Apr 10 2008
*Spring* in My Step
The sun has finally emerged from behind the clouds – it was a lovely spring day today.
…Flowers and trees blooming, light breezes…
I guess you could say I have a little *spring* in my step!
…beautiful weather and pretty new socks…
Berry Socks
Yarn: GGH Marathon [sadly discontinued!]
Needles: Size US 1.5
Basic stockinette pattern with small ribbed cuff, and the German heel and French toe adapted from Knitting Vintage Socks. The beautiful yarn was the star, so simple stockinette did the trick. I knit on these on my way back from North Carolina over the weekend. Surprisingly, half of the second sock was knit in the dark, so I am surprised it looks this good (a few visible ladders, but hey, you wear them on your feet!)
The yarn was from a long ago trade with sweet Debi. It is the second pair of socks I have made with this yarn (Kris’s were the first), and I am sorry that it is no longer manufactured. I love the subtle colors and striping. It looks like handspun. Luckily, Trekking is a close comparison, and that is well-represented in the sock yarn market today (and my stash… )
I finished the last few inches and the toe decreases last night, while watching GAME ONE of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators. I have been a Penguins fan for a long time (basically since Kris and I got together about 10 years ago!) and I am so excited about the series. The Penguins won 4-0 last night! Dear Ottawa friends – I know there are a few of you – we can remain bloggy buddies 
With the playoffs and the race for the Stanley Cup in mind, a few of the hockey fan knitters over on the Ravelry group Puck This! were starting a playoffs knitalong. I decided to make my game-watching knitting a stashbusting activity… so I will be Stanley Cup Stashbusting for the next two months… until the Cup is raised over someone’s head (preferably a Penguin’s) Please feel free to join me – no matter what team you support, or if you know nothing about hockey at all! It is nothing formal – only fun! I am planning several small projects for the random green and brown skeins (for Project Spectrum) of yarn in my stash. Cowls and fingerless mitts galore!
~Many many thanks for your comments on my sister’s cardigan!
Lovely, such a springy pair of socks you have there!
That first picture is stunning! And the socks look great!
Hi, currently drowning in the Chicago area with nary a flower (but my daffodils have buds!!!). Love your socks AND your shoes; I am totally a mule girl and a maryjane girl and to find the two together! My favorite shoes for the longest time were a pair of black kenneth cole maryjane mules. Could you please let me know where you got yours? They are too cute!
Hey Grace! They are Mudd brand… I think I got them at DSW last year. Hope that helps! they aren’t the most comfortable, but I wear them a lot because I love the style
I remain a bloggy friend – but I don’t care much about hockey – except that a local pizza place has a game night special.
Great–let’s go, Penguins! My son is crazy for them and we are excited about their performance last night. I will knit through the Cup with you!
I have those shoes as well (in brown and black)!! Love them!! I also wear them with my handknit socks. Speaking of that, the socks look great!
P.S. I am in the Chicago area and I bought my Mudd shoes from Kohl’s.
Wooooo Pens!! I will no doubt be knitting through a bunch of my stash during the playoffs!
Lovely socks, Lolly! I love the colors.
Love your socks!
Have a great weekend!
Excellent socks! I will keep an eye out for GGH sock yarn for you (there’s a lady down the street who is a GGH vendor and it tends to be cheaper here, too!). Enjoy your weekend!
very nice! i love those stripes also….cute shoes!
Oh, Lolly, despite being a rabid Ottawa Sens fan, I think I can find it in my heart to stay bloggy friends with you, despite your questionable taste in hockey teams. (I’m just bitter because you guys now have Hossa).
Ok, you beat us pretty bad the other night (Damn you, Gary Roberts!). And you threw that last game so you could play us instead of Philly. But don’t count us out just yet… you never know, Alfie might make a miraculous recovery and blow you guys out of the water like last year (who am I kidding?)
Puck This is a great idea! Hopefully I’ll be stashbusting for the full two months! (a girl can dream, right?)
Very pretty socks btw.
Sadly for me, my Bruins did not do well last night. Why did we have to get Montreal in the first round? Still, happy for you; I know what that joy feels like (just not recently).
Pretty socks!
Lovely socks. I think you should make the beautiful photo of the blossoms into notecards!
My brother and I (both huge Pens fans) were joking one night that I should knit a Stanley Cup. There are now small prototypes all over my house. They’re very cute, and I’m using up all my ancient grey yarn! Everybody wins. (Especially the Penguins!)
Hooray for hockey! I’m a college hockey fan myself, but none of my favorite teams are still in the race, so I think I might be done for the year.
I wanted to mention something to you about the Project Spectrum—I don’t usually knit specific projects with PS, just because I can never rely on myself to finish in the “allotted” time, and because I’m *trying* (not necessarily succeeding) to use just the yarn I already own (since we’re moving soon, we’re trying not to accumulate stuff!). HOWEVER: seriously, almost every freakin’ time I go to choose a new project, I pick my yarn, start knitting, and then look at your blog, and 9 times out of 10 I realize I’ve picked a PS color for that moment! Weird! So I guess that means I’m following PS subliminally! I think it’s official: you’ve tapped into my subconscious!
(Maybe you’re closer to working in the color trend industry than you think!)
Lovely springy socks! Yumm, berries.
I was also going to ask about the shoes, but I see your response to Grace. Love DSW!
I really do like these socks. I like how the plain stockinette make the colors pop. I also like the shoes.
i envy your sock-making skillz
LOVE your shoes! They show off your socks so well
Very springy colors, I can see why you love them 
Your socks are beautiful and I am so glad you are enjoying spring. Right now spring in Atlanta SUCKS. We need rain so the pollen averse (myself included) can breathe again. It’s really really bad like pollen count of 3240 with 120 being Very Extremely High. So enjoy it while you can and may I say with all the love blog friends can muster – you suck with your pretty spring day *grin*.
Love You – really and again your socks are really just gorgeous!
Pretty socks and pretty shots! Didn’t your fingers get itchy from not knitting socks for a while? I know I’m feeling it.
Beautiful socks. I do love me a complicated lace pattern, but there is something so nice and comforting about a perfectly executed stockinette sock. I do believe I’m going to have to start a pair soon!
Lovely flower photos too!
The socks are fantastic but seriously I can not get over how cute the shoes are! I may have to stop by our local DSW to see if they have something similar….
have you seen your rug at this: http://whipup.net/ ?
Great socks. I have to say….. we are Wings fans here. But, of course, we’re all still bloggy friends.
I love your shoes! And of course the socks and the spring pictures!
auch don’t you just love spring…..very pretty socks too….warm socks in spring colours….perfect for the season
The socks are perfect – I’m so glad you enjoyed the yarn once again
Love the socks- but next time you post such lovely socks on feet with shoes that show them off… could you leave the shoe info too?! Hehehe, always looking for shoes to show off socks…
Happy knitting-
ali
Such great socks Lolly! Love the colors.
Nice socks in a beautiful colourway! I had a ball of the GGH Marathon in greens and made a pair of socks for my DBf with it and the left over went into a pair of patterned ones, mixed with a beige, for me. I loved to knit with this yarn and we so much love our socks made with it. It is so beautiful and I have never seen it again. Bought it in a little shop north of Hamburg and when I came back months later all the other skeins were gone…