Christmas Socks

I like knitting. I like holidays.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. And socks are my favorite thing to knit.

It would seem that these two things should go together well. But for me, for some reason, they don't.

Since I started knitting socks, I thought it would be fun to have a pair of Christmas Socks. Something festive, something Christmas-colored, something that would keep me warm and cheerful. I have a Christmas Hat that I really like, so I've wanted to have Christmas Socks that would be equally fun.

Once, long ago, I thought I'd buy some Socks that Rock yarn, and use it for a Christmas project. But I discovered I didn't like the way the colors striped, so I talked myself out of what probably would have been a very expensive yarn-buying spree.

Then, two years ago in Oldenburg, I found some yarn I'd wanted for a long time. I'd been eying a single skein of this Regia Silk in River Knits, but the second ball that I'd need for a pair of socks never came in. So when I spied it through a shop window, I dragged Aaron into the yarn store I'd thought we could safely bypass, carried on a conversation in which I understood only two words - "seide" and "gut" - and came triumphantly home with my new yarn to discover that Elizabeth had restocked. But that didn't matter - I had my silk, and thought it would be a lovely yarn for wintertime party socks.

And it is, to some extent. The silk makes a nice, soft, yarn, and I adore the silver-and-gold colors. I used the "Feather and Fan" pattern from Socks Socks Socks, and thought it worked wonderfully with this yarn. But they weren't quite the perfect Christmas socks. They just aren't Christmasy enough, and aren't warm enough to wear for tromping through the snow.

Last year I asked for Christmas recommendations, and Elizabeth suggested this yarn, which had fortuitously just arrived at River Knits. It's Panda Wool, in a mostly red-and-green "Nightshade" colorway. After some false starts, I finished these Christmas socks - just a little bit late for Christmas.

But they're still not the perfect Christmas Socks. The colorway looked a lot more Christmasy in the ball than it did in the finished sock. Worse, the fiber content of the yarn means that it's not very warm - it gets cold and soggy with the least amount of slush. So they're not great winter socks for someone who lives in Birkenstocks.

This year, I'm trying again. Thanks to Michelle, I have some fun new yarn that should be just perfect for Christmas. Thanks to Ravelry, I found a great pattern - the retro-looking Mystery Socks from Through the Loops. And thanks to Aaron, I was able to knit my way through yesterday's drive home, so I've already finished the cuff of the sock I cast on Thanksgiving Day. Will this be the year of the Perfect Christmas Socks? We'll all know in 25 days!