Hermione's Everyday Socks.

If you haven't noticed by now, I am a great big Harry Potter nerd. Huge. Like, let's have lengthy debates about the merits of Expelliarmus vs. just using a Full Body Bind, or how on earth did Voldemort think the horcrux could never be found in such a widely-used storage room?, or what's better, a Niffler or a Pygmy Puff? That kind of Harry Potter nerd. Latest thought process: If Mrs. Weasley can enchant her knitting needles to make Weasley sweaters, and she has to do no work towards said sweater, is she enjoying it at all? And did she really make it, or did magic make it? If one can enchant one's needles, is there any situation where one would actually knit by hand? Questions, questions.

Anyway. I need more socks. It's cold here in Delaware, and I dislike store-bought socks. They're not pretty, and my feet are often cold in them. I have 6 pairs of handknit socks already, but that's just not cutting it, so I'm on a sock-knitting mission. I have 4 more skeins of sock yarn in the craft room just begging to be socks after this one. See? (And no, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought that pink and green yarn, either, but gosh darn it, it's going to be socks.)

And now to relate my two thoughts, I'm making a pair of Hermione's Everyday Socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. I have learned through trial and error that I far and away prefer to knit fairly simple socks. Not necessarily plain stockinette- that's boring. But something with a simple knit-purl pattern on every other round- I can get behind that.

Here's my socks-in-progress. One done, the leg nearly done on the second. The yarn is Studio Sock from the Neighboorhood Fiber Co. in the colorway Eastern Market. I got it at Stitches West last March. The color is kind of shocking, like it's on fire. I love it.

I'm trying really, really hard to limit myself to one just-for-me knit at a time, what with the design work, Christmas knitting, and Etsy knitting I have going on. It's working, pretty much. I am knitting like the wind on the socks because I cannot wait to make these heart-backed driving gloves. Because I want to wear them. Like, now.

Random side note: Spell checker knows Voldemort, but not Hermione? Come on now.