good-natured ribbing

I ran into a problem with the first pair of sockpal socks. The yarn I was using was Knit Picks fingering weight merino, and I loved the color I got with the Kool-Aid. Unfortunately, the yarn was really too fine for the pattern and the sock leg turned out to be very, very narrow:

Even the ribbing didn’t give it enough stretch, and going up a needle size made the cables look sloppy. Since my sockpal is not a Tim Burton animated character, I decided that I’d better look for different yarn. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, and the Schaefer “Anne” felt great, but were again too fine for the pattern. Increasing frustration led to putting the sockpal socks aside for a while. Instead, after admiring Sherry’s work on the Embossed Leaves socks, I decided to make a pair for myself in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino (color “Java”) that I picked up last fall in Charleston:

I loved working the Embossed Leaves pattern. The socks have a bulkier fit than I expected, but the yarn makes my feet feel like they’re at a spa. After finishing these socks, I realized that the Supersock might also work well for the Celtic Braid pattern. I picked up a skein last weekend in the “Potluck – Blues/Greens” colorway. I’ve completed one sock, and I think the density and stretch are much better:

I do love the blues and greens in this skein, very peacock-y. One sockpal, back on track.