Uptown Boot Socks - Done!

Pattern: Uptown Boot Socks from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "gold hill"
Needles: US1 (2.25mm) Crystal Palace bamboo dpn's
Modifications: knitted 2" of the ribbing instead of 2.5", 5" of the leg instead of 8".

I don't think I would be using this yarn again anytime soon. The colors of Lorna's Laces are beautiful, but I just don't like the yarn quality. I prefer a soft merino or any of my favorite 4-ply yarns. This gold hill colorway is lovely and I'm happy to have knit something with it.

After knitting a few inches on the first sock, I was uncertain about my choice of using a variegated yarn. I wasn't sure if all those colors would hide the cable designs. I thought of changing the yarn but I'm happy I decided to keep going. I think it turned out pretty nice.

I'm looking forward to knitting some of the other beautiful designs in this wonderful new book. There's the Anniversary Socks (Nancy Bush), or the Waving Lace Socks (Evelyn A. Clark) that I'm thinking of starting next.

I'm thinking of using the merino 4-ply yarn that I bought during a recent trip to Hong Kong. It's in a beautiful deep olive shade very similar to the original. But it's difficult to let go of "souvenir yarn" if you know what I mean. Maybe I should just go to the yarn store tomorrow and see what I find...

I crave lace...

To satisfy my lace craving, I started on the "Trellis Scarf" from IK spring 2006, using Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in "sand".

This is something I need to be knitting anyway, I want this to be a gift for my favorite aunt, who's birthday is next month. I hope she'll like the color. I'm knitting as neatly as I can, she's an expert knitter, I want to show her how much I've learned over the years and that this is a craft I sincerely want to continually improve on.

I have 342 rows left before the scarf is complete. If I knit 15-16 rows per day for the next 22 days, I'll be done in early May and still have plenty of time for the package to ship overseas.

It's a beautiful design. I think the K7tog clusters are very pretty (worth the effort!).

New yarns, and a pretty cable sock

"Uptown Boot Socks" from Favorite Socks. I'm using Lorna's Laces in "gold hill".

I like the allover cable pattern, it's a pretty design. When the second one is done, this will be the first completed pair of socks in a long time. I've immediately cast on right after the first one. I'm determined to overcome second sock syndrome.

Meanwhile, the stash grows...

sock yarns, lace yarns and a book...

The Gossamer Webs Design Collection
Louet Gems Pearl "linen grey"
Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro "dark sage"
Knit Picks Shadow "vineyard heather"
Knit Picks Essential "fawn"
Knit Picks Gloss "dusk"

The Knit Picks Essential (bottom left on the photo above) is much prettier and softer than I expected, can't wait to try it out.

The Gossamer Webs Design Collection book reminded me about this lace shawl from the Interweave Knits Summer 2000 issue.

Orenburg Lace Triangle by Galina Khmeleva

I was so happy when I found a used copy. I originally wanted to make this in red (some Zephyr in the stash), but I want to look for something in off-white, just like traditional Orenburg shawls that are originally made in the natural colors of goat down.