"Waving" to my Sockapalooza4 pal

I heard from the Sockapalooza4 pal I'm knitting for. YEAH! (Still haven't heard from anyone who's knitting for me, but if you're out there, I'm not worried -- although you can leave me an anonymous comment here if you want to.)

There's a new thing called a 'pligg' where the Sockapalooza folks are posting links to the wonderful things they're making for their pals. It's mind-boggling to think of so many knitters out there agonizing over yarn and pattern choices to make the perfect pair of socks for someone they don't know and may never meet. Pretty cool stuff.

Anyway, after swatching a couple of different yarns and looking through a bunch of patterns, I picked a set and started in.

Unless something goes wrong (as in my gauge swatch lies), my pal will be receiving a pair of Waving Lace Socks from the pattern by Evelyn Clark in IW's Favorite Socks book. I'm knitting them in ShiBui sock yarn in the Roppongi colorway.

This yarn knits up so nicely! It's soft and silky and has a wonderful amount of spring to it. And I like the way the colors are working with the lace pattern so far, even though I've only done the first chart for the top of the sock. They're going to look a bit like a lava flow, I think.

This pattern is relatively simple to follow and will be a good one for on the plane headed to Miami for the cruise. ACK! I'm leaving on Saturday and I haven't even pulled the suitcases out of the back of the closet yet! And still, I knit. Actually, I knit and think about what yarn and patterns I'll take with me and whether or not they'll get their own suitcase! Maybe I need a 12-step program for knitters who can't focus on anything but yarn and needles and patterns! :)

Oh, two quick notes before I go back to my 'real' work!

1. If you haven't seen CNN's poll on favorite pastimes, go take a look and vote for knitting!

2. My first test knit project is now online at Knit Picks! I have mixed feelings about that project, but there's no requirement that I love everything I knit for them. :) Let's just say that I was glad to send this one off. Knitting with two strands of ladder yarn is not my idea of a good time. :)