and more socks

 I got the first of these socks done over break, and started the second one a few days ago.

 

The yarn is called "Cosmic Dust," it's from an Etsy seller I've bought a few sets of sock yarn from. Her shop is called UP North Yarns, she is based in Powers, Michigan, which is not terribly far from where my relatives in the UP lived, so I like that connection. Many of her yarns are inspired by colors in the UP - I have another one that's supposed to be like Kitch-iti-kipi springs, and another one that's like a sunrise over an icy landscape. 

I like her yarns, the base she uses seems to be good quality, and the color combinations appeal to me. 

They're just simple socks, which with these kind of patterning yarns, often work best. (I have a lot of striping yarns in my stash and I admit I try to find patterns that work that are OTHER than just plain. I might see if I have any plain solid colors that match with some of the stripes on the other striping yarns and do solid stripes with stripes of the patterning yarn.  I also have one from the Simply Sock Yarn club that is light colored enough it MIGHT just work with a simple cable. 

I'm still reading on "The Black Spectacles;" I just got to the point where Fell FINALLY appears (one of the police, trying to figure out the crime, have gone to visit him while he is "taking the waters" at Bath.)

And I was actually a bit surprised. At least in his introduction to Elliot he describes "taking the waters" as drinking large quantities of what I presume is some kind of mineral-spring water. I always thought of it as literally soaking in the water, kind of like what people did at Hot Springs in Arkansas (but then again, maybe they drank the water too?)

"Taking the water cure" seems like such a bygone thing - I don't think people would do it to improve health now (then again, in the Brave New World of who we have in top governmental "health" positions, we may once again be told to "take the waters" instead of, I don't know, go to counseling for burnout or something). Though then again, a reasonable bunch of time off where you got more or less taken care of (a nice place to stay, food you didn't have to cook, being able to sit and relax) might help mental fatigue as much as anything - it just wouldn't cure, for example, gout or something. (I assume Fell, given his Gargantuan appetite and tendency to drink a fair amount, might be at risk)