Cold Cottage Socks

A few weeks ago we spent a wonderful weekend with my mother- and father-in-law. Since their beautiful home is about three hours north of us, I just had to pack some special knitting for the car ride there and back -- you know, Vacation Knitting.

Most of the items on my needles right now require that I: (A) look at them (e.g. cabled socks) or (B) think about them (e.g. designs I'm working on). The problem? Well, I get really car sick if I have to look down...reading maps, working little cables, etc. The other problem? Sometimes knitting stuff I have to think about makes me tired.

Enter the Cold Cottage Socks -- easy to do without looking down or missing out on the latest family news. And working without a pattern kept me interested enough that I never felt the need to break out one of the other three projects I brought along ;-)

I've been wanting to make these for Chris for quite a while. The body is Peace Fleece DK-weight, and the blue-purple yarn is from Cottage Craft (a Canadian company whose yarns I love). Both yarns feel rustic before washing, then soften up quite nicely.

Peace Fleece has a goodly amount of mohair in it, which means it's strong and durable. Great for a man's boot sock. But because my husband wears out the back of the heel on all his socks, I decided to double up on color to make them twice as strong (also, it's more visually interesting than just working the heel stitch in white).

So there you have it: A pair of socks on the needles, pretty much half done now, which will keep my honey's feet toasty next time the temperature drops. And in our beloved, little-old house--with its cold, drafty floors--that will probably happen sooner rather than later.

PS. Check out this awesome deal on Cottage Craft sweater kits!!!

Cold Cottage Socks