Sock It To Me*:

Back at the tail-end of April I joined the Pair A Month Challenge. Luckily I 1) had a pair of socks pretty much done to hit the April deadline and 2) didn't even notice the date when I joined or I probably wouldn't have . . . joined, that is.

So, I hit my April mark.



Those delectable Lisa Sousa Decadent Socks(1). All mine!

Then, before I knew it, I hit my May mark.



These were made with Jollyewe's (or if you're not on ravelry, then it's Jollyewe here) sock yarn in the "Oceano" colorway(2). The Mike kind of (before I knew it) offered these socks to his mom as a Mother's Day present . . . while I had barely finished the first one and ON Mother's Day. Luckily, my MIL is the one that would graciously accept an anigarumi (sp?) pile of poo and gush over how 'cute' and 'special' it was. She's just nice like that. She also would be just as excited to get a hand-knit "Mother's Day" gift three weeks after Mother's Day and never say a word to the negative. There's really no other relative that would be as appreciative as her, so it didn't hurt to pass them along.

At this point, it was mid-May when I handed those off, so I immediately cast-on for another pair.

I love knitting socks SO MUCH. My third pair was also given away by The Mike, and this time he gave me less than a week to make the second sock! It was kitchenered in a fevered frenzy Sunday mid-morning and was driven to Pismo Beach and the intended recipient Sunday night. Sorry - pictures taken but they're still in the camera. It was Tess' Yarns - sock yarn - in a beautiful mocha/chocolate/hint-of-burnt-sienna colorway. Purchased at Stitches West. This pair went to (get this!) my brother-in-law's girlfriend of two years even though he's still married to my about-to-be-ex-sister-in-law . . . got all that? Despite all the weirdness going on there, this chick is cut from the same mold as my MIL. Sweet as all get-out and completely cognizant of what a hand-knit means. She's the only one that not only sent us a Thank You for her Christmas gift this year, but expressly made it a point to relay her appreciation of something handmade. The time it takes to do it. Sweet. We hand-makers love moments like that.

Although I've knocked out three pairs of socks (all kitchenered I might add!) in about a month and a week-ish, those people that churn out 52 pairs a year? Holy Cats that's just unbelievable! Honestly, I think I've only been this prolific for two specific reasons: I knit 'vanilla' socks. No real pattern. Mike being away has freed up SO MANY freak'n hours every evening!

All this free-style, no-pattern sock knitting has helped me figure out how to knit what *I* like in a sock.

(1) Decadent yarn is wonderful to knit with, but it's really not practical to wear. They're already pilling.

(2) Short cuffs and heels are not for me.

(3) Negative ease (thank you Suzanne for the lesson!) is not comfortable.

My perfect sock:

Two inch mid-tight cuff (2x2 ribbing)
Loose and scrunchy leg for 4 inches
Loooong heel
Decreased stitches after the gusset pick-up.
Ribbed knitting between bottom of heel and ball of foot
Kitchenered toe

My fourth sock has been started, with Hazel Knits' beautiful yarn. If you recall, this yarn was purchased when Suzanne and I went to Stitches West . . . and STILL hit up an off-site yarn store! I'm so glad we did though. Hazel Knits had some beautiful stuff and Bobbin's Nest was very nice. At this pace, I should have a sock off the needles by the weekend. Just don't notice that I haven't started back in on my Pinwheel Sweater (two sleeves and that baby is done) or my Fair-entry lace project (about six rows in so far) or . . . the basquillion things I've queued on ravelry. Socks Rock and that's all I have to say about that!

*I know - bad blog title. I'm too busy knitting socks to come up with anything more clever.