Since I have knitted my first pair of socks one and a half years ago I never have been without a sock-project in my knitting bag. There is something utterly soothing and nice when knitting a small project like this.

It is portable: which means that I can throw it in a smallish (for my standards at least) handbag and take it out quickly at any time without having to cope with too much bulk (at a train station for example) and put it away equally quick (when said train is rolling in). 
It's perfect for traveling and can be very easy and repetitive if a simple pattern is chosen, so that I don't even bother taking a pattern with me most of the time.

There is always a sock WIP in my bag and when it's finished I immediately cast on another sock, to have it ready when needed.

When traveling by plane I tend to use bamboo DPNs (most companies don't allow metal needles on board), but I quickly remove them when I get off, since I find it annoying to knit with them. At least in the 2mm size they tend to be too flexible, don't let the yarn slide off as smoothly and my knitting tends to look much more irregular! 
So I quickly get quite irritated by them...

I have tried the carbon DPNs in the same size and found them great - but after some use the metal tips loosened up a little (at least it got like that on my pair) and the yarn snags at the connection of the tip to the carbon body, which is no fun at all. So I got back to my old, bended, cheap aluminium version and I am happily knitting my socks again.

My preferred construction is the toe-up version I am describing in this free recipe here. I find the fit of the gusseted heel perfect for my feet: so I play around with the texture or colouring of each project but keep the main construction the same. In my last 2 pairs I have purled the gusset stitches which not only looks nice but also has the added bonus of making stitch markers for the gusset stitches redundant, since one can see immediately how many of them have been worked already!

The last one and a half year I am exclusively wearing home-knitted socks and I really hate store bought ones with a vengeance! It is such a difference to wear a sock that just fits you perfectly (without having it slide into the shoe when walking and producing a huge wedge underneath one's foot) and they are so much warmer and dryer and just pure bliss and perfection when worn!!!!

So, after all this sock-talk I wan't to know: 
What do you think of knitted socks? 
And do you have a preferred method or pattern?

Hm? By looking at my latest 4 pairs I seem to notice a preference for grey toes (and heels)!?!

..."Draw me a sheep!", these were the first words uttered by the little prince to the narrator in Saint-Exupéry's magnificent book!

I was listening to the audiobook when I was knitting up my design and was totally carried away to the fragile universe of this lovely character, when I noticed that the colours I chose for my project bore an uncanny resemblance to the colours of the beautiful illustrations that the author had sketched up himself! Even without having seen any of them for a long time (since audiobooks don't come with illustrations... yet!), I subconsciously adapted my choice to the little prince's taste - thus I just had to give my new pattern a name that was borrowed from a quote of the little highness himself!

The fine and sensitive book must have further inspired me to make a delicate little garment, worked out of fingering weight (and therefore being extra light) and with a simple texture that breaks up the striping with a playful repetition.

The boxy form of the pullover keeps it comfortable while a very slight waist-shaping allows for a flowing, feminine drape. To balance the larger body out the neckline is wide and rounded and more reminiscent of a ballet-neck, while fitted sleeves make the whole look more refined.

I had fun experimenting with the lower part of the sleeves: they are supposed to be a new take on the fancy renaissance cuffs. Less floppy and much more discreet, they add a nice feature and keep the whole jumper in accordance with the little prince's sensitive attention to detail.

This project also makes quite good use of rests in fingering weight yarn (that everybody of us seems to have lying around in abundance)! These can be used for the 7 different contrast-colours. 
The main concept that was followed in my own sample for combining cool and warm hues, as also low and high contrast colours, are explained in the pattern itself.

You can buy the pattern on my website here, or directly at ravelry
Dessine-moi un mouton - Le monde est triste sans imagination

We all have our little methods and preferences when working on a project, that become second nature when knitting: from simple little things that help us remember repeating occurrences up to complicated systems that are the fruit of years of experience...

... well, today I thought to share a homely, unsophisticated but vital preference of mine - an item that is always to be found in my dotty "knitting-tool-box": one I always use when knitting a garment and which helps me keeping track of repetitions or points of reference without the need to note things down on bits and pieces of paper (that I am too likely to loose anyway)!

By pinning my tiny friends on every row in question, it is immediately visible how many repetitions have been worked already and when the next one is due...
... even if the project is pulled out of a neglected corner, after many months of hibernation!

I am sure that you all have some similar small devices and methods to keep track of your work, don't you? What are your favorite little helpers hidden in your tool box?

By the way, the project you see here is my next summer top (hopefully) that I am working out of Holst Coast in Redcurrant and Fairy.

Edit June 2014: I finally found these coil-less or bulb safety pins here at Fringe Supply & CO, which has the most gorgeous knitting tools and accessories you can find!
You might also like to take a look at the Fringe Association Blog, where Karen posts many interesting things related to knitting!

I can see me using this social-media-platform much more than twitter (which I never really understood, never knew why I should write anything in the first place and which left me feeling quite stupid more than once) - instagram is more "me" as a purely visual + creative form of communication.... 

Good news is that I will be able to forward any posts on twitter, so that any followers there without an instagram account can still find out what I am up to (and I can feel much more productive when using my twitter account)!