I really, really thought I was going to have a finished sweater to show you today. I finished seaming Burrard last Thursday, before we went camping, and that just left the button bands and collar to do this week and I really, really thought that was a realistic goal. And then, well, this week rolled around and it was a day short (because we didn’t get home from camping until Monday night) and then I had long days because I was filling in for a special section at work, and before I knew it it was this morning and I’d spent about three and a half hours with Burrard and, well, yeah.

It’s not so bad, really. I’m four rows into the button band, which means I’m one row away from putting in the button holes, and since I’ve already more or less mapped out where they’re going to go, that’s a snap. And that means I’m only two rows away from starting the short-row shawl collar, and once that’s done I’m only a few rows from binding off, and then it’s just weaving in ends and I’m done. Practically nothing! Except my sister is coming to visit this weekend, and the weather looks good, so we probably won’t sit around the house talking while I knit like a maniac. But by the next week? Yeah, by then I should have a finished sweater to show you.

In the meantime, how about some finished socks? These were my everywhere socks. I carried the first one with me around Boston and grafted the toe shut on the plane on the way home. The second sock took longer, but I every night on the way home from work for the last couple of weeks I’ve knit a couple of rows (including a few while camping), and wouldn’t you know it, they all added up and now I have a finished pair. This is the kind of stealth knitting that surprises even me. All that time, feeling like I wasn’t making any progress and then all of a sudden I was dividing for the heel and then, before I knew it, decreasing for the toe. It wasn’t fast, but it was exactly what I needed.

I am a big fan of this pattern (Simple Skyp Socks, which has been knit by everyone I think) and this yarn (Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock) and I suspect to see both in my near future. If you, like me, are late to the Skyp Socks party, I say don’t wait. They’re addicting in the way that patterned socks can be, but also mindless enough that you can pick them up and put them down and not worry about wondering where you are when you get back to them. They’re perfect for social – or transit – knitting, and the pattern includes a range of sizes. Even better? They don’t gobble up much yarn. I have size 9 feet, and knit the leg longer than normal, and still had 32 g left over.

Holiday knitting is right around the corner, so I might not finish another pair of socks for myself for a little while, which makes these even sweeter. They’re the first cashmere blend socks I’ve knit for myself, and even if it takes a few months for a repeat performance, at least I know my feet will be cozy and warm in the interim.

Details
Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku
Yarn: Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Admiral Benbow
Needle: 2.5mm
Mods: None, really. I forgot to knit a purl row after the ribbing, so I left it off the second sock too. The only other tweak I made was when dividing for the heel I arranged my stitches so the instep would be symmetrical, with one purl stitch on each side. Otherwise I just knit as the pattern directed me to. Ravelled here.