It Begins with One Small Step

I've made a conscious decision to pare down my stash, but it's not going to happen overnight. In reality, it will take a while -- as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step. My first step has now been taken with the completion of these socks:

Pattern: cuff-down stockinette with true afterthought heels
Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Ridgetop Fingering (80% Romney, 20% Falkland) in Inspiration, 75 g/300 yds used
Needles: US 0 (2.0 mm) 40 in. Addi Sock Rockets, magic loop
Started/Completed: April 13/April 24

This yarn is the perfect example of yarn I didn't really need but bought on a whim. The colorway was one of two special colorways that Lisa created to celebrate her eighth anniversary of being in business, and when I saw it, I just had to have it. It was the perfect excuse to try out this new yarn base.

I really loved working with this yarn. It's very different from most sock yarns in that it's a more rustic blend and not superwash. Some might find it rough or scratchy, but my feet are not that particular, and it reminded me in some ways of some of the yarn I've spun from coarser fibers. I think it will wear well in the long run.

I don't normally do afterthought heels, but the striping sequence in this yarn is so long that it seemed like the right thing to do to preserve it. (That length of the sequence is also why I didn't bother trying to get the two socks to match each other but instead started each sock in the same spot in the general pattern, if that makes sense.) I did true afterthought heels, inserting my needles on either side of the row where the heel would be and then snipping the yarn right in the middle. I caught the yarn tails/wove them in as I knit the first round of the heel, and it feels a little tight around that round at the moment, but I think it will loosen up when I wash and wear the socks. Overall, I am pleased with these and think they'll be in regular rotation once it's sock season again.

With the leftovers, I've started crocheting a little bowl/basket that I'm going to try to felt to see how the yarn does with that. I figure it'll be a little thing I can keep on my nightstand to hold random stitch markers and such.

I'm also reducing the size of my stash a bit more dramatically by clearing out a sweater's quantity. Several years ago, I won these skeins of a Madelinetosh merino/alpaca DK. I still think they're beautiful, but as I haven't used them, I'm fine with letting them go.

These will be a prize for someone in the Mad May event in the Madelinetosh Lovers group on Ravelry. I hope they'll go to a new home where they'll be used!