You can always count on socks

I love knitting socks.  Plain socks, lacy socks, any socks.  I love knitting socks.  I love them because they're so easy to take with you anywhere, they're useful, they're pretty.  Just when you're discouraged because it seems like nothing is getting finished, not afghans or tablecloths or cotton spinning or lace spinning, they will allow themselves to be finished.

I'll get the pattern posted at some point but the down and dirty pattern is this:
I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in an oatmeal color.  I cast on 64 stitches using US size 2 double pointed needles.  Do K2/P2 ribbing for 2.5 inches then start the pattern as follows:

Round 1: *K4, P1, K2, P1* repeat around.
Round 2: *Yarn over (yo), knit 2 together (K2tog), K2, P1, 2 stitch cable, P1* repeat around.
Round 3: Repeat round 1.
Round 4: *K1, yo, K2tog, K1, P1, 2 stitch cable, P1* repeat around
Round 5: Repeat round 1.
Round 6: *K2, yo, K2tog, P1, 2 stitch cable, P1* repeat around
Round 7: Repeat round 1.

Rounds 2-7 make up the stitch pattern.  Make the cuff as long as you want it to be - mine was 8 pattern repeats.  Work heel.  I worked 9 more repeats for the foot (17 repeats in total from top) but I've got a small foot.  I worked the toe decreases kniting the whole thing in stockinette.

If you've never worked a heel or toe, grab any pattern because it's basically the same for all of them.

I've spun the fiber of 109 seeds.  Here's a gratuitous shot of my cotton bobbin:

Progress

I'm in one of those phases where I've got lots of large projects on the go and it's hard to see any progress on anything.  Usually I have a smaller project that I can finish quickly and have some sense of accomplishment but not right now.  So, it's slowly as we go.

Amish Center Diamond Afghan - I'm almost finished with the 3rd side.  After the 4th side I will still need to make a diamond motif for the very center.

1923 Lily Pond Breakfast cloth - I'm almost finished with the 3rd motif (some sort of pattern happening here).  There's supposed to be 6 of them but I'm going to see if it will work with 4.  I'll still need to make the placemat sections to go with it so I've got quite a way to go before finishing this one.

Colorful lace - I'm spinning this merino, trying to do some true laceweight yarn.  These are 1 ounce batches that I got in a sampler package several years ago.  Once I've got the colored singles done, the plan is to do a singles of black then ply the 2 together.  I have no earthly idea what I would do with it but it's a dream to spin.

Pima cotton - I got this cotton still on the seed a couple of months ago and I've been wanting to get at it ever since.  I've interrupted the colorful lace which, although it's a dream to spin, takes forever to spin.  I've taken the unprocessed cotton still, as I said, on the seed and combed it out with a little doggy comb to get it ready to spin.  I know there are cotton combs but I've found these work just as well and cost about $6 each. 

I've done a little bit of cotton spinning but never enough to really think I know what I'm doing from one time to the other.  So it's taken me a little bit to get up to speed and it's not very regular but it's okay for me for the present.  It's more about experimenting (playing) and getting a better idea of how cotton works.  I'm hoping to get a bobbin full. I'm certainly not a third of the way through this one!