Sock Talk

Confession: I'm not much of a sock knitter. It's hard for me to get excited about something that (most of the time) is hidden from view when worn. At the same time, I love to wear hand-knitted socks. Who doesn't? They're toasty warm and can be made to fit perfectly. Plus, socks make perfect social knitting, provided they're relatively simple and utilitarian in design. They're also great for summer knitting because of their portability and lack of hot, heavy bulk. ( I had to give up on my Fall Coat knitting because of our intense heat over the last few weeks.)
Today I want to show off two beautiful versions of the Snakes and Ladders Socks--a design that looks complicated but is actually quite easy to knit.
First up is ThereseS's Snakes and Ladders in a rich, hand-dyed cherry red.

See the star toe? I love it because it fits my toes really well and there's no grafting to do.
Next, here's knitgarden's handspun version of Snakes and Ladders. Yes, you read that right--HANDSPUN!

The lighter colour lets you see the garter stitch heel, worked over 60% of the stitches and oh, so cushy. The fleece is CVM. That stands for "California Variegated Mutant", which always sound to me like something SciFi, but is actually a breed of sheep. These socks are entered in the Monterey County Fair. Can't wait to see how they do.