Sock Update

I believe I have neglected to share this pair of socks, which was completed just after our Christmas trip. These are Hermione’s Everyday Socks, a free pattern that is very close to being plain stockinette except for 25% purl stitches on half of the rounds. Those purl bumps create the most pleasant, pebble-y texture. I will use this pattern stitch again!

I worked an eye-of-partridge heel flap (these are top down, btw) and made the cuffs plenty long. The yarn is String Theory Hand-Dyed Caper Sock in color “Didgeridoo.” It’s a luxurious 80/10/10 superwash merino/cashmere/nylon blend that I got at Sock Summit 2009.

I feel like I should re-shoot these. Even though I took those pictures at mid-day, the light was wan and thin. And it was COLD (well below freezing) – I tried to crop out my goosebumps!

I immediately cast on another simple sock to work on at the office. It uses the seeded rib pattern you see in Simple Skyp Socks (another free pattern). I’m just using my own heel and toe, though. I hardly even look at those on other patterns anymore. Boy 1 is always growing out of his handknit socks and wanted another pair. He picked this redwood brown color called “Browncoat” by Huckleberry Knits, which I got at Sock Summit 2011. It is 80/20 BFL/nylon.

And then, even though I am working pretty hard to knit from stash, I bought a skein of sock yarn. It was on sale after Christmas and I called it a Christmas gift (hey, my MIL gave me cash!). I’ve had my eye on this yarn since it came out. American B.R.A.N.D. comes from HiKoo/Skacel and this is how they describe it:

Meet American B.R.A.N.D., a fingering weight wool, made with pride in the United States from start to finish. The process begins at Skacel with extensive design, development and testing. Wool is sourced from Rambouillet flocks that graze in pastures from Montana to Texas. The yarn is spun in Pennsylvania and dyed in North Carolina. Amazingly, the gorgeous palette comes from using only natural materials, including indigo, cochineal, gall nuts, pomegranate, cutch, walnuts, madder root, weld flowers and rhubarb root. HiKoo® American B.R.A.N.D. is an all-American yarn: Born, Raised And Naturally Dyed.

My kind of yarn, right? The colorways are all named after national parks, too. While my eye was drawn to Biscayne (blue) and Olympic (green), I finally decided on Yellowstone, perhaps for obvious reasons. It is truly well named – this color is a brownish yellow, or maybe a yellowish brown. See how well it looks with my beloved Resources and Issues Handbook (if you enjoy Yellowstone National Park, you might enjoy my review of this book on goodreads)? These will become socks for S1 at some point.

After I manage some more photography, I will have a sweater update for you, too. I’m working on TWO sweaters at the moment – very unusual for me!