Right, well. I’m having doubts that the Combat Boot socks will actually fit my husband. However, I am holding back on frogging (a second time) because he says his socks do not actually fit him skin tight, so some loose spots are not a bad thing. I guess 80 stitches on US 1’s should in theory work for a guy, right? Ok, yeah, so my socks tend to be on the fitted side, but at the same time I wear through the commercial ones pretty quickly, while he doesn’t, so maybe there is something to that. I haven’t personally tested this theory yet as I am unable to easily locate commercial socks that will fit me loosely without resorting to wearing men’s socks; and men’s socks are just too wide. Yay for having ski’s for feet. Not really, but we’ll pretend anyway, k?

Hand Knit Socks Vs. The Washer, The Dyer and Jeans.

So that’s what’s new in the sock knitting world. In the Socks-That-Have-Been-Knit world, the Fireworks Socks are being put through their paces. All day wear, walking on pavement, rug, with sneakers, taking them off and putting them back on… the works. Which is then followed by a run through the washer and dryer with a full load of other clothes, on warm/hot.

Don’t look at me like that. The yarn is a merino superwash with bamboo and nylon - all of which should stand up to this kind of abuse. And you know what?

They come out of the dryer looking better than when I cast off. The shape is perfect, the bounce/memory is perfect, the stitches look great, the pattern holds… and the colors I swear look BETTER after each wash. I think they are mellowing out just a tiny bit, which is letting the bamboo shine a bit more. Best of all, the damn socks keep getting softer and have the faintest halo - like a t-shirt would - but no pilling. I think they’ve been through the washer and dryer (with jeans) at least four times, possibly closer to six times. I’m duly impressed, and quite pleased with my yarn.

(Please pardon the temporary preening and bragging.

In other news, not much. I’m talking myself up to honestly redoing the web site for real, since I now have the design on this computer and the necessary software installed now too. (This computer has serious issues installing software, I swear. Not a bright crayon.) I think I can do it if I lower my standards a bit, and settle for just being web browser compatible, and not worrying about being mobile device and screen reader compatible yet. I have no intention of lowering my web standards to the point of IE’s - which is the CSS standards equivalent of a round peg in a square hole; it fits, but is four corners short of actually filling the hole. Granted, I couldn’t design a browser personally, so I guess I should shut it and stick to my amateur-design web sites.

One of these days I will get a few patterns to the “Hey, who wants to test some sock patterns?!” point, but until then I’ll be knitting whenever my hands have the time to grab the needles and yarn between everything else that needs doing. Unfortunately, since the Yarn Babies are back, that time is minimal. Chasing small kids with sharp, pointy sticks isn’t exactly advisable. Or at least a really bad example; it always starts with small DPN’s. Next thing you know, they’ll be running with scissors!

May Monday be kind and generous, and may your dropped stitches always be found before you finish the row!

Note: Wikipedia)