I have a new favorite toe

No, not a digit, a sock toe technique. I only knit toe-up socks and I was intrigued by the magic cast on used for the Widdershins sock in the summer Knitty, but I realized I would like it better as a half- fishtail cast on. So I fishtail cast on 7 stitches then increased, magic cast on style, with some extra rounds of purl stitches in place of the kfb's to give the illusion of a toe (digit)- length toe, since the magic cast on creates rather stumpy toes. Here's what it looks like:











I used more overdyed yarn, my new obsession. I got a grab bag of self-striping yarn from eBay, since it's not available here on the peninsula. One of the balls was a particularly hideous shade of mustard with a faux fair isle pattern in black and white. So, I overdyed it with dark blue. I've finally, after several missteps which I have chronicled here, figured out how to do it. Anyway, here is a pic of the skein before I knit it:
It's actually somewhat darker, I've conquered overdying, but not photography. I'm such a Luddite, I know. Well, not a Luddite, per se. I'm not opposed to tech as such, just unable to use it efficiently.

As a teacher and CSI fan, I feel obligated to mention that I think it's apropos, as a knitter, to be Luddite-esque, since it was industrial textile machinery that Ludd destroyed. How's that for rationalization of an inability to do an everyday task? I try. Too much detail? I try.

Well, I'm on a roll now. First, was Sock Wars. I know that I'm destined to be assassinated early on, but it seems too fun to pass up. Now I've signed up for a sock swap. I hadn't done one before, because of the dearth of sock yarns that could be used to spoil a pal. It seems a bit silly to me to order yarn from the States and then mail it back. Not to mention the postage roughly doubles the cost of the yarn. However, just today I discovered an LYS with various and sundry yarn/ knitting goodies that the rest of the knitting world probably takes for granted. The best part is, a ball of KPPPM costs the same as the very mundane sock yarn I buy from my current LYS. They don't have needles smaller than 2.5mm. I think I'm just going to have to break down and order several pairs online.