Topsy-turvy toes

So, a knitter walks into a Panera...

Nope, not the start of a joke, but rather what I did a couple of weeks ago -- I finally got around to attending a Knit Night at a local restaurant. I have really missed the camaraderie of a knitting group since moving and leaving my former knitting guild behind, but somehow never made it to the local S&B. It was a nice change to attend a purely social group, although the restaurant setting seemed a bit odd at first. I hope to be able to go again, but it's fairly far away, and with gas prices as they are...

In any event, the fun part of a knitting get together is seeing what everyone is working on. I noticed one knitter working on socks in a yarn I hadn't heard of before -- Rock Creek Yarn. The colors were fabulous, so naturally when I got home I did a little Internet search, which lead me to their Simply Sock yarn in the Koi Pond colorway.

When the yarn arrived, I noticed it has a bit less yardage than the sock yarns I've been using lately. Seemed like a sign that I needed to finally try a toe-up sock, to maximize yardage. I've shied away from that method in the past, figuring that my usual top down socks worked well, so why tamper with success? But a little change can be a good thing, so I started a pair of Fingering weight Toe-Up Gusset Heel Socks -- a free pattern available from Wendy Knits. Just click on the link at the top of her home page for a very nice selection of patterns.

So far they seem to be working out just fine. The true test of a good fit will come when I actually wear them, but I'm optimistic. And here's the heel:












I'm not always a big fan of color flashing and striping, but somehow it seems to work with this combination. Can't you just picture a koi swimming through the pond plants?