It's been such a very long time that I have knit anything, let alone socks, that this is a momentous occasion! I've been wanting to knit something but could not decide on what it was to be. I did want to knit some socks for my mother, who really liked the last pair (the first for her) that I knit a couple of winters ago. She always comments on how well they stay up for her.
I had this blue yarn sitting here, calling out to me that it wants to be socks, and I finally found a pattern that I liked as well. I am doing them toe up, because I like doing them that way. I actually wasn't sure how long to make them, so this seemed to be a sensible reason. As I am now nearing the heel, I need to decide when to start the gusset... and not having my mother near to measure, I am going to guess! I am hoping I will be close enough because fit is extremely important for socks.
This pattern is called Skyp and I found it on the net somewhere. The pattern does look nicer when it is on the foot, and I may have to take a pic of them that way. I am doing both at the same time, working on first one and then the other, trying to keep them at about the same point. When I get to the gusset and heel, I may do each one separately, or do each section on each so that I knit them the same. I have the habit of "adjusting" a few things here and there as I need at the time, forget to do them on the second one and so the socks then are NOT be the same! I will try to avoid that happening with these.
That line of red yarn is my row counter and beginning of round marker. I find these to be the most versatile of all markers I've used, and will continue to use them, until someone can come up with something better -- but I don't see how you can improve on this.
I have quite a bit of spinning done, still some plying to do, and I will show you that another time. I had some idea that I wanted to knit a scarf, and dye it, but now with this very fine yarn, I may have to reconsider. I don't look forward to all that knitting with this yarn for a scarf!! But that is for later.