The inaugural Wednesday WIP*   (*WIP stands for Work in Progress)

I’ve always got a sock or two on the needles. Socks are great for travel knitting – a small, portable project, ideal for occupying the time in waiting rooms or station platforms. For me, they mean that ‘waiting’ magically transforms into a knitting opportunity.

So it seems only fitting that my first Wednesday WIP* should be socks …

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The first pair to show you is colourful and fun – a gift for the friend who passed the wool on to me (no ball band, so I have no idea what make or colourway it is – sorry). I love self-striping yarn for socks-on-the-go … no need to worry about complicated stitch patterns as the wool works the magic all by itself and transforms vanilla socks into cheerful masterpieces!

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Just the toe to graft with Kitchener stitch, a couple of ends to sew in, and then they are ready for a quick wash and block. Tick!

The second pair is more subtle, using Trekking XXL colour 189, lot 721024, bought at Jane’s of Fishguard, Wales. I’m using Knit Pro Symphonie Double Pointed Needles (DPNs), size 2.5 mm. I had bought the wool with my niece in mind, and was then disappointed that, when knitted, the colours turned out to be more muted than I had imagined, and the texture seemed a little rough. So I chose new yarn for my niece, and replaced the sock project, setting the Trekking aside for a while. Now they are being given a second chance …

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Don’t get me wrong – the colours are quite pretty in real life … greens, pinks, blues, golds, with subtle shifts in shade. Just not quite right overall for the intended recipient. And the texture may soften a little when washed – after all, socks do need to be quite hard wearing so I’m reserving judgement for a while.

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I’ve noticed that with so many stops and starts in this project, the knitting tension has distinct variations – an interesting barometer of different knitting circumstances and stress levels. The variances will probably even themselves out in the wash. And if not, there’s always room for another pair of hand knitted socks in my own sock drawer!

As you can see, I’ve just picked up for the instep. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there … the finish line is definitely in sight …

How about you? What is your WIP? Do you love to knit socks? I’d love to know!