New Favorites; Stone Knits Colorwork Socks

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I love knitting socks for so many reasons. They are often made in fingering weight (my favorite), they are portable, they are the ultimate example of custom fitting a garment to your unique body, they are cozy, and they are endless opportunities for inspiration and just plain fun. I will knit a pair of socks I would never make a sweater out of, either because the pattern or color is really busy or bright, or if I’m not sure how it would fit. They also make great gifts, because the recipient will always be endlessly impressed with how you made those socks?!

I discovered Stone Knits within the past year, and she makes some truly amazing colorwork socks. I haven’t actually dove into much colorwork in my socks beyond the world of contrast heels and toes, but I am very excited to get into it. I find that colorwork stays a bit tighter because of the floats that you carry behind the knitting, and even the best knit socks have a tendency to stretch a little from their perfect fit between washings. I imagine it is also a great way to try out different kinds of colorwork and color combinations before committing to something similar in a larger garment. Her designs are whimsical and fresh and always really fun to look at in my Ravelry favorites. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something extra botanical for your feet this summer.

Off the needles: Husband socks

My husband LOVES socks. It must be a family thing, his youngest brother has two full drawers of them, and in our house, there's a pair of socks to coordinate with every bow tie. So when we went to our LYS a few months back, I was totally not surprised when he picked out this yarn and said, "Can you make socks out of this?"

"Husband Socks"

(Based off of "Basic Toe Socks")

Started: January 2015

Finished: March 12, 2015

Fiber: Lana Grossa Multieffekt (Purchased at Hillsborough Yarn Shop)

Notes: I knitted these socks from the top down on DPNs. This is my third pair of socks ever, the second using this method, and so far I think I prefer it to using magic loop and knitting two socks at a time. I definitely got a case of second sock syndrome with these, and tried to counteract it by starting the second one in the same sitting that I finished the first one. That way, it was on my needles, and harder to ignore. It worked fairly well ;). I didn't even really attempt to get the striping to line up from sock to sock, and all things considered they came out pretty close! And most importantly, they fit. The foot of the second sock I knit about a half an inch too long, and when B tried them on, he tried to be a sweetheart, but I could tell he wanted it a little more snug. So I ripped out the toe and shortened it, and it turned out great. 

The one awkward element that I found was that this pattern was written for the magic loop method, so I had to keep reminding myself of where I was in the pattern in a few tricky areas. But as a whole, I felt like it was a pretty good basic sock pattern, and I'd probably knit it again if I needed another pair. 

So there they are, in all their wool glory, just in time for spring. Ha! I know they'll get lots of use eventually. 

Off the needles: simple skyp socks

This is a story of some simple socks. The story starts around this time last year, when I was determined to become more accomplished at knitting, and decided that the next big project I needed to tackle were socks. I got some lovely sock yarn for Christmas last year, and some tiny double pointed needles, and in March of this year, I started these "Simple skyp socks". 

Unfortunately for the socks, this past spring and summer I planned a wedding, went on a honeymoon, moved, and had lots of other general life transitions. Life settled down again, and I picked them back up in September. "The first sock done! Success! Alright, what's next?" You guessed it. I got second sock syndrome, hard. The overwhelming desire to knit literally anything but that second sock (poor thing). I knit a kercheif, a hat, a cowl, and then, finally, another sock.

Simple Skyp Socks

Started: March 2014

Finished: October 25, 2014

Fiber: Quince and Co Finch in Apricot (about 275 yards for the small size)

Notes: Other than the narrative above, the yarn was lovely, and the color is just perfect for fall! I liked learning the skyp stitch, and the kitchener stitch went down much more easily the second time thanks to the Purl Bee. You can find this project with more photos of the socks in progress on my Ravelry page here. They were far from perfect, but I love wearing them around my apartment. I feel like a real accomplished knitter with them on. It's a good thing too, because socks are the #1 most requested item in my family for Christmas this year. Toe up socks are being tackled next!