It’s been a sequence of wonderful events that lead me to knit my first pair of “real” handspun woolen socks, and it felt and still feels like a big vacation treat.

First, I ordered some yarn from Marathon Basin Wool, and got a sample of sliver with my order.

Since I don’t spin at the moment, I thought I pass it on to my friend Susan, an avid spinner.

Susan surprised me with the most amazing, cotton soft 3-ply Navajo handspun in return, together with some 2-ply jacob/alpaca for contrast and strength, and a recommendation that some socks from Debbie Zawinski’s book “In the Footsteps of Sheep” might be a perfect fit.

So I got the book … and could barely put it down. The best combination of photos, stories, and patterns!

I chose “June’s North Ronaldsay Socks”, with some modifications to make the pattern match the yarn that I had.

Just the knitting was a treat, and I bought the audio for the book, read by the author, to listen to while knitting.

It’s been like a vacation.

Some project notes:

• I worked the sheep in stranded color work, catching the yarn on the center stitch if the carry was 5 or more stitches.
• I only did the heel and the toes in contrast color. The bottom of the foot contiues in the slip stitch pattern, though. Since I only used single stranded yarn for the foot, I added 2 short rows for the sole twice (once right after the final gusset decrease, once about 2 rounds prior to starting the toes. I did: Starting on a pattern stitch row, slip first stitch, work all stitches of the sole, turn, slip first stitch, purl all stitches of the sole, turn, continue as usual), to accommodate for the slip stitch effect.

All handspun is different, but here is what I worked:

• I used Addi Flip needles (love!)
• German twisted cast-on
• Cuff as in pattern
• 10 rnds in natural before the sheep pattern
• 10 rnds in natural after the sheep pattern
• 22 rnds between end of gusset and beginning of toes