WIPW: 2011 Sock Plan Mid-Year Round Up

I started the year with an ambitious Bucket List, including a goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks in 2011.  It's now past the middle of the year and I've only just completed my 4th pair of socks.  (Okay, it's actually 3 and a half pairs, but I think that half counts!)   I'm not exactly keeping up with my goal.  But I am going to keep at it with a little help from my enablers friends.

The original idea behind the sock yarn plan, a la Yarn Harlot, is to focus on using yarn from the stash.  Somehow, it's not exactly working out that way for me .  Sock yarn seems to find it's way into my stash faster than I can knit it . . . not that I'm complaining!

1)   I recently purchased this beautiful yarn from Tami of Candy Skein.

Blueberry Cobbler sock yarn

I fell in love with her "Blueberry Cobbler" colorway.  She didn't have it in the fingering weight I wanted, so she took the trouble of custom dyeing it for me.  Even with the custom dyeing, the skein arrived in the mail quite promptly.  She provided great customer service and lovely yarn, don't you think?  This skein is already on it's way to becoming a pair of Halcyon Socks.

2)  At Stitches West, I picked up yarn for Susan Luni's Burning Stripes socks.  I'm even more excited about trying this pattern after knitting her Daylong Socks.  Especially because it will mean learning something new:  a "boomerang heel".  I'm not even sure what that it is but it sounds fun.

Mini Mochi

3)  I bought this skein in the colorway "Burnside Bridge" from the Portland, Oregon based hand-dyer Abstract Fibers.  I want to make something for my sister, who lives in Portland and drives over the Burnside Bridge on a regular basis.  Hmm, I wonder if she would prefer socks or a shawlette?  I have been looking for an excuse to make another pair of Monkey socks ever since Cookie A republished the pattern with more size options.

Abstract Fibers SuperSock in "Burnside Bridge"

4) Last year my friend Angie gave me this pretty skein that came all the way from Artist's Palette Yarns in Worcestershire, England.  She gifted me with a copy of the Carolina pattern as well, and I think the yarn and pattern are a great match.

Sweet Feet

5)  For the second year in a row, my knitting group (and Stitches West partners-in-crime) all purchased the same sock yarn for a sock KAL.  We ogled and fondled the yarn at the Miss Babs yarn booth for quite awhile before agreeing on some Windsor Sock Yarn.  I had almost decided to knit Cookie A's Marlene socks, but then I saw her new pattern Asymmetrical Cables.  I'm still undecided.  Opinions anyone?

Windsor Sock in "Clematis"

That's it for the next 5 pairs.  If I can get that far, I also have a few more patterns in my queue I would like to knit with my own hand dyed yarn.  Now, if only I could knit as fast as Yarn Harlot!

I'm off to view some other WIPs at Tami's Amis.  Hope to see you there!