The Flame appreciates hand knit goods.  He spent quite some time indirectly asking for socks.  You know how it goes:  Oh those look warm and I bet those feel good while looking at my hand knit socks.  So after much time I broke down and knit him some socks.  Your basic 80 sts short rowed heel and star toed numbers and made a couple of socks by that formula since he wears them almost every day.  Which gladdens a knitter’s heart to be sure.  Then I came across some old stash yarn and felt it would suit him much better than me but men’s feet are bigger than girl’s feet, generally speaking and I started worrying about the yarn running out.  Plus the 80 st socks have a tendency to look baggy around the ankles~ most likely because they don’t get washed often.  I turned to the most excellent Nancy Bush and her Folk Socks book, which I might add has been updated recently, and followed her Simple Sock pattern that calls for 64 stitches.  Voila Modified Flame Socks.  Of course I was on tender hooks wondering if they would be too tight or not fit right on the heel and toe so had to give them to him well in advance of his birthdate in March.   In use shots of my beloved’s feet in socks:

yarny days and knitterly evenings to you all, Elka