Sitting outside to knit in the afternoon. The second sock ready to bind off but the needle and scissors are inside.

There's been a lack of crafting news on here lately. I thought I should fix that. We're still in moderate chaos from the move but that just makes knitting the perfect project. This is the sock I'm working on for Rob (pictured atop the Rock Band drum set - it's been a fun week). The yarn is Stormy from Tanis Fiber Arts (80% superwash merino/20% nylon) and every time I work on this sock I love it even more. It feels lovely and soft but with a hint of strength from the nylon that lets me know these socks will last well. I love the colour too. There is plenty of variation but no stripes or pools. Rob helped me pick it out; it's so nice to find fun hand-painted sock yarn that comes in colours my husband can wear to work. There are lots of other beautiful colours too; I'll have to get some more for both of us.

This sock has been travelling around with me for the past few weeks as just the right thing for those little in between moments in the coffee shop after work or after a bunch of organizing and before bed. I wanted to do something other than plain stocking stitch but didn't want to fiddle with a bunch of math so I'm doing some creative ribbing across the top of the foot (P1, K2, P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, K4, P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, K2, P1 - just in case you're interested). It fits the stitch count perfectly and looks a little more interesting than a regular 2 x 2 rib. I'll do the same thing around the back for the leg and then switch to a 1 x 1 rib for the cuff to give it a nice finished look.

Just a note: If, like me, you carry all your sock tools around in the same bag as your yarn, make sure your scissors are the kind that fold up and stay shut or else keep them in a separate compartment. It will save you from having to weave in quite so many ends.

Pattern: Toe-up variation of Donyales by Black Dog Knits
Yarn: Oceanwind Knits, fingering in Rainforest
Size: 60 stitches around (to fit my feet)
Yardage: 2 skeins, roughly 300 yards
Needles: 2 mm, 5" rosewood

After much procrastinating I am finally finished my socks (err. well actually, after I finished taking my pictures and walking around in them for most of the evening I discovered that there were some ends that hadn't been woven in yet). The pattern was quick to memorize (there are only three different rows and you do one of them twice) and made it seem like my socks were going even faster than usual; I think this is because I was counting repeats instead of rounds. The ribbing makes them nice and snug. My only regret is not making them a bit taller. I got more sock out of the end of the first skein than I expected and have way more left over than I am likely to need for darning later on.

In other news, things are going to get very exciting, and hectic, around here very soon. After looking for over a year we have finally found a house we both like and can afford and will be moving in near the end of June. I apologize right now for any overly sporadic blogging that occurs while we're getting ourselves settled and sorted out. We are very excited (and moderately terrified) about this change. I am especially looking forward to having a yard and doing some gardening - I have long dreamed of having a strawberry pot just outside our door where we can grab a few ripe berries for breakfast.