Socks, socks, and more socks!

Ok, well, only socks, socks. Because 'more socks' isn't finished. I've got a self-imposed sock club going on this year, and so far, two finished pairs of socks! I'm on the ribbing of the third pair too, but more on that in a second.

FO #3:



Pattern: Zokni Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential yarn (now Stroll), in a nice, woodsy green color
Needles: US 2 (2.75mm)

I love these socks. They're so pretty!



These were my January socks. Right after Christmas, I put all the baggies with the sock yarn and patterns into a tote bag, and for each month, I stick my hand in and pull one. And this is what I pulled for January! I was worried about starting out the year with a sock so intricate, but the pattern was great, and the socks went very fast. Despite spending the first half the month working on the hat and cowl for my subway-riding friend, I was able to complete the pair in two weeks!



The yarn is really hairy and seems strong, but I probably should have used a smaller needle, since I don't think they're going to last very long. They're just not knitted tightly enough. But that's ok. I've made my peace with that, and I don't care--I'll wear them for as long as I can! (So far I haven't worn them, but I will!)

FO #4:



Pattern: Through the Loops Mystery Sock 2010
Yarn: Trekking
Needle: US 1

These are not quite the obvious success that the zokni socks were. The pattern is very intricate, and my yarn choice was not the best in order to show all the detail of the pattern. But that's ok. I have already worn them! I really do like the yarn colors, but I don't like them as much in the pattern as I probably would have in a plain old stockinette sock. OH WELL.



The pattern was really annoying too. I don't know... these are just bad karma socks. They have the bad juju of 2010 all through them. Plus, I knit the second one on metal DPNs, and OMG is that a bad idea. I had no idea how awful knitting with metal dpns was. They don't give any, they're cold, and they are very sharp! My hands hurt after each session. But the day I closed that toe was a happy day. They're done, they softened up when I washed them, and they didn't kill my feet when I wore them. In fact, because my short person jeans are just a tiny bit too short, you could actually see them when I sat down, and I did like the purple peeking out over the top of my Converse.

February, instead of puling a new sock project out of the tote bag, I decided to just finish up my UFOs. That included the half a sock I had left on the Mystery Socks, and two single, toe up stockinette socks that I had from two different pairs. The first of those second socks is up to the ribbing now. I've finished the whole thing in a week! Now I just need to get up the enthusiasm to finish the other one. It's a different yarn, so that should help. The ones I'm working on now are Paton's Kroy, which I bought YEARS ago to make socks for Spanky. In fact, I think she picked out the yarn at a weird yarn shop in Melbourne, FL. The next pair is some sort of Knit Picks sock yarn, also from years ago, which I don't remember the name of--hopefully a ball band is in there with the pattern and the rest of the yarn. I haven't even checked! God, that's terrible. Oh well. The first sock was my first effort at doing a toe-up sock, and it's kind of tight anyway. However, it's been done for a couple years now at least, so I'm not sure what else to do other than just finish up the pair! And if I do, then I'll have three pairs in the February Stash & Burn contest in their Ravelry group.

I can't tell you how motivating it is to actually finish what you say you will though. As soon as I finished the zokni socks, I felt so awesome that I immediately wanted to start the next pair. Hopefully this momentum will continue, because after those Mystery Socks, I was happy they were done too, but a little less excited, and now that I'm slogging through this plain sock for Spanky, I can feel my attention start to wander a bit. I think once I'm done with the second single sock that I'm going to make a Citron. I've been planning it for a while, and since I'm making it with Malabrigo sock, it will count toward the sock stash knit down. And once that's finished, I'll do the next pair from the bag. Gotta give the socks a rest every now and then, or else I'll burn out. I also have on deck a pair of gloves for Spanky from the leftover cashmere from FO #5, which I haven't had a chance to tell you about yet! Maybe tomorrow, after my haircut!

Oh, and a short update on Project 333. I HATE THIS. It's only been a month next Tuesday, and I miss my clothes so much. I am SO SICK of wearing the same three sweaters over and over and over again. It's been so fucking cold. Plus, I only gave myself five t-shirts, and I'm OVER THEM. GOD. But I'm going to stick it out. Imagine what everyone else is going through, who took the 33 things seriously! I at least have a little more padding. Although, I do confess that I had allowed myself three white button down shirts, and instead, I've worn the same one each week. Perhaps I should take the other two out and switch them for other things so I have more variety? Something to ponder...