Little things

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I took two days off work to knit. Here is the result of that decision.

Pattern: improvised (1x1 ribbed cuff, 3x1 ribbed leg, heel flap, stockinette foot)
Yarn: Trekking XXL, colorway 71
Needles: US size 000 (1.5 mm) DPNs

Yes, I knit them in three days, and yes, I really used size 000 needles. (Please don't throw your needles at me! But yarn? Yarn you can throw.) These are 64 stitch socks, and they will fit my five-year-old nephew. Why did I knit them at such a tight gauge? First of all, I'm a somewhat loose knitter. My standard sock needle is size 0 (2.00 mm), so going down two sizes wasn't that much of an adjustment. Second, Trekking XXL is a thin fingering weight, and I just didn't like the fabric I was getting with larger needles. And finally, I figured little boys are hard on their socks, so I wanted to give my nephew socks that had some hope of lasting until he grows out of them.

I am endlessly charmed by the random stripeyness of Trekking XXL. It reminds me of handspun yarn. And this colorway? Awesome. It looks almost black in low light, then brilliant blue in natural light.

When I was in Salt Lake at the end of October, my nephew was quite interested in the green socks I was knitting at the time. He told me that he would like to have them (despite the fact that they were men's size 10). In response to my raised eyebrow, he changed his mind and announced that he would like blue socks. Blue socks it is, then, and not a moment too soon. He has almost grown out of the socks I gave him last Christmas.

BTW, I used HiyaHiya stainless steel DPNs for this project. Initially I was worried that they wouldn't be slick enough for my liking, but they were great! And to my amazement, I didn't bend a single one.