"Skew" by Lana Holden, published as a Knitty surprise. As soon as I saw them I (and hundreds of other people) had to cast on. My lack of imagination in this case is clearly shown by my choice of yarn - exactly the same as in the pattern - but I hope that the color, named "Mardi Gras," more than makes up for it. I knit these on dpns, despite the warnings in the pattern, and they turned out just fine. I think if you're an experienced enough knitter to make these you can figure out how to handle 100 stitches or whatever on dpns.
Claudia handpaint is a lovely yarn, with beautiful saturated color and perfect twist. I have no idea how it will wear. It is a bit pricey, though, and $28 for a pair of socks is a bit over the psychological boundary of $25. It's awfully close to $30, but it's ok for a special knit once in a while. I had to run out and buy this yarn, since I don't have anything even remotely close to this craziness of color. I think I made a good choice, though.
It's also a bit odd how my other current project, an embroidery inspired by a William Morris design, also uses the same colors as the socks! I guess I like purple, green and golden. The Piecework magazine in the background also seems very appropriate to this situation: I am a historical crafts geek!
I've been browsing William Morris Needlepoint by Beth Russell and I am having a great time getting back into needlepoint. Here's a closeup of the design, stitched on some natural-colored linen:
One problem with needlepoint is that there is very little practical use for the finished object. I have two projects that I completed when I was in high school and they are both framed as artwork on the wall. This piece of linen is technically a kitchen towel, but there is no way it will be used anywhere near food when I am done with it...
