Happy Valentine's Day  :)

Hopefully most members of the 2011 Rockin' Sock Club have received their kits by now but if you haven't, and you don't want it to be spoiled, here is a picture of Abby on her new favourite perch.

Yes, it's the scratching post. Abby has discovered that she can get there from the armchair. It's the sunniest spot in the house right now and offers unrivalled views of anyone coming or going on our street. Something that is especially important when either of us is out and she needs to watch to make sure we get home safely again. She's looking pathetic for the picture because she's dropped Alphonso (her stuffy) on the floor and is waiting for me to pick him up again.

WARNING: Spoilers start below.

Here is January's kit in all it's wonderfulness.

Let's talk about the yarn first. It's mediumweight this time - for warm, squashy, winter socks. Here's another picture so you can see that orangy colour better.

Does the skein look a bit fat to you? Me too. That's because it's actually two skeins!

One is deep purple (Aubergenius) and the other is multi coloured (Pinky Swear). I love the colours in Pinky Swear. I discovered a delicious patch of orange-becoming-green when I took the ball band off*. You can just see the beginnings of it above the ball band in that picture. Beautiful olive tones. So yummy.

Tina's Dyers Notes were fantastic, as always. For almost two weeks before the kits were mailed she was giving out hints on the club blog and the only thing everyone agreed on was that whatever we were getting it involved friendship. In her notes Tina explains just how deep, and long running, this theme really is. One of the patterns dates all the way back to Sock Summit in 2009.

From the theme and the skeins you may have already guessed that the patterns for this kit are both colourwork. I'm so excited about them and can't quite make up my mind which I want to knit first (or how long I'm going to be willing to wait before I order yarn to knit the second). I'm leaning (slightly) in favour of Distelfink. I love the contrast coloured, picot cuff and stripy heels and toes. I'm going to have to do some swatching to find the right needle size though; I don't think guessing is going to work very well for me this time.

Here's one last shot of the remaining goodies from my kit.

I'll need to get a new binder for this year; hopefully my "We Will Sock You" sticker will fit on the spine. I'll have to try and get the Notorious Sock Knitter pin onto my winter coat. It will be a useful identifier if I meet any other NSKs around town (I know for sure there is at least one). And of course there are mini skeins. The cuteness of those tiny skeins of emergency sock yarn makes me giggle every time. I don't think I could ever use one. I wonder how many mini skeins it would take to equal one regular skein of sock yarn. Wouldn't a pair of socks made out of several years worth of mini skeins be awesome (Oh ... but think of all the ends).

* The secret message inside my ball band is "Wayne & Garth".

The sun was pouring into our house this afternoon and while I ate lunch I tried to decide what I wanted to work on while it was here: sewing? knitting? quilting? my remaining December Daily pages? ... I eventually settled on knitting, because I could sit in the sunniest room in the house to do it, and my Swing Set socks.

I got all settled in my armchair with a cup of tea nearby and a blanket on my lap. Abby came to join me.* My goal was to get half way through the foot of my second sock but the living room was so pleasant and sunny and I got into such a nice rhythm that by the time the last spots of sunshine had left the room I was ready to kitchener the toe.

I did have to get up and look around to find my darning needle but it doesn't take long to graft a pair of toes and hide the corresponding ends.

And the best part ... I've got yarn leftover.

I was almost sure I was going to run out of yarn when I started these socks, since I'd already knit a pair of booties from this skein but I think I've probably got enough leftover for a second pair of booties (or plenty of darning). I'll take some proper on-my-feet pictures and do a project wrap-up tomorrow when I can take advantage of the sun again.

*Abby didn't actually stay on my lap all afternoon. She was just there every time I got out the camera.