so soft

There is no way Rowan Soft 4ply is 100% merino. It is a little too silky, the stitch definition is slightly better than you'd expect, its soft elasticity isn't quite believable and I don't trust that sheen one bit.

I swear someone slipped in some silk and microfibre when the rest of the team weren't paying attention. Made Mr and Mrs Rowan look the other way with a distressed sheep or something.

Whatever, it is yummy yarn. I like to think of it as butter disguised as candyfloss*swirls, desperately trying to escape the tightly spun structure Rowan have imposed upon them. When I have babies I will make all their clothes from it. But I don't plan to do that for a while, so until then, it was perfect for my granddad's socks.

He is 85 in a few weeks, had a dodgy knee and has problems getting his socks on somedays. Plus, as an elderly person circulation concerns dictate he really shouldn't have anything with too-tight a cuff. Lycra can be great in some things, but not necessarily for old man socks. So I've done a long a really wide ribbed cuff (the soft elasticity of the yarn really helps for this) and a nice big heel so he can slip his feet in easily. The wool will be soft and warm, yet let his feet breathe if they get sweaty. And it doesn't matter if its not too hard waring because he go many places anymore, they are really just an extra layer of slipper. I didn't really use a pattern, its a basic top-down sock on a 2.25mm addi circ.

I also added a nautical design on the toe. This is partly because he's an ex Sailor, but also to "anchor" down those feet he's not so steady on these days.

*candyfloss = "cotton candy" in English (as opposed to American-English)