Mosaic, two repeats

Thanks for all your comments to yesterday's entry, it was great fun for me to read them!  First off, yes, it's the new Six Sox pattern.  No, I really didn't like it at first, either, Mosaic patterns never did much for me, but after I dragged myself through the Amble socks, it's seemed stupid to skip an easy one.  The yarn in question is Silja, which I bought in a grab bag off Ebay a long time ago, and I am using Addi Turbo 3mm needles.  The variegated is 329 and the solid is 318, both of which The Knitter.com appears to carry.  If you've looked at *any* of my other socks, you'll know that these are not colors that I would ordinarily choose, either, but these socks are for my husband, who loves them.  As I was showing him the number of comments to yesterday's blog entry, he said the colors were all wrong in yesterday's photo, so today, I endeavored to rectify this issue...
 
This is much closer to the actual colors, yesterday's photo had some contrast issues.  I took 10 shots in different locations today (including standing on the kitchen table while my Ott light was shining on the socks) and this was the winner. 

Comments on this pattern so far:

• This pattern is awful to knit two at a time.  I have four skeins of yarn at work at the moment and every time I turn, something gets crossed.  I have to untangle a minimum of every two rows.  The best way to arrange your yarn is to put the two skeins (main and contrast) on one side of your workspace and the other two on the other side.  Make sure you turn clockwise when you flip to the wrong side and counter-clockwise when you turn back to the right side to minimize tangles.  Not portable, unless you enjoy detangling.
• I did not change needle sizes when I began the mosaic part.  I did increase my number of stitches cast on to 72 and this sock will probably be a little loose on my husband.
• Two repeats of the mosaic pattern has given me 2.75" of knitting so far.  I think I am going to have to do two more repeats to get a sock of 7" with the ribbing.  I have one more skein of the variegated in my stash, and that might not be enough to finish the feet of two socks.  Contrast toes may become a necessity.
• I would not have chosen a Strong Heel for this sock.  I think the boxiness of the pattern would be more enhanced with a flap and turn heel instead.  I haven't made a Strong Heel for my husband before, so I don't know if it will fit him as well, so I don't know if I am going to do them on these socks or not.  A S1K1 heel flap might help any bagginess problems he might have, the mosaic part is not clingy in the least.  Of course, you could always knit the original 36 stitches from the back of the heel in S1K1 and just knit the rest of the increased stitches.  With this mottled yarn, the effect on the patterning will be the same either way.  (I took a class on this heel at my LYS way back before the magazine came out and the instructor was doing the stitches increased to make the gusset in garter stitch and it looked really spectacular.)

For my car and TV knitting, I've been tearing through the Alpaca Scarf of Doom, which now needs a new moniker.  I am about halfway through the second ball and I think I will have to use at least some of the third.  I've got about 30" right now.  I will have a hard time giving this up, it's warm and cushy and very, very soft.  A cheap, fast and very nice gift.  The holidays are coming, you know...