SOS #22 and yarn bases

This sock was finished in record time. That's probably because it's sport weight yarn and I'm familiar with this stitch pattern already. This is the pattern that I made up below. I took out a repeat to use it in this thicker yarn. The results? I like it. The socks are very thick and they feel very sturdy. Most of my sport weight socks are plain stockinette, so these are a nice addition to the collection. ;-)

The yarn is Zen String Serendipity Sport in the Valentino color. The yarn is "100% African super wash Merino wool." That was taken straight off of the tag. I've never used this yarn yet and I do like it. It's strange for a wool though because if feels and acts like cotton. It felt a bit stiff and not very stretchy. There isn't much bounce and springy-ness to this yarn, but it does feel very sturdy. We'll see how it does in the wash when the weather gets cooler. I would use this yarn again, but I want to try a fingering weight version next time.

The yarn bases that indie dyers use are interesting. I'm assuming that there can only be so many bases out there and many dyers are using the same kinds of bases. You can easily tell which ones are using similar bases. I've found that I like the 100% wool bases much better than the merino/nylon blends. The blends are thinner and the 100% wools are springier. I don't know which one would last longer in the end. I've only been knitting socks since 2005 and none of them have worn out yet.

Details:
Yarn: Zen String Serendipity Sport in Valentino
Needle: size 1 (2.5mm) Addi Turbo
Method: magic loop, two at once, toe up with Turkish cast-on, short row heel
Pattern: something I made up
Start: August 24, 2007
Finish: August 25, 2007

Up next, I'm knitting more socks--big surprise! This time I'm using Colinette Jitterbug. I'm working on the toe and trying to figure out if I want to make a patterned sock or plain stockinette sock.

E's lessons have been going great so far. Of course, we have our cranky lessons, but it's been great most of the time. She remembers most of what she learned last spring, but we do need to work on a few things. Those are telling time and main ideas. She thinks that science has been the most fun so far. She's learning about plants right now. We've planted beans, stuck a sweet potato in water to see roots grow, and put a stalk of celery in colored water. She has a full grown garden outside, but we planted another bean in a cup to keep near the house. From her outdoor garden, she's drying some sunflower seeds for the birds. With the last storm, one sunflower was knocked over and broken.

This picture was taken today. We put these temporary tattoos on them and they thought it was a lot of fun. They picked those spots themselves. D's spot on his tummy is so funny. He likes that he can stretch or squish the fire truck. Yup, he's my funny little guy.