Andy Hunting.

So. My brother (who I’m hoping doesn’t read this) has asked me for a pair of wool socks to wear hunting. This is a huuuge responsibility because:

1. My brother is picky. Real picky. Like he buys his jeans at full price and doesn’t even wait for a sale or a trip to the outlet store picky.
2. That being said he’s still a guy… and I can’t imagine any guy I know hand washing their socks.
3. He’s going to wear these in the woods in the winter. I don’t want him losing a toe to frostbite b/c I chose yarn poorly or used bigger needles so it would go faster.
4. He actually requested a handknit – and I dunno about you but when a friend/relative actually wants me to knit them something I have to go all out. They must be perfect.
5. These will be my Christmas gift to him so this is deadline knitting. I know it seems like it’s a long way away but there are a lot of stitches in socks.
6. I want to knit them toe-up because it’s super fun to complicate a large project that’s on a deadline.

I’ve been stalking yarn and sock patterns to come up with the perfect Andy Hunting Socks for awhile now… I wanted wool that was thicker than typical socks but not as thick as worseted, that was unbearably soft but also machine washable, and that was in manly colors. I think I’ve found it all in Dalegarn Falk… yeah ok so it was expensive… but he’s my only brother. I even knit a swatch.

From there finding a pattern was pretty easy – I’m just going to use the Sockulator (which is one of the coolest knitting tools I’ve seen) and go from there… yeah for toe-up socks!

And don’t worry – I haven’t forgotten about the Tempting II – I just need to get something portable back on the needles for bus knitting….