"Sock"er practice

I finished my second blue stripety sock several days ago, but never got around to posting the finished pics of it. The socks are perhaps a little on the snug side, likely because I could have used a few more rows before beginning my toe shaping. To say I'm impatient would be putting it mildly. I do really like them, but I'm actually thinking I might send these to my sister, whom I miss very much. The socks are no where close to identical, but I think they still look great together.

Socks Off, Socks On...

Details of the pattern: Autumn Leaves from Socks, Socks, Socks reworked with my gauge (8 sts/inch) using Socks 101 from Knitty. I did do the slip stitch heel instead of the one listed in the destructions for Socks 101.
Needles: Susan Bates (or some other Jo-Ann brand) size 1 metal needles, which actually weren't as bad as I thought they'd be to knit with. From size 4 on up, they're too heavy for me to knit with.
Yarn: 100% cotton Crazy Cotton by Schachenmayr in color 87, 2 skeins and a smidge (long bunnie feet, ya know)

After a little S.E.X. at the LYS and the procurement of 5-packs of bamboo needles in sizes 0, 1, and 2, I quickly cast on for a toe-up sock following Indigirl's Universal Toe-Up Sock Worksheet.

The sock's intended recipient was to have been my oldest, but following an oversight in mathmatics (uh, yeah, reasons why I'm not an engineer. Careless with the Math.), the sock better fits my youngest. Here he is modeling the finished product.

How could you not love these wide feet?

He has some room to grow in it (which is good given his recent growth spurt), and because it's 100% cotton (not the best choice for socks, but when I bought the yarn, I did not know that.), it doesn't have a whole lot of give to it, so the extra room is good. I loved knitting this sock. The toe-up short-row design is clever, and I love Amy's worksheet and the possibilities for embellishment. Methinks some newborn socks are also in my future....more on that later.

My trip to the LYS resulted not only in new needles, but also new stash. I picked up 3 skeins of Katia Mississippi 3 print (60% cotton, 40% acrylic, a better choice for socks, I think) in a colorway that reminds me of rainbow sherbet. I may have two socks in the works at once...the second blue stripety for the little guy, and one for myself, as I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to cast on with the new sock yarn. I'm thinking of something with a little bit of lace or picot edging. I'm really coveting some other new sock yarn (Blue Moon colorways, how I love thee...) given how much I've been enjoying knitting socks, and in particular how much I like doing toe-up socks. I've been needing near-instant gratification, and socks seem to fit the bill lately. Gotta get my practice up for Sock Wars, you know. Got new people to meet and assassinate by socks.

Rainbow Sherbet...yum.