Circuitry Socks

Upon seeing the pattern for the Microprocessor Socks in the Deep Fall Issue of Knitty I knew these were something I was going to have to knit. Lucky for me I know a few folks who would also be intrigued by this pattern, and who I felt were worthy, or should I say deserving, of a pair of handknit socks.

The recipient and I negotiated colors (neither of us impressed with the model socks pictured with the pattern) and then I set about trying to find the right colors locally. I thought I had done well, cast on the socks as I drove to Grand Forks over Christmas, only to learn that the colors weren't quite right.

Hmph.... oh well, that yarn got repurposed into the Cross-Country Chullo.

I started to look online for commercial yarns that would fit the bill, no luck. I then thought about a local business - Three Irish Girls. They will do custom dying and their yarns are a delight to work with and hold up well to daily wear. I worked with the owner of the business and with the intended recipient of the finished items to come up with just the right shades of green for this project. Due to the nature of custom dying I had to purchase two skeins of each colorway (I will only need one of each for the project). Just a little something extra to add to the stash.

A week or so ago a package arrived. Whoo hooo!! I was so excited to see how the yarn had turned out.

It took me quite a few days until I had the time to wind these skeins into cakes of yarn and then another day or so until I was ready to cast on. Oh, what a delight the Adorn Sock yarn is to knit with (80% merino/20% nylon). So soft!

Today I cast on, knit a few rows, ripped it out and recast on. I wanted the corrugated ribbing to have just the right look (it's all about the cast-on method and how you hold the two yarns).

I am almost done with the first cuff and will soon move onto the leg and it's pattern. I am excited to work on this project for several reasons:

1. The yarn is so nice.

2. I will be learning a new heel technique.

3. Seeing the recipient's reaction when they first try the socks on.

ORC(Obligatory Running Content)

I have started training in earnest and am even following a plan in order to give some kind of structure to my runs. The last few weeks have seen mileage in the 40's (which is high for me). So far, so good. I am enjoying the longer runs and even doing some informal speedwork - aka Wednesday runs at the Lakewalk.

Duluth has received additional snow over the last few days, reports say up to 23 inches, matching our seasonal snow fall amount. This has meant a bit of slogging through snow and mush on the roads as the trails are buried in fluff (and I do not have a set of running snowshoes). Temperatures have been quite mild though, never straying lower than the 20's and with highs in the mid 30's.

Speaking of snow, the plow finally came by so it is time to dig the vehicles out.