Sock yarn forever

I love spinning fingering weight yarn, although I rarely spin with socks specifically in mind. My latest yarns, though, are all about socks.

A while back, my mom told me she would like some purple ankle socks. With the holidays and her December birthday quickly approaching, I realized I'd better get to it. Alas, I had no purple handspun that would fit the bill, so I picked something appropriate from the stash and got started.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
3 ply
880 yards total

Purple ankle socks—that's what Mom asked for—yet somehow I translated that request into nearly 900 yards of sock yarn. Hmm. I blame Crown Mountain Farms for selling their superwash merino in 8.5 oz. lots. The yarn spun up so nicely, I just couldn't stop at half the fiber.

I'm about halfway through knitting the socks, and not surprisingly, there's still a lot of yarn left. Mom might also get some coordinating mitts and/or a scarf to go with her socks.

I had such a great time spinning up the purple yarn that I pulled some more CMF out of the stash. This time I had no real purpose in mind; I just wanted to see how the crazy colors would look in 3 ply sock yarn.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Born to Be Wild"
3 ply
860 yards total

I was a little worried that spinning this yarn as 3 ply would muddy the bright colors too much, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results I got. It's true that the colors are probably less distinct than they would have been in 2 ply, but I'm utterly charmed by the 3 ply effect.

One of these skeins has already gone to a new home, but I'm not sure what I want to do with the other. The colors aren't really me. However, I suspect the yarn might appeal to one or both of my nieces.