I've been dragging on finishing projects for the past two weeks. The heat has just been unbearable, even inside in the air conditioning. The past couple of days have been beautiful, though -- days in the mid 90s, mornings in the low 70s. It's almost like summer is ending.

And, of course, this kicks my knitting motivation into high gear. Cooler weather means more knitwear lovers are on the shop. Visions of sweaters and scarves and cozy mittens...and socks! Or so we'll hope. ;) I may list a couple of scarves that I've worked on throughout the year, just to see how they do.

Motivation to knit means motivation to drop a ton of money on yarn! So far I'm resisting, but I know I can't hold out much longer. I crave some spicy reds and soft purples that have been missing from my stash for a couple of months. I have a new design I want to test.

Until I give in, though, I guess I'll work with what I've got, painful though that might be.

After a couple of requests for vegan socks, I decided to sit down and do my research on vegan yarns suitable for socks. I'm a die-hard wool fan, so my goal was to find something with a bit of spring, that was easy on the hands, not cotton, and suitable for cool weather without feeling like you've slipped plastic bags over your feet.  

I found a couple of different types that suited my fancy, but decided on Knit One Crochet Too's Wick yarn. It's 53%soy, 47% polypropylene, and has a great texture. It feels like microfiber and isn't too yucky, fakey feeling on my hands. Polyproylene is a big material in athletic clothing and is well known for it's spring and wicking abilities (guess that's why they named it Wick!)

Today, I'll start my first pair of vegan socks. I'm very excited about this new material and I hope it ends up being a good alternative yarn for me. It'll be great for everyone with wool allergies or just a desire to avoid exploitative materials.