Pink and Purple Socks

I finished re-doing the foot of the first sock last night, so here is the finished pair. I absolutely love the self-patterning!

Specs: Cast on 72 stitches with size 0s using Trekking 144. No particular pattern. I did about an inch and a half ribbing and the rest stockinette. The heels and toes are Knitpicks Essential in black. They fit perfectly!

I started with the blues/mauves (the one on the right) last night while watching the Fellowship of the Ring yet again. I'm thinking that I might do a rib pattern with that. I started the cuff to do another plain old sock like I just finished. I really do like how it looks on the cuff, but I'm going to get past the ribbed cuff and see how it looks in plain stockinette. If I like it I might keep going. If not, I'll need to frog and cast on a few more stitches to do the rib.

I also got this yesterday. It's one of the skeins I ordered on my free day. It's the new Austermann Step with Aloe and Jojoba Oil. I thought Trekking was soft, but this stuff is even softer! I can't wait to see what it's like. I'm actually torn between making socks with it and gloves. My hands stay so dry in the winter that either gloves will win out, or I'll have to get some more later.

And lastly, check out Kimberly's

Basically, having just taken jogging back up, she's encouraging the rest of us to try and be more fit. This month marks two years since I started strength training. It really has made a difference in my everyday life; I can lift more things (kids and groceries) with ease. I use a couple of fun video games for my cardio - Dance, Dance Revolution and Yourself Fitness. And I'm trying to take a little yoga back up. I feel much better about myself when I am on a regular workout schedule, less aches and pains and more balanced emotions. I also feel better about how I look. (Plus, I know I'll have less health issues later which, seeing as how genetics are not on my side, is really important.)