knitting socks

tonight my youngest son Jonas is leaving for a winter training camp in the Belgian Army.  He will be sleeping in tents, in these cold temperatures.  So what can a mother do to help him overcome this ?  I racked my brain, and then thought of knitting him a pair of socks. Warm, handknitted socks that he can wear while sleeping in these cold tents.  
mmmm.  I've never ever knitted socks. 

In the big pile of patternbooks, I found a leaflet by Regia, with a good explanation - so I bought 2 balls of dark green wool, picked up 5 short needles size 2.5, and cast on in the ' Italian way' .

a very strechy CO,  this Italian way...

All went well, until I reached the heel part.  Somehow the explication was confusing, and part of it was just gone.  A printer's mistake.  And then I remembered Elizabeth Zimmerman.  Surely, she would mention knitting socks somewhere in her books. 
I found it in 'knitting without tears', and she talked me through the delicate heel-knitting.  She explained perfectly how to turn and what stitches to add, and where to decrease again.  It went perfectly !  The toe - part was equally well written and fun, and now I am proud to say : I have knitted a pair of socks for my son !

Thank you EZ for this perfect heel !

a well shaped toe section.

i'm thinking I like this.  I will have some more fun with knitting socks.  Regia has those beautiful skeins full of colours that give a striped effect.  Would my husband like yellow, blue and green ?