It's a Rockin' Sock Club kind of YPF day

I'm posting other YPF-ish pics at the beginning of this post, so if you don't want to be spoiled on the June Rockin' Sock Club yarn, don't scroll past my Monkey-sock-in-progress pic.

First up is my Sunshine Yarns Dragonfly sock yarn. When I saw a flickr pic of this yarn knitted up, I really wanted it. I finally got around to e-mailing Dani and when she told me it would be up in her shop this month, I had to order it.

Just for filler:

yarn: KP Essential Tweed in Marina
needles: KP size 1 (2.50 mm) circs
gauge: 9 spi
pattern: an aborted test pattern using Magic Loop (ML) toe up

I had finished this test sock in April, but the designer stopped the process after seeing a couple of the test socks and decided she didn't like the way the pattern was coming out.

The KP Essential is a really soft feeling yarn. I love it 'cept it splits like there's no tomorrow, but it might be the KP circs I was using. Since the test pattern has been abandoned, I'll be ripping out the fold-over cuff portion instead of ripping out the whole sock. (Thank goodness I had to foresight to not cut the yarn when I was done.) At some point, I will probably re-knit the leg in the St st and end with a typical 1" of ribbing unless I find another fold-over cuff pattern to sub in. Maybe the lace cuff one in IK's Favorite Socks?

It's my first ML method and it's fine, but I don't think it'll be my go-to method for sock knitting. I may have had an easier time with this since I've already done socks on 2 circs.

(Here's where to stop scrolling just past the following pic:)


I promised myself that I would start the June STR club sock until I got at least one Monkey sock done. (If I was really, really good, I shouldn't start 'til after the Twisted Flower is done, but I'm going to be realistic.) I should be done with this sock by the end of the weekend at the latest. I want to save the second Monkey sock 'til I get through the cabled portions of my Twisted Flower sock as it helps me keep in the right mindset. I may need to do a second pair of Monkeys if/when I re-knit my first Twisted Flower to match the second.

So, without further ado, the STR Rockin' Sock Club June yarn:

The pattern can be done toe up or cuff down, so I'll be doing these cuff down. Nothing wrong with toe up ('cept that whole short row heel vs reverse heel flap thing), but I prefer cuff down. And the yarn's in the lightweight base, my favorite of BMFA's sock yarns so far. Well, I still have to try the heavyweight and knit up the Seduction beyond a teeny tiny swatch, but what made me fall in love with STR was tapmouse's lightweight leftovers for me to play with.

Thanks to all of last year's sock club KAL members for the idea of taking a pic of the opened skein! It always helps me figure out where to start my second sock so I have a decent chance of having the 2nd sock match the first.