Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Giveaway! Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarns

by

handpaintedIf you admire the hand knitted socks that all of your friends knit but never wanted to take them in hand, now is the time to grab your needles! This book by Carol Sulcoski and Interweave Press will seriously make you want to knit nothing but socks, and using handpainted yarns is just, well, fun!

Handpainted sock yarns have captured the hearts of countless knitters. Colorful sock yarns are little gems of the knitting universe, providing hours of knitting bliss that result in a luxurious hand-crafted item. Author Carol Sulcoski, owner of Black Bunny Fibers, a popular indie fiber sock yarn source, delves into the mystery of the handpainted sock yarn and divulges its secrets, explains how to make the best of these much-loved yarns, and shows how to knit with success with 20 new patterns designed just with these yarns in mind.

Knitters struggle with handpainted yarns. How do you design projects with them versus other types of yarns? How do you avoid the pitfalls of pooling and splotching? How do you combine multicolored handpaints with other types of yarns? Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn is designed to provide sock knitters with technical guidance so these wonderful yarns can be used to their best advantage, explaining the differences between various kinds of handpainted yarn and showing how to avoid undesirable effects. Combining her handdyeing and knitwear designing knowledge, Carol shares techniques and tips to help every sock knitter turn out fabulous footwear. Fun, original sock patterns from a variety of contributors illustrate these techniques. The patterns will be written for widely-available handdyed yarns so that readers can get the same results, but readers will also learn to identify patterns for their unique yarns.

Want this book for your stash? Leave me a comment by 3.31.09 telling me your favorite sock yarns and I’ll put you in the drawing!

Looking for more knitted socks designs and patterns to keep you warm this winter? Check out these knitted sock patterns on Etsy.

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. My favorite sock yarns are CPY’s Maizy, SWTC’s Tofutsies, and Sock Pixies hand painted Merino sock yarn. I also use Knit Picks Swish Worsted to make boot socks.

  3. I love Lorna’s (despite the pooling!) and Cherry Tree Hill. There’s a lot to be said about Paton’s Kroy too for a solid, workhorse yarn!

  7. Dear Carol, I would truely love this book, I have tried to knit socks now for 2 years! There are no kniters near me and so have been reading sock patterns trying to discover HOW to do this for a person like me with swollen feet.
    In answer to your request, I LOVE Cherry Tree Supersock Yarns. I once frogged a cuff ahd re cast on 17 times and this yarn took a beating and still looked great!
    Thank you for your kind offer. I would really cherish this if I win it and hope you would sign it. My primary website is http://www.ourchurch.com/member/h/HPA/ and I am on Ravelry.com under Halalsilks.
    I spin yarns now by hand spindle as I am quite ill.
    blessings,
    Grace in Vermont.

  11. I love Austermann Step because they are my warmest socks. But then I love the small amount of Cidermoon I have left and am hording.

  12. Koigu is my favorite sock yarn. I love the muted colors. I get my favorite handpainted sock yarns from Castle Fibers (no affiliation).

  13. I love socks!! I love a variety of yarns…. handpainteds, as well as basic solids. I particularly love yarns that are washable. I often bring sock yarns home with me as souvenirs.

    I like knitting socks toe up with magic loop and doing ‘fleegle’s’ heel.

    I’d love this book!

  16. I have become obsessed with knitting socks this winter and my favorite so far is KnitPick’s Swish DK which is so warm and soft. I have my first handdyed yarn and have been coveting this book!

  17. I love Malabrigo sock, Patons Kroy, and Plymouth Sock it to Me in the red colorway (?name). I also have started a new pattern using Berroco Sox.

  18. I love BMFA Socks That Rock, Lorna’s Laces, pretty much anything that’s spun tightly enough to be springy. I also love Briggs and Little Tuffy.

  20. Please enter in this great giveaway – my favorite sock yarn is Kroy Stretch. Thank you!

  21. Love the washability of Dream in Color “Smooshy”. One of these days I’ll score some Sundara…gotta love those colorways!

  25. I am 65 and taught myself to knit a couple of years ago. I am doing much better would love to learn how to knit socks. I have a hard time grasping the multiple technique.

Have you read?

Summer T-Shirt Knitting Patterns

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.