So, this weekend, in addition to visiting briefly with friends, I am working at Marscon here in Williamsburg. This is my first ever con, and although it may seem a little odd to you that I would *work* instead of *attend* my first con, I think it has been a great introduction to the concept for this raging introvert. Since I am in the dealer room, I get to see the people, engage with them briefly, and I don’t have to try to come up with something to talk about, because the con is an easy lead in. Today, I met Ursula the Sea Witch, and I learned a little about the steampunk genre. I think I am quite interested in that, and hope to attend a discussion group on it tomorrow to find out a bit more.

So, the photo is of some of the things I am hoping to sell here, and some socks I have started. These pieces were not made specifically for Marscon, so there’s no theme to them. If I continue to do the con thing from a vendor perspective, that will change a bit.

The socks could do with some talking about. This is my first time doing two socks on one needle, I think. I am sure it is the first time I have tried it toe up. I cast on 28 stitches for these, worked the short row toe, and then picked up 28 stitches from the cast on and continued to knit around from there. I said toe, singular, because I did knit those one at a time.

Now, I want you to look carefully at those sock toes. The ball bands say that these two balls of yarn are the same colorway and dye lot. I’m here to tell you that it ain’t so. One of these yarns is distinctly darker than the other. I knew something was funny when I pulled out about 50 yards of ball two trying to find the place where I had started sock one. I eventually found what I thought was an approximation, but…not quite. It’s becoming more obvious as I knit down the foot that the dye lot is not the same, and I am beginning to have my doubts about the balls being the same colorway. These are not going to be matching socks. The only thing that is going to make them a pair is that they were made on the same needles at the same time and so will be exactly the same stitch wise. I had planned to make one pair of knee socks, and possibly higher by adding in some Opal Tiger, with which the darker ball coordinates. However, I may end up making four shorter socks, just so I don’t have to hide these socks under boots every time I wear them!

You might think I am overly rigid about matching. I have prided myself on being able to turn out matching socks since the first pair I knit. I don’t want to look like a sloppy knitter! A girl has to have standards in certain areas. My towels get folded wonky sometimes, but damnitall, my hand knit socks rock uniformity.