For Addi socks 97 and 98, I doubled the essentially fingering-weight International Yarns Infusions.
These rank among my favorites so far, and were easy to knit; the yarn is just a little bit heavier than fingering yarn, and, doubled, is heavy enough to create a nice heft. But my very favorite pair follows:
Pair 99/100 is knit from Lion Brand Wool Ease and Patons Kroy Socks, a combination which, so far, I love the best.
Wool Ease is marked as Gauge 4, but I’d say it’s probably a little lighter than most of the Gauge 4s I’ve seen. Kroy Socks, a blend of merino and nylon, is a true fingering yarn; very thin. The combination works well on the Addi, and should make a durable sock — there’s a bit of polyester in the Wool Ease, and nylon for strength in the Kroy. And, durability aside, this is a superbly comfortable sock to wear!
With this 100th casting-on, I’ve achieved my initial goal — the one Mr. Noile unwittingly provided for me (as noted in this post). When I was initially getting to know my Addi, he reminded me that players of the Chinese game Go are advised to lose their first 100 games as quickly as possible on their path to proficiency. Naturally, I took 100 castings-on as my target — understanding that achieving that goal wouldn’t mean that I’d become skilled, but that my knowledge would be sufficient to build on.
And so it is! I’ve got the basics nailed now, but there’s still more to explore. The most unexpected and best part of learning to make these socks? For the first time ever, I have beautiful wool socks which actually fit my feet! That’s kind of amazing, and utterly thrilling!
Also, let me just note that there’s not much as therapeutic as tossing off a pair of socks in an evening. Times are tough; if a little knitting machine can make life better, why not go for it?