42-45 Christmas socks

Since Christmas is the season of giving I thought I'd tell you about my crazy hairbrained scheme and how it relates to my favorite gift I gave this year.

A long while back I made some socks for the Boy.  They were a bit on the small side for his colossal feet, but overall an excellent showing for someone new to knitting.  Approximately 35 seconds after they were done, Chris asked what he would have to do to get a pair.  And I laughed hysterically.

It took me almost a month to make a child-sized pair!  I couldn't fathom making adult sized socks.  So I moved on to other things.

And then came the hat.  The beautiful but ever so slightly too small hat that I made for the Boy.  And Chris renewed his request.  It was by this time late November or early December.  And I thought to myself "Why not?"

So I pulled down a huge skein of undyed wool, I found a simple sock pattern and the went in search of a color work pattern.  (Well, if I was going to all the work to make him some cozy wool socks I wanted them to be pretty!)  Anyway, I found a lovely mitten pattern and after copying the colorwork pattern and then shifting it around I could make it work for a sock.  So I trotted myself out to find a pretty contrasting wool and then set to work.

People, let me just tell you, I worked my fingers to the BONE.  I worked furiously, I had to rip it back on 2 separate occasions, but I did NOT let that deter me from my goal.

Chris would say that here is the part where I take you on M's happy walking tour through all the stuff I watched while I worked on the knitting.  Almost exclusively, I watched Ken Burns' documentary on World War II called simply the War.  I spiced it up with some Band of Brothers and so the 42-45 socks were born.

The upper and arch of the foot is 100% wool, the contrast, heel and toe are a wool blend so as to wear a little bit better.

When I finished the first sock I asked Chris, "Maybe this should be a Christmas tradition in our house.  Everyone gets cozy Christmas socks!"  He tried on the first sock and declared that to be a marvelous idea.