I actually got home yesterday but was too tired to do more than download the pictures from my camera (I took almost 400!) and grab a shower (4 am is too early to shower). My trip was great. I met a lot of my Dad's side of the family that I hadn't really known before and saw lots of cousins I only remembered as toddlers. I'll be going through all those pictures and pulling out some for a post soon (probably on the weekend) but for now you can see my new socks hanging out in the Vancouver Airport: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Firecracker knit up as My Heart Beets 4U by Anne Hanson (Rockin' Sock Club, July/August 2010). They'll get a proper post of their own once I've got some good pictures (all the others I took in the airport are very blurry); they were my first try at knitting in a moving car.

Guess what came in the mail today? July's Rockin' Sock Club package and it's such a good one. Ready for some coloured goodness? Read on ...



Not one but two skeins of delicious yarn!


The first one is the club colourway: Firecracker. This month is a lightweight and full of orangy reds, purples and all those lovely deep colours in between. There is a little section of rich, jewel toned fuchsia that I just love. The inside of my ball band says "Captain Kidd Flashlight".


The second skein is a random colour of Blue Moon Sock Candy. A yarn I've been wanting to try (I've actually got two skeins already for another project - it just hasn't gone very far yet). My skein is in the colour "Sunlight". I think it looks really good next to all the deep purples in Firecracker.


Tina's notes are all about summer and gardening and eating beets and generally feeling rooted in the earth, ourselves and our knitting. She also makes a nice discussion of contrast and stepping outside one's colour comfort zone. Oh ... and she talks about heels ... beautiful, sexy, fantastic sock heels. I love a sock with a nice heel (it was one of the deciding factors on my knitting Flabella) and both this months patterns have truly fantastic heels.


Pattern number 1 is Dusty Corners by Linda Welch and the heel on this sock caught me right away. It's so elegant and flows beautifully out of the leg pattern.


Pattern number 2 is My Heart Beets for You by Ann Hanson. I love the delicate pattern flowing down the leg and across the foot. I like both patterns this time around but I think this is the one I will knit first. It's organic and delicate but not at all fussy.


Oh ... and the heel ...


... a beet. Perfectly placed to hide out in the back of your shoe. An earthy little secret just for you. These would be fun socks to wear with clogs (I really should own some clogs) so you could show off your beets.

But wait! There's more!


An extra pattern (from a few years back) to go with the Sock Candy. If I can scare up another set of needles I'm going to knit these up as soon as I can. I'm still breaking in the new flip-flops I got last year and a pair of these little things will prevent my sandals from wearing holes in the sides of my feet while the leather softens up.

And lets finish off with a gratuitous picture of the super cute mini skein. It give me a nice idea how the colours will mix when knit up.

Pattern: Swing-Set by A. Karen Alfke from Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club May/June 2010
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in "Sweet Pea"
Size: Booties
Yardage: about a quarter of the skein
Needles: 2.00 mm dpns


So cute!

I made these for a co-worker and his wife who were expecting last month and got them delivered just in time. They worked up really quickly and I just can't believe how cute they are. The seem kind of big for a new born to me but babies grow so quickly that's probably just as well. This pattern gives you lots of practice doing kitchener stitch - it shows up in the cuff and again at the toe of the sock.

I love the look of the yarn. It's just as soft on the eyes as it is on the hand - perfect for a baby, especially a little girl. The lacy cuff and eyelets down the side of the foot are just enough fanciness for a sock that's still reasonably practical (not that that's a big issue for someone who's goal will be to try and stick her toes in her mouth).

And the best part ... I should have enough yarn leftover to knit a grown-up sized pair for me!


p.s. The cuff makes a great crown for the cat sleeping on your desk.