The end of the frenzy

My holiday knitting is done. Finished. At an end. I just completed the quickest pair of adult size socks I've ever done. This was sock #1 early Saturday morning.

At this point I was wondering whether I could really pull it off. These socks are for my brother-in-law, the one who showed great appreciation for the scarf I knitted him last year, so I was determined to finish them in time. I knit pretty much all day on Saturday. Here's a progress shot taken around 8:00 Sunday morning.

At this point, I knew I could do it, and I wouldn't have to be frantically working on them on the plane on Monday. Here's the completed pair at 4:00 pm on Sunday.

That's one pair of socks in under 48 hours. Sometimes a deadline can be a good thing. I can't say I would want to do this again, though.

Pattern: improvised (2x2 ribbed cuff, 6x2 ribbed leg and instep)
Yarn: Ball and Skein sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon), "End of Winter"
Needles: U.S. size 0 (2.00 mm) DPNs

This was my first time knitting with Ball and Skein sock yarn, and all in all I'm quite pleased. This colorway is to die for. It's so multidimensional—really an outstanding dye job. The brown and gray tones make it supremely appropriate for a man, but I would love a pair of these socks for myself too. Dave made a pair out of this yarn several months ago. When I saw his socks, I thought to myself, "Hey, I have that yarn in my stash," and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

The yarn itself isn't terribly soft—it feels a bit like Trekking or Regia to me—but it's pleasantly woolly, and I'm sure it will be hard-wearing. My skein had two giant knots in it, though. Luckily, the knots were toward one end of the skein...the end of the skein that was left over after I finished this pair (great yardage!). The knots are probably a fluke. I do have more Ball and Skein in the stash, so I'll find out eventually.

There is one other holiday FO that I have not yet shown. This FO is for the Professor, and since he trolls this blog, it seems prudent to wait until after Christmas to post photos.

The Professor and I are heading to Boulder on Monday for a Rocky Mountain Christmas, so I probably won't post again for a week. Joy and peace to you all.