Andrew and I have been together for a little over six years. In this time, we’ve both gone through some significant life changes. (Duh.) While we were folding a long-overdue load of handknit socks, I asked Andrew to pull out his favorites.

From time to time, I like to try and gauge his tastes for future purchases (yarn, clothing, whatever), and I noticed that some of his former favorites are in the “giveaway” pile. I’ve been purging my handknit socks, which entails giving away 20-30 pairs of my handknit socks to make room for the new socks that I’ve finished. For whatever reason, I just don’t love these socks anymore. Giving away unloved socks doesn’t’ phase me in the slightest.

Recently, Andrew asked me to knit him some black socks to wear to work. In 2002, his favorite socks were made out of the Mannings “Wool in the Woods” C.W. Ewe, his tastes are now running towards Trekking, Regia, and Meilenweit Jacquard. Thus began the Black Sock Project; all of the socks that I knit for him (for the time being) will be black-ish, until I’ve knit all of the black(ish) yarn that I’ve bought for him.

Want some examples? Here you go:

I think that the funniest part of the conversation was where he was surprised that the socks had lasted six years- and his tastes had changed before the socks wore out.

If you want to see the progress of the Black Sock Project, you can see it on my Ravelry page. For now, I’ll be plugging away at alternative black socks for Andrew- and Day-Glo socks for me.

You know, to keep the universe balanced. I’m all about the balance.