No, it’s not some kinky sex thing. Well…on second thought, it probably is, but that’s not the way in which I meant it.

I knit. I rarely, if ever bore y’all with knitting crap, but it’s an awesome way to keep the hands busy while freeing the muse to think about writing. It’s like doing dishes, only…it’s knitting, not doing dishes. This is especially true of socks, for me. Fast and complicated enough to keep me from being bored, while easy enough to free the mind. Plus, nothing cheers up a frigid winter morning like funky wool socks. The funkier the better.

Well, I love colorful socks, but I HATE carrying colors, so I thought I’d try this nifty self-striping yarn I saw in a catalog. The result: it’s either the coolest or the ugliest sock I’ve ever knitted. The jury’s still out.

Pictures after the jump!

Definitely not sure about this. And it’s not the softest wool I’ve ever cast on, that’s for sure.

It’s really hard to tell anything by ribbing, but…eh. I’m seriously thinking about starting the top-down raglan for the short kid, or the gift I have planned for a cheeky little monkey I know.

Hmmm….not as bad as I thought. Lesson #1: When using a self-striping yarn, be careful to cast on the first stitch at a new color in the yarn. This is crooked because I just cast on a few inches in like I normally do. But I embrace imperfections in my socks. They wouldn’t be mine otherwise.

This experiment may not turn out so badly after all. The colors aren’t as bright as I like (the one I wanted was out of stock), but it’s funky enough, I guess. And best of all, it gives almost a Fair Isle feel without carrying four colors. Nice.

We’ll see how it looks when it comes time to turn the heel.