The little sock that almost wasn't (and still might not be)

Yesterday, I did not garden. I knitted instead. And here's a little story:

Early in April I started to crochet a sock from the toe up. I worked on it for a few days and then left for my vacation. Upon return I resumed crocheting and everything was going well until I started to work the heel and looked at my skein and realized I couldn't make a second sock with what was left. So I frogged it.

But I loved the yarn and since it seemed to have stuck together a bit when I was frogging it, I thought it was wool, so I knitted a square thinking I could felt it and sew it into a little purse or pouch. So I knitted a square and threw it in the laundry. But nothing happened.

While it was going through the hot cycle, I discovered a bag with a second skein. Oh no! I could have had the crocheted socks completed by now and I would have had enough yarn! And when I found the second skein, the one with the label, I realized it was 25% mohair and the remainder something else (it was in German) but not wool which is why there was no felting going on.

Auggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (like the Charlie Brown comics) This is what happens when you start a project, and don't finish it, BEFORE a vacation! Well now, I have enough for socks again.

So I go through my sock pattens and find this short toe-up version that should be perfect. But it wants a set of 5 size 2.25mm needles. Hmm that might be a problem. Most of my dpns are in sets of four. But I happen to have little bundles of dpns when I've bought bags of needles at the thrift store. So I pull out my handy-dandy needle gauge and voila! A set of 5 is found! Of course they're the most motley looking set - one longer than the others, a couple are bent, but they do the job so off I go.

I didn't garden yesterday, but I started on my sock - here's my progress:

I really like this yarn, which I guess is why I'm on my third attempt of making something, anything, with it! I'll get a good photo once I've knitted a bit more so you can see the beautiful colours (lavender, turquoise, greens).