Friday Harbor socks for my pal

Guess who finished their sock pal's socks last Tuesday:

Here it is! (modeled by Q). No worries, I finished both:

Here they are blocking. I don't own sock blockers (yet), so I did it the old-fashioned way. And surprisingly that worked great:

I admit this is the first time I've blocked socks. But I want them to be as perfect as can be for my sock pal. The only problem is that I forgot how looong wool takes to dry. I blocked them on Wednesday and they are still a little damp today. So I will mail them Monday. (sorry sock pal!).
Details:
The yarn is Brown Sheep NatureSpun. A very soft yarn that I think I will use again for socks.
The pattern is Friday Harbor from 'Knitting on the Road' by Nancy Bush. I knit it toe-up, reversing the chart. I didn't knit as long, because I was unsure how long my sock pal likes her socks. I found that the best cast-off was the Sewn-cast-off (from Elizabeth Zimmerman - 'Knitting without Tears'). This cast-off showed the pattern best.
I think I will use this pattern again. It was easy and fun. (and my first lacy sock!).
I'll end my post with something that I taught myself this week:

Socks with 2 circular needles. I love it! This is a 'practice' sock, knit with yummy Mountain Colors yarn. It is now just about done, yet put on hold for a minute. And why did I finally cave and learn? Because I just finished reading 'A Good Yarn'? No, I am getting the privilege of test-knitting a sock pattern. (not the one in the picture). But more on all that later....