Retro Rib socks

These socks brought me the happy realisation that I can actually enjoy knitting socks - just not on my daily train commute.

I never minded knitting socks but they just didn't give me that certain frisson of excitement that, say, a scarf or a sleeve or a jumper gives me. I have to admit I never really understood what all the fuss was about. But in an effort to avoid Second Sock Syndrome, I cast on the second sock of this pair one evening at home and before I knew it, most of the leg was done - in the one session! This was a complete shock. Up till then, I'd knitted socks in 10-minute spurts a few times a week when sitting on the train, only when the current book-in-progress wasn't winning the battle with the knitting for my attentions. Of course I had to carry the sock-in-progress around with me everywhere just in case I felt like working on it - which only made me resent the sock and its occupation of valuable space in the bottom of the handbag.


So I have turned over a new leaf and will no longer be commute knitting. I feel so liberated, I can't even tell you.

My new-found joy for socks has even led to a bit of a splurge on sock yarn! Yes, I bought some yarn! Jac was putting together a shipment of Opal from some European place (I glossed over the details, I admit) so I signed up for five 100g balls. That's a lot of socks. Shipping is by surface so it will take three months. In the meantime, I'm looking at my winnings from Dave and trying to decide which to use first and what pattern. I'm thinking the Sundara and Monkey - what do you reckon?

OK OK, now, here are some project details since I got into terrible strife with certain well-organised people for not including them with other projects in the past.

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A Clark in Interweave Knits Winter 2004
Yarn: 2 skeins of Wildfoote in the 'Jungle' colour which I received in a swap from the lovely Donna at a tea party which we really all must do again one day soon.
Needles: 2.5 mm addis
Start and finish dates: Nup, still not that organised!

And now for something completely different - Claudine tagged me for a 'five favourite blogs' meme. And since it is impossible to choose five favourites I thought I'd link to five new-to-me blogs that I've been enjoying lately!

• Jen sure manages to get a lot of lovely knitting done After Eight!
• The Krafty Kuka telling it like it is in Canberra!
• On the aptly-named Who Needs Gauge blog, Steph makes beautiful knits which double as witty tour guides!
• Jackie at Ply and Burl is bi-lingual - she speaks knitting AND math! (check out her stashquation which made her famous!)
• Another Jacqui (careful on the spelling), a.k.a. The Purler has just finished a gorgeous cardigan in ten days, proving her nom de plume is dead-on!

Please go clickey-clickey and check out some new blogs! And if you have been secretly adding blogs to your blogroll, why not share a few names with the rest of us?!

Up next: a finished Hourglass Sweater...if only it would dry. It's been blocking since last Monday...