Doing what comes naturally.

We drove to Saskatchewan last weekend, and because we had Sweet Thing and her parents traveling with us, there was a lot more playing with baby than knitting.  There was some knitting though, and that was great.  A find balance.

I am a sock knitter. A plain vanilla sock knitter. I play a bit with heels and toes, but other than Earl Grey and Monkey socks, I haven't knit patterns.  Plain socks are endlessly entertaining to me, even in plain yarn.  Clearly, it does not take much to amuse me.

I do have sock books.  More than I thought when I started to pull them off of the shelf, if the truth be told.

I've not really knit from them, but they are a valuable source of information and ever an inspiration.  I do hope to knit from them one day, just not yet. Maybe.

I do have one sock book, that I have always known was something I could knit from., something that I would knit from easily and freely. 

The patterns in Nancy Bush's 2005 Knitting Vintage Socks are interpretations of patterns from Weldon's Practical Needlework. They are updated for the yarns we use today but stay with the vast array of vintage heels and toes and techniques.  I like that. It appeals to me aesthetically and historically and needleworky.  

But most of all, I like that they are knittable, doable designs for any age.  So, even though the book is relatively new to my library, it is one that was on my list of must needs.

I think my plan is to knit my way through the book.  There are a variety of ribbed socks at the front of the book.  I will leave those for when I just need something more plain but for today, for right now, I am knitting the Gentelman's Shooting Socks.

 Its a nice textured design, not one you need the pattern for, beyond getting you going.  My kind of pattern.

On this inaugural sock, I am doing a toe that is my usual toe lately, a garter stitch square toe.  I may or may not do my usual heel.  I'll worry about following the sock pattern heels later, but this felt like the right way to start.  Loosely translated, that means I had one toe square ready and on the needles.

So here I am doing what comes naturally, but still knitting a pattern, following someone else's design.  Its really quite illuminating.