Socks

A padded envelope poked out of the mailbox this afternoon. Inside I found a small plastic bag of chocolate chips, an Earl Grey teabag (my favorite tea), and a gift wrapped in floral paper and tissue (tied with a piece of yarn, no tape). Since the return address label had Johnson on it, I knew what I was supposed to do next -- brew the tea and indulge in some chocolate while opening the wrapped present. Too excited to wait for the water to boil, however, I skipped the tea for the moment and tore open the paper. Inside was a pair of hand-knit socks in my favorite colors from Anna Mar's fibers, my Virginia daughter's new business. She spins yarn, knits, and creates wall hangings and master pieces on a loom. She calls this a return to the grandmotherly arts.
In an e-mail message, Anna Maria said she used two yarns for the socks: the darkest purple (heels and toes) and the lavender-purple mix (upper portion of sock) was wool sock yarn she dyed herself. For the arch part of the foot, she alternated between lavendar yarn and some off-the-shelf sock yarn that had been machine dyed in such a way that it produces a pattern in blue, black, and white.
The socks fit perfectly, but the comfort level surprised me. They're incredibly soft and they conform to my feet's shape without squishing my toes. There was also no bulges or extra fabric to press against feet rubbed a bit raw during a recent run ... pure Virginia comfort knit together with lots of love.
Check out her website at http://homepage.mac.com/steverinojohnson/annamarsfibers or send her an e-mail at annamar@mac.com. See if she'll knit you a pair, or weave a masterpiece to wear or hang. (Photos by Nelson Bowen).