Last night I finished a test knit for a pair of socks called Lion Tamers, by Rebecca Williamson. They are not yet live, but I’ll change the link on my Ravelry page when they are live. These socks are very pretty to look at, without a ton of extra work. The design is very easy to memorize, and apart from working with two skeins at once, they could be a good travel project. I was able to knit the second sock in about 3 days. A very fast knit. The techniques needed include knowing how to knit 2 together, how to ssk, kitchener stitch, and some other minor details. Knowing how to knit socks is an advantage going in, but the pattern is so well written that it would be a great pattern for beginners. Since you are using two skeins of yarn, you can potentially get two pairs of identical socks. Or, you could flip your colors and get a pair that are opposites.
I used a solid charcoal grey yarn, whose button band vanished as we were doing some redecorating and moving of furniture. I paired with it a ball of Lang Yarns, Jawoll color, Aktion. The colors are pinks and browns. It paired very well with the grey.