After 8+ years I am stepping outside my plain vanilla sock pattern. This is Nevis, a sock pattern I saw on Madame Dafarge Knits.
I cast on earlier this week with this yarn, Perfect Sock Yarn (self-striping) from Must Stash Yarns (currently unavailable).
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I am casting on these new socks in spite of having two (2!) pairs of socks already OTN. Both are the victim of user error.
The ones on the left are of a wool/cotton/nylon blend that turned out to be not nearly as stretchy as typical wool/nylon sock yarn. (Duh.) Even though it is 50% wool, the 25% - 35% cotton completely overcomes the wool's elasticity. The first sock was done past the heel when I decided that I really needed to make it bigger, 66 st instead of my usual 60, if I ever planned to actually put the socks onto my feet. First sock now done, second done toe to heel. This is my take-along project.
The ones on the right are another double-stranded pair, this time a tweaked version of my usual plain vanilla pattern. The gray is one strand each of two gray yarns, one tweedy (unknown yarn, label gone, probably Regia of some kind) and the other tonal (Regia Jeans Color). The stripes are two rows each of various Lang, Universal, and Trekking sock yarn solids. My innovation, besides the stripes, is the striped afterthought heel, of which I am inordinately proud. The user error in this pair was that I forgot to switch from the US#1.5 needle to the US#4 when I got past the ankle on the first sock; as a result the leg was too tight for comfort. Second sock is done, first sock's leg is frogged and reknit to the third stripe. These have been my TV knitting.
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Other WIPs -- all sleeping comatose -- include a Color Affection shawl, a Fairfield sweater, two other pairs of socks that I got stalled on somewhere near the ankle, that hat that I need to frog and reknit, and a child's sweater that has been in time out since 2007. We shall not speak of these projects at this time.