Not quite matching

I wonder why it is that I find slight mismatching so pleasurable. I like design arrangements that are not quite symmetrical; pairs of chairs in different colours or patterns; the combination of geometry and florals in traditional Indonesian batik designs, and, of course, slightly mismatched socks.



I've been admiring this Nancy Bush pattern (yes, Nancy Bush yet again) for some time. It's called Hiiumaa and is essentially a pair of plain socks. Their only point of distinction is that each is striped differently. Even though they're plain, the socks have some of my favourite elements - an eye-of-partridge patterned heel and what Nancy Bush calls a round toe. All very satisfactory.



Earlier this year I bought two skeins of ONline Supersock 100 yarn from CR&K Daisy Designs at their annual knitting gathering in Wollongong. It's a strong, everyday kind of sock yarn, and the two skeins I bought matched well. Actually, they were probably designed to match well. One is a tweedy red and the other tweedy browny-beige with highlights of the same red. When I bought the yarn I immediately thought it would be perfect for the Hiiumaa socks. And it is.

Finally...I seem to have developed a tradition of photographing each of my knitted socks wearing shoes that I think complement them. This time, the shoes don't exactly show off the socks, but I think the photograph depicts what is likely to be the most frequent pairing of socks and shoes in my daily life.