Twofer

Tonight, for your reading pleasure, you get two finished objects for the price of one! First up, literally just off the needles (and therefore not yet blocked), J's wild and crazy technicolor dreamsocks (with all apologies to Andrew Lloyd Webber):

He'll look handsome, he'll look smart,
He'll be a walking work of art,
In his dazzling socks of many colors,
How he'll love his socks of many colors!*

Pattern: 2x2 rib leg, slip stitch heel, stockinette foot, and wedge toe, worked over 72 sts.
Yarn: ONline Supersocke Cotton Beach Color (45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, 15% nylon), color 942, one 100 g skein, purchased at Knit One
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) 12" Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: April 2/April 12
Recipient: He of the Gray and Black Socks

Can you believe J would have picked such a bright colorway? But it's true -- I had no say in the selection of this particular skein of yarn. I found the yarn in a box (that's right, it wasn't even unpacked and on the shelves yet!), but the colorway I picked out was shades of blues and tans and browns. Much more mellow. But the manager, ever the enthusiastic yarn-pusher, insisted that J look through the colorways and even take the unopened bags of yarn outside to look at them in natural light before making a selection. And this is what he settled on. Needless to say, they're a bit baggy on me, but you've seen that they fit J perfectly.

Although I followed my basic sock pattern for these, I enlarged them to 72 sts to account for the cotton content of the yarn (i.e., it's not as stretchy as wool, and it may shrink a bit in the wash). I did notice a definite difference knitting with cotton as opposed to wool, but the yarn itself is soft and comfortable. There's another skein of similar fiber content that was purchased at the same time that's in a more J-friendly shade that is more likely to become part of J's regular wardrobe; these are a bit loud for him and are likely to be house socks only. With me in my Inside Out socks, won't we be a fashionable pair?

Finally, I can also show you these, which have been finished for a little bit but were awaiting their delivery to their recipient:

Pattern: Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon), colorway Gulfstream, two skeins
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) 12" Addi Turbo circs
Mods: Shorted the cuff to 10 rows of ribbing (pattern calls for 20 rows)
Recipient: Becky, who was my Sockret Pal spoiler

Becky had been so kind to me throughout the Sockret Pal swap period that I knew I wanted to send her a pair of socks as a thank-you. Of course, I didn't know who she was or how long her foot was, so I knit these through the gussets and then let them sit until she revealed her identity. Then I was able to do the last bit of detective work to find her measurements, finish the socks, and send them off. She received them in the last day or two; she told me she was wearing the socks that moment, so I can only assume they fit!

I don't know if I've gotten this pattern out of my system for good, as I know I will inevitably come back to it. But now I am ready to move on to some other Nancy Bush patterns so I can use up the copious amounts of sock yarn in the stash. Up next, however, is a pair of basic socks in the Greenwood Fiberworks cotton/lycra sock yarn to replace my beloved Mata Haris. And I think I may start a sweater for the car trip to Cleveland -- can you hear the siren call of the yarn for Forecast from within the stash?

*Yes, I do know all the lyrics to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. You got a problem with that?