I Think My Broken Heart Might Mend

Ah, the heartbreak of the wrong pattern / yarn combination. Why can't they just get along? The Spring Knitty Surprise pattern Froot Loop is great--as soon as I saw it (like two days ago), I knew that I wanted to knit it. I also knew that I wanted to start socks with the aptly named Paris Too to take on my trip. Perfect! I'll start right away, so that I can maybe get two on one needle, and knit knit knit on the plane.

No, not perfect. I mis-read the ribbing pattern (I did 7 repeats of 9 stitches, instead of 9 repeats of 7 stitches), so that's no good. Before I ripped back, though, I decided to try a few rows of the Froot Loops. I knit the first 14 stitches in pattern (above, right side), and then just knit around. Even after only three rows, it's clear that the pattern is totally obscured by the row to row contrast.

I'll definitely give this pattern another try, though--I like the Froot Loops a lot. They're like a combination of the circle pattern from the Poppy Socks (though the stitch is a little different) and a little twisted stitch, with a different result. The only question is what pattern should I use for the Paris yarn? And I guess whether I should take the Paris yarn to Paris, or take the Froot Loops? Maybe another good question is why haven't I already started packing? I guess that there isn't only one question.

p.s. Let the record show that I missed my April walking / running goal of 40 miles by 0.37 miles, for the sole reason that I am too vain to wear running shoes to a rock concert. I certainly covered that much ground (and briskly) without even counting any dancing, as I parked a few long blocks away from the venue. May's goal is only 25 miles, because I probably won't run regularly while I'm on vacation, and because I am also unlikely to wear running shoes while on the tourist trails.