TGWE #7 is underway!

I happily left TGWE #6 behind.  Once I'd decided I was going to cut it and move on, I cut it, sealed the yarn up in its bag, put it in a basket and then didn't think about it anymore.  While that last bit isn't completely true (I've been thinking whether I have enough to do an afghan from the yarn...one made from stitch sample squares...it's a thought), I haven't been ACTIVELY thinking about the yarn, which is nice.  I was seriously worried about it sitting in the stash without a clear purpose.  It'll come around.  It told me that blanket really isn't what it wants to do--but being monsters would be really fun.  So, I'm keeping it in mind.  I could stripe that orange and white and make a really cute cat, don't you think?  Ideas ideas...(see how I lied that I haven't been thinking about it?)

But, in taking my wool experiment seriously, I cast on for the next project immediately...and then bought the yarn for the following experiment right away.

And boy, am I having fun with this new project.  It's the Windjammer Socks designed by Jennifer Tepper Heverly.  I'm using Koigo KPPPM (Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino).  And wow, is this yarn soft and gorgeous.

KPPPM yarn is hand-painted by fiber artists.  They are given a "dye recipe" and then told to be creative.  The very large skeins they work with are then wound off into smaller skeins (50g or 25g).  You could buy two colorways that are the same number but have very different effects in the skeins.  I read one woman's blog (sorry I can't remember who it was!) who collects one colorway in different dye lots and is making an afghan from the yarns.  How very interesting.  And probably gorgeous too.

I love the silky feel to the yarn, too.  I'm a little concerned about working with it on the size 3 needles.  The resulting cuff (pictured below) looks a little large, but when I eased it over my foot, it seemed to fit fine.  We'll see how the end result is.  I'm using another set of Signature needles.  Again, I love the stiletto point and find the needles help me knit faster and more evenly.

Regarding the pattern.  What a gorgeous and fun-to-knit pattern this is.  I don't have to worry about remembering what to do as I've already memorized the stitches.  I love the chevron (pic below) and how the centered decrease creates such an interesting stitch...it's as if the chevron is forming its own little bitty cable right there in the middle.  The cable stitch is easy as well.

If I were to select yarn for future renditions of this project, I would definitely select a yarn that doesn't have as much variegation to let the pattern sing a little more.  However, I do love this colorway.  It's happy and the colors look beautiful even if the patterning is slightly obscured.