The Warmth Continues

First I have to thank you for all your compliments on my February Lady Sweater. I am really so, so pleased with how it came out, and it's really almost torture to have to wait a couple months until it's cool enough to wear it comfortably.

Lest you think I've finished one cooler weather item in favor of more seasonable knitting, I present to you my most recent finished project (with apologies for the poor photography):

Pattern: Uptown Boot Socks by Jennifer L. Appleby (winter 2003 Interweave Knits, republished in Favorite Socks)
Yarn: Zitron Trekking Pro Natura (75% superwash wool, 25% bamboo), color 1604, one skein
Needles: two 12" US 1 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: July 3/July 14
Mods: I substituted my own heel and toe, and I reversed the direction of the cables on the second sock for mirrored spirals

I had mixed feelings about this yarn. On the one hand, I really like the sheen the bamboo gives it, and I loved the subtle almost-striping color effect. The yardage in a skein is also very generous; I had plenty left over to make some baby socks.

However, actually knitting with the yarn wasn't entirely an enjoyable experience. It felt rather twine-like and lacked the elasticity of an all-wool yarn. This was especially apparent when working the cables on these socks. I was able to complete the first sock without a cable needle, but for some reason I couldn't manage to work the maneuver on the second sock, when the cables were going the opposite direction. The bamboo content that creates such a shiny finish also was rather frustrating, as it wasn't evenly spun in with the wool; I pulled more than a few slubs of bamboo fiber out as I was knitting, and if you look closely, you can see a few more that made their way into the knitted fabric. Finally, this stuff shed like you wouldn't believe -- I expect to get up covered in fiber when spinning, but not when knitting!

So, all in all, not the best experience, but a nice finished project. And these used stash yarn as well!

Now I've moved on to some long-term planning projects, specifically holiday gift socks. I started a pair of socks for my dad this morning with some deep stash yarn -- and we're talking deep. It came in my first sock yarn order from Knit Picks more than two years ago! It was so buried in my stash that I never even photographed it and put in my Ravelry stash!