Done! New Year's Socks

Yipee! I finished them last night. Knitting frantically before bed time because I was so very close to being done.

Project Recap
These are out of Madelintosh Glazed Sock yarn. Oh my goodness, this yarn is so lovely. It is 100 wool but feels very silky soft, as opposed to some sock yarns that are a little, oh, stiff or something until you wash them the first time.
Needles US2
I did a cable cross every 9th row in honor of 2009 and to represent the curves life can throw at you, but I also did a princess sole for a little comfort in dealing with those curves.
For my itty, bitty feet, the socks used 60 grams of yarn and I have 55 grams left over. Which makes me think I could get another pair of vanilla socks out of this if I go toe-up and keep in mind they might be a twinge shorter than I usually make! (The ball band has yardage listed but not weight.)

Speaking of the Sole
It's called a "princess sole" as, I believe, a reference to the story of "The Princess and The Pea." The sole of the foot is basically worked inside out (ie purled). The idea being the purl bumps are too rough on our tender little feet so we work it so the smooth knit stitches are facing in.
I should have taken a picture of the socks off my foot because sole makes the socks curl up and look like little mutant things. It's amusing.
It was tricky remembering to purl those stitches when I came to them, I'm so used to just mindlessly knitting around. Actually, it was worse after I came to the end of the round, paused to advance my row counter, and started up again. So mid-sole I'd switch back.
I also got really bad "ladders" between the sole needles. That is the name for the loose column of stitches that sometimes develop between double pointed needles. If you look closely at the picture to the right, I'm talking about that line of wonky looking stitches in the middle of the picture. (This is the inside of the sole of the foot, you can see it from the public side as well, but it isn't as obvious in purl stitches.)
They aren't usually a problem for me, and I've noticed they usually relax away after washing. I didn't really get ladders on the instep (top of foot), so I think maybe the purling business had more to do with it than the softness of the yarn. In this case, at the moment, I can feel them under my foot and it's kind of creepy.
But other than the ladders, these socks are very comfy and springy, and the fit is lovely.

Speaking of Fit
My mom called last night and said she got the bed socks and they will suit her purpose nicely. She is amused they are two different sizes, but says it didn't matter when she put them on. Despite that, they fit fine. yeah!

Next Project
In the litany of WIPs yesterday, I forgot to mention the Peacock Socks. I pulled them out last night and the cuffs still need to be beaten into submission. I'm all about the mindless knitting at the moment, though, so I put them away again.
I showed Hubby the yarn for his mancho and he went all shy on me. He has decided he doesn't need a poncho after all. We discussed the idea of a dicky, a cuff for his neck with a flat scarf bit to cover his chest, but then he decided he didn't need that either.
I told him to think on it.
But this frees me for other projects! Like more socks!
In the Yarn Harlot's Jan 12 post she discussed how she is making socks in anticipation of the return of Battle Star Galactica on Friday. (yipee!) She invited people to join her.
Of course, she has fancy sock yarn in the "Eye of Jupiter" colorway (which is a reference to something in the show) and she followed a fancy free pattern.
Since I don't have that yarn, I'm going too use my Jitterbug in the Mardi Gras colorway. It is awfully similar and has been languishing in my stash for far too long. I had it out the other day to fiddle with just a little part of a pattern and I thought "Oh, this is such a lovely color, why haven't I used it yet."
And, since I'm all about the mindless knitting right now, I'm just going to follow my standard Jitterbug Sock recipe, which doesn't exist anywhere you can get to it.

Psst, there are some gratuitous pictures of Samson and Baru in my Flickr photostream lounging around on our unmade bed this morning. Just in case you were worried that they aren't still spoiled.