Airplane Knitting

I'm home for the beginning of the holidays - in my family the holidays start the first weekend in October - for the first time in 9 years. I flew of course, home is in Northern Virginia, and that meant plane knitting.

I dithered for a while when I was packing - I knit socks on circular needles and I'm very picky - Addi Turbos, size 1 US, with at least a 40" cord - and I treasure my needles. I also like to knit my socks 2 at a time. I suffer terribly with Second Sock Syndrome (one of my many knitting ailments, see also Yarn Cutting Panic Attacks). I don't take Addis in carryon luggage because I know myself, and I would be distraught if they were confiscated in a security checkpoint. I know we're supposed to be able to take knitting needles on planes nowadays, but I still have nightmares from hearing about someone traveling in Australia whose entire collection of Addis was cut in half at security because of their usefulness as garrotes.

I finally decided I would take some beautiful Brittany 4" dpns (which I was completely addicted to before I discovered Magic Loop) and some Socks that Rock and see how far I could get on a plain old sock.

In the airport in Austin:

Before I got on the plane in Charlotte:

Arrived at Dulles:

They just have a picot hem at the top and are plain old socks. I know they look ridiculous without the gusset in there. I keep telling myself that all socks do.

I'm tempted to pull them out and start again though. I feel like I want a different stitch count to break up the stripes (although I like the stripes) and I'm thinking about making them into Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern by Nancy Bush. I've made those before - here's the photo -

and I am tempted to try them in a variegated now. It would mean undoing all of my progress made on the airplanes, but that would have been lost time anyway.

What do you vote blog world? Simple socks or shell socks?