January Socks, March Socks

I've just been up to my knees in socks lately. Finished another pair and started another pair yesterday, and who knows what's next?

Here's the finished pair - Phaedre, from the River Knits Sock Club. Phaedre is designed by River Knits' own Michelle Ogden, and inspired, I'm told, by my own Kauni Cardigan.


Michelle may have said something along the lines of "You know, I've been inspired by your sweater in progress, designed a pattern, knitted and published the pattern, and had other people knit the socks for sock club, and you still haven't finished the sweater!" But who'd want to talk about sweaters at Sock Club, right?

After all, we're getting together to show off socks. And I'm showing off mine. This is the part I like best - the stripes that run across the heel flap, through the gusset, and across the sole. Some people at sock club say you never show off the soles of your feet. I beg to differ - what else would you do when you have stripes?


The stripes were a huge pain in the neck, since it meant lots of carrying yarn through the blank rows of the pattern. But it was well worth it.

The Kureyon Sock is a funky yarn, but the finished socks fit surprisingly well. I'm not so sure that I'm excited enough that I'd do another pair of socks with this twisty kinky yarn, but I like the first pair quite a bit.

With these finished, I get to start another pair - Spring Forward, for the March/April Sock Club sock. Apparently Michelle has fallen in love with this pattern, and with the Dream in Color Smooshy yarn she used to make hers. I've been very good about limiting my yarn purchases lately, so rather than give into Smooshy temptation I'm using some Sockatta I got from Heather in a recent destashing. So far I've been happy with both yarn and pattern, and may have to go buy some more Sockotta (like this made-for-Laura colorway) on my own.


Finally, I have just a bit of a finished project (finally!). This snowflake ornament was a Christmas project, but trouble with blocking meant I haven't called it properly finished until now. I tried to block it with spray starch and an iron, and I don't think that was the best choice. But it's finished, and if I make more next year I'll worry about a new blocking method then. For now, I have another project finished, which helps my bind off/cast on ratio where it should be for a couple more rounds of Sock Madness. I'm eagerly waiting for the next one!