Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Favorite-favorite.

I love socks. They are, hands down, no contest, my favorite thing to knit. I love how portable they are, I love wearing hand made socks, and giving them away, I love the warm woolliness of them, I love trying out new stitch patterns, I love that I don't even need a pattern to knit them, I love that--tricky stitch patterns and grafting excepted--my hands seem to know just what to do and I can allow a portion of my attention to wander freely while still being productive and knitterly.

So, yes. Socks are a favorite. Another favorite? Cables. I love cables. I never use a cable needle, and I can't follow a pattern. I just have to look at the cable and copy it myself (it's a combination of the way I taught myself to knit, and my own learning/reading style--don't ask) but I love to deconstruct them, and do cables my own way. I have a favorite cable, which I've never really seen a name for, but it's shown below, so call it whatever you like.

That's why these socks are not just my favorite. They're my favorite-favorite.


I loved knitting them, I love the heavy Debbie Bliss merino DK, which is great for a heavier late-fall dress sock. I also am thrilled to death that I used up the entire amount of both skeins--I seriously cut about 4" of yarn off the first sock after I was done grafting and weaving in the ends. You can't cut it any closer than that.


Here's the thing, though: I cut it so close with the yarn-yardage (yarnage?) the socks are a wee bit too small. At first I was a little upset when I found this out. But then I realized my most-favorite thing about these socks.

I didn't make them too small for me. I made them just right for someone else. Someone who will get them for Christmas. Thus I have for you my first finished object for the Christmas giving season.

And you can't get much better than that.

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