For most of my life I've worn the same kind of socks, the white cotton sport socks one picks up in a pack of twelve at Target, Wal-Mart, or the like. Jeff would call them quantity one (1) socks;
they fulfill the purpose but could stand some improvement.
In college I tried to change this by buying nicer-looking socks. While I did succeed in purchasing about five pairs of attractively-patterned socks, these are now aging. When I pulled them out of the drawer recently, the elastic gave an unmistakable creak. So in early December I resolved to knit myself some nice socks. This also has the advantage that I can knit them out of wool, my preferred sock fiber. I've never been able to find commercial dress socks in wool.
I have a few pairs of hand-knitted socks already. My mother knitted me a couple of pairs (one multicolored and one plain brown), and I made myself a bright red pair shortly after I started knitting, out of inherited stash. For whatever reason, I didn't wear them much.
I knitted myself two pairs of socks after Christmas. The first pair is Twisted Tulip Socks
from the Spring 2008 Interweave Knits. Those were fun to knit. The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Mediumweight. I love the springiness of the yarn, though I think I will switch to Socks that Rock Lightweight for future projects. Mediumweight is a bit heavy for me.
The yarn for the other pair was a Christmas present from my mother: Regia Color 4-ply (wool/nylon). The pattern is Jaywalker
(free on Ravelry), and as advertised, it's a snug fit. The socks are nice and warm (a good thing in our chilly apartment).
I've seen other knitters resolve to knit a pair of socks each month. I think I'll give that a try — starting with March. February is a lost cause.
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