had a project to occupy my hands while on the planes, and didn't have to think too hard about it. I've already started another pair of socks for my mom, with yarn that I bought just for her, so hopefully I can finish them in time for Mother's Day. If not, her birthday is in June!