I had to go to Chicago this week on a business trip.  I always hated the travel part of business trips because the airport waits and flights always seemed to take forever.  Three things may have changed all of that:  I learned how to knit socks, I finally got an iPod, and I discovered audible.com.

In case you are a technological late bloomer like me and don't know about audible: they have a good inventory of book recordings that you can download.  For $17.95 a month you can download any two books every month and get a discount on additional purchases.  In addition to playing them on your iPod, you can also just download them to your PC and listen to them there, or copy them to CD.

This time the six hour trip (that's how long it really takes door to door) was really quite pleasant as I spent most of it listening to a P.D. James novel (The Lighthouse) while knitting this:



This is the Jaywalker sock pattern by Grumperina, which is available online for free.  It's a great pattern for multi-color handpaints, and quite simple as there is only one pattern row that is easy to remember once you get started.

The yarn is Prism Saki in Blue Lagoon.  Hanks just got in several new colors of Saki:  Blue Lagoon, Smoke, and Tumbleweed, in addition to the colors that are already up on the web site. 

When I first saw the Saki, I have to admit that I was rather disappointed because it is not as soft as Jitterbug or Supersock.  And, I must confess that I didn't say anything because I just don't have the nerve to question the fiberly judgement of Laura Bryant of Prism, whom I revere as a fiber goddess.  She has high standards for the yarns that she selects for Prism and was quite careful in choosing a sock yarn. 

Now that I have been knitting with it, I realize that although it is somewhat rough, it is not at all scratchy, and will make a comfortable, substantial pair of socks.  The fabric has the rough feel of traditional wool, but without the itchy factor.   The high nylon content (25%) should also make them durable.