Mystery socks

So I am at home recovering from a minor surgical procedure and what can I do to fill my time? Try to finish the May SKA mystery socks by Cookie A! This has been slow going, I feel like I have been knitting on them forever. In reality I have been knitting on them since the beginning of May but the leg portion has 80 stitches per round with twisted, travelling stitches on every round apart from the toe decreases and the heel flap! I calculated that the leg portion alone took 6030 stitches PER SOCK, that's 12060 stitches before I've even knit the heels. I don't have the patience to do the calculations to work out the stitch count for the pair but it's in excess of 13000 per sock or 26000 stitches for the pair. I could have knit a cardigan for that sort of stitch count. I normally do a 64 stitch sock for myself if I'm working in stockinette and other sock patterns I've knit have been over 64 stitches (Monkey and Circles) so there you're more in the region of 8000 - 9000 for a pair and goodness me have I felt those extra 4000 stitches in each sock!

That said I love them. I think the pattern looks fabulous, the fit is absolutely great and whilst this has nothing to do with the pattern I love the yarn as well, it's soft and the colour is fantastic if impossible to capture accurately with my camera. I can honestly say I am keen to knit more pairs of intricately cabled and patterned socks in future, why not?! I am on the heel flap of the right sock and do intend to have it finished this weekend so I can have my 6th pair of finished socks in 2010 putting me on target to finish 12 pairs. OK so one pair was not for me and one pair was only little footie socks BUT a pair is a pair and I am counting them!

When I have finished these I must return to my husband's socks. I am nearly at the toe of the first of the pair and it did knit up quickly so I must get on with the second. I have other socks planned (and started a second pair of circle socks whilst in Dortmund) but what I really need to do is go back to the cardigan I started months ago. I believe it was dropped in favour of knitting Ishbel but I want to get it finished. I may still only be on the sleeves (I started with the sleeves) but frankly after thousands of stitches on 2.25mm needles I imagine the cardigan on 6.5mm needles will feel like it's flying along! I must finish it as I am determined to have some knitted items that are not hidden in my shoes! I also want to knit a second baby garment for the family baby due in September.

I'd better get back to my little lime green friend now, it's begging to be finished!