On the Needles - 4/5

Earlier in the week I finished the Pamir hat, so that night I cast on Ampersand for the pooling sock challenge.   It's not far enough along to see if it's going to pool or not, but I love the colors.  I originally wanted to knit two-at-a-time but figured since it's been a while, I should probably start with just one sock first.

For those of you who knit socks, do you prefer toe-up or cuff/top-down?  I love doing toe-up so I can try it on as I knit and so I can use as much yarn as possible.  Also, what is your favorite method for binding off?  The two pair of socks that I made previously are very tight to the point where it's difficult to get over my heel.  But I also don't want the cuffs so loose that the they are constantly falling down either.  I used the Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off on those.  

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I also got my yarn today for The Loopy Ewe 2nd Quarter Challenge.  This is Madelinetosh Pashmina in Alizarin and Luster.  I'm knitting the Fjord cowl.

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I added a couple skeins of Cascade to my order to get free shipping.  I want to make Sambuca.  I'm planning on Walnut Heather (medium brown) as my main color, and Anis (blue-green) and tangerine (orange) as 2 of the 3 contrast colors.  I wasn't sure which neutral would work best, so I ordered three different colorways.  The colorway on top is Antiqued Heather and it is more of a light yellow.  The one in the middle is Aspen Heather which is a little bit lighter than the one on the bottom (Fog Hatt).  Once I find the Walnut Heather in my stash I will take a picture with the contrast colors to see how they look.  

 Check out Judy's blog to see what others have on their needles.