Finished, but late

So I've mentioned a few times that in 2008 I intended to knit a pair of socks a month. I succeeded! In fact, I kind of overachieved. Kind of. I also kind of cheated.

I managed 13 pairs of socks, in a year and a week. On Wednesday I finally polished off my Esther socks, and they're so pretty!

Specs:
Pattern: Esther Socks by Stephanie van der Linden (Rav link) This pattern was originally released for a German sock knitalong group, but is now available through Ravelry.
Yarn: Cascade Heritage, purchased at Yarns Online
Needles: 2.25mm Knitpicks Harmony DPNS

The pattern was fun! It's a 24 row repeat, so it wasn't easy, but I didn't find it too difficult. It does require you to pay attention, but the end result is well worth it.
I'm now a huge fan of the Cascade Heritage! Yarns Online currently only has the pink in stock, but she usually has other colours, and a 100g hank is only $12.50. It feels nice to knit with, blocks well and frogs nicely. I'll be using more of this - it's nice to find a solid colour sock yarn at a very reasonable price! I have a decent amount of leftovers too.

So I finished these on January 7, so I went over by a week, but that was actually the 13th pair of socks for the year. I mentioned that I cheated a little, and I did. Out of those 13 pairs, 4 pairs were straight stockinette toe up socks. And those are quick.

How quick?

Yesterday we went to Canberra for the day. We took the trip so we could see the Degas exhibition at the National Gallery. The exhibition is absolutely beautiful, and well worth the trip, by the way.

It takes us about two and a half hours to drive down to Canberra. So after I finished the Esther socks on Wednesday, I cast on a new pair of socks so I'd have something to knit in the car. I wanted something really easy and straight forward, the Fair Isle needs too much attention. So I got out a ball of Opal 6ply and cast on a pair of Wendy's Sportweight Toe Up socks for David. All I did on Wednesday was the toe.

By the time we got home last night, this is how much sock I'd managed.

Like I said, quick.
I knit in the car on the way down and on the way home, and I knit a little bit while having lunch with some lovely Canberra knitters, but that was it. And for that amount of effort, I have a nearly completed sock. That helped keep my sock count up last year!

There hasn't been a lot of Twinkie photos lately, because it's been so hot, she's taken up permanent residence in her summer house. And I'm not sure people want pictures of the toilet! Seriously, she spends most of summer curled around the pedestal.
However, we have a surprise guest rabbit.

Meet Houdini. Well, I actually don't know his name. Or if he is a he. Houdini lives across the road and has developed a habit of digging holes under the fence and escaping. This morning, Em captured him and we put him into Twinkie's hutch for safekeeping.

Twinkie wasn't fazed at all, in fact she totally ignored his existence. He went home this afternoon, much to Emily's dismay!