still socking

I haven't posted on this blog for ages but I'm still knitting socks.
Last winter I even knitted for money! A lady at bridge admired  my socks and asked wistfully if I could knit her some. Not really wanting to I named a high price of $35. "Yes!" she said "I'd like five pairs!" "Could I have a pair too?" asked her friend. So there I was committed to knitting six pairs of socks. I had fun getting the yarn, as they both wanted cream, blue and brown to match what they usually wear and Regia yarn produced the perfect thing - Ozon in 75% wool and 25% nylon. Sadly it is discontinued and I had to scour England and the US to get enough.
I finished the six pairs in a month and then made a bonus pair with the left-overs.

Ozon by Regia

Then in October 2011 on our trip to Nova Scotia two more ladies on the bus requested socks which I was happy to do as I had extra cash to buy more yarn - so everywhere we went I sought out the yarn shops to see what goodies were on offer. October is a good time as they all had new shipments of very desirable yarn.

David now has 24 pairs but the green Maizy socks are wearing thin at the heels - and I don't do mending. Maizy too is discontinued which is a shame as David loves them for summer - not so hot and don't attract grass seeds. I bought tencel to see if they will be an acceptable substitute.

tencel socks

Kaffe Fassett's Exotic Easter

It's real winter now—cold and raining. Well, we can't have too much rain...

Astrid's Dutch Obsessions has sent me some more Kaffe Fassett wool, this time in Exotic Easter, pretty easter-egg colours for Alison.

Trekking Trinidad socks

My turn for some socks: I need them to go with my new purple jumper. I found this yarn on-line when I was googling to find out if Australians are allowed to take knitting on planes—because some Americans were chatting on Ravelry about what projects they take on planes. Strange, I thought, surely knitting needles are deemed a security risk... but knitchick has some hints at
http://acechick.typepad.com/knitchicks_features/knitting_on_planes/

Anyway the first Australian blog I visited said NO to knitting on planes so I read on and found a link to a wonderful source of sock yarn, Astrid's Dutch Obsessions in the Netherlands. I can't find this blog again but I like her idea that sock yarn doesn't count as stash so I ordered some too.

http://www.astridsdutchobsessions.com/scripts/default.asp

Astrid is very prompt with posting— I received the yarn in 7 days—and she doesn't charge an arm and a leg for posting.

Here it is: Trekking hand art 511 Trinidad 75% wool 25% polyamide and very soft. It came as a skein so this time we were very careful to wind the ball slowly.

Kaffe Fassett Landscape 'Fire' socks

My favourites so far! Easy to knit with well-behaved wool that doesn't split easily and gorgeous glowing colours!
Must get some more Kaffe Fassett wool.