The more socks I knit, the more I like the whole sock project concept. They’re portable, relatively quick to finish and I discover that depending on the pattern you can learn all sorts of little techniques when you do socks to add to your knitting repertoire. Not to mention that putting on a pair of hand knit socks just makes you feel happy. I read somewhere it’s like wearing expensive luxurious lingerie – perhaps no one sees it, but you do feel special having it on.
Bubble Wrap Socks
pattern by sockbug, (free on ravelry)
knit in cascade heritage
two at a time on magic loop
I fell in love with this yarn when Dee and I were baby girl yarn shopping. The yarn was soft and had a nice squish to it. The colors weren’t something most people would put together right off the bat, but to me they just made sense
I’ve made socks that had a pattern in them before but often the yarn seemed to take over and the pattern itself got lost. This stitch pattern was a simple repeat and I could easily knit these two at a time. The bubble wrap pattern really showed up beautifully in the aqua that the foot was knit in.
These socks are warm and really comfortable.
Circle Socks
pattern by Anne Campbell, (free on ravelry)
knit in Chestnut Bay Fibers Sock yarn
two at a time on magic loop
Finding kindred sock kni
tters at our Taunton Stitch ‘n Bitch was so easy – who am I kidding they’re guilty of feeding my sock obsession to the point that I can’t imagine not having a pair of socks on the needles at all times. We decided that we should start a sock KAL – after all addiction is at its best when shared with your friends. Wendy, Cheryl and I decided to take on the Circle socks – this pattern begged to be knit with a crazy variegated yarn. The green and purpl
e just jumped at me on a trip to Black Sheep Knitting and it screamed so loudly it barely spent any time in my stash before it got on a pair of needles. The pattern itself looks much more complex than it really is and it was so much fun to see the different dimensions of the circles take shape.
Wendy, Cheryl and I were headed off on a yarn crawl one week
shortly after finishing our socks and discovered we were all proudly wearing them the same day – birds of a feather huh?!
Bosnian Toes & Turkish Heels
pattern by Lucy Neatby, Knitters Magazine Fall 2008 knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock
I went nuts when I saw 
this pattern in Knitters. I didnt care what it took I had to try them. Thankfully I convinced Wendy and Cheryl to join me on my journey into sock insanity. This was not an easy pattern at all. The holes are made by pulling several stitches over one stitch. It took a bit of work to figure out how to get them looking like holes instead of smushed up blobs. My other issue was with what size
to make. This was also my first experience with size zero needles – a bit of a challeng in and of itself.
After a few false starts I was on my way and once I was on my way. While there was absolutely no possibility of knitting these two at a time, when I finally figured out the pattern it went pretty fast. Cheryl modified the pattern and added one more repeat of circles to add to the length – I did the same thing and am glad that I did. I adore the way they came out – but there is very little give to the yarn and getting the heel on is kind of a pain becuase they’re tight – once on though they’re super comfortable.
2009 Personal Sock Challenge
I’ve decided that I’m taking my love of sock knitting seriously for the new year. I’m going to shoot for a pair of socks a month. My Bosnian Toes and Turkish Heels put me in the mood as they were started and finished in the month of January – so off I go!
February begins our basic sock KAL for the Taunton SnB and I’m right on schedule with pair two for the year. Stay tuned!