Knitting

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Giveaway: Sockupied

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sockupied giveaway

Judith is the winner!

I spent a fair bit of yesterday knitting the heel flap, turning the heel and working the gusset on a sock I’d neglected for more than a year. I’d knit the leg a long time ago and just moved on to other things, as will happen, but I’m trying to finish some things before the end of the year and it felt like a good place to start.

It reminded me how much I love knitting socks, especially that particular part I did yesterday, where the magic happens. It finally feels like you’re knitting a real thing when it curves into a sock shape, and I think that very part may be one of the many reasons so many of us like to knit socks so much.

Whether you know that feeling or have yet to knit your first pair, this week’s giveaway is designed to encourage the sock knitter in you. Sockupied: 20 Knit Projects to Satisfy Your Sock Obsession, edited by Anne Merrow, features patterns and advice from the “pages” of the digital magazine of the same name from Interweave. It includes 20 patterns from basic to slightly mind-blowing, as well as advice on things like working stranded colorwork on socks, casting on, binding off and shaping toes.

Check out all the patterns on Ravelry, and if you’re interested in winning this one, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, Dec. 4. I’d love to know how many pairs of socks you have knit and/or your preferred construction method. I usually go with top-down but my toe-up ones are probably my favorites to wear. Go figure.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  2. I have still never had the opportunity to knit socks. These models are very beautiful and I would like to try!!!

  7. I have knit zero pairs. I am intimidated by socks!
    BUT my goal is to conquer sock knitting in 2017!

  12. I’ve knit 12 (!!!!) pairs of socks this year! I prefer the toe-up construction and a Fish Lips Kiss heel. My favorite pair so far is a No Purl Monkey pattern from Cookie A. It was free on Ravelry and has been a real pleasure to knit with the partridge eye heel. I like to try new construction and the last pattern I knit was a Vanilla Reversed sock.

  14. I have one sock that needs to be finished! just 2″ to the toes and my socks will be complete! Help me finish knitting that pair of socks! Its Christmastime, and my Carolina Panthers aren’t winning!

  15. I love knitting socks. I’m not sure how many I’ve made, but my favorite construction is toe-up. I even make toe up baby socks for new parents!

  16. I am very lucky my sister knits all of my socks for me. I think she prefers the top down version. I know she does both top down and toe up. I would love to win this book for her.

  19. I’ve knit at least 50 pairs, I still love them and have 2 drawers full. I also have 2 drawers full of sock yarn that need a little inspiration.

  24. I knit a pair of socks every month to month and a half. They’re my go-to-meeting knitting, mindless and portable, and my job sadly requires quite a few meetings. I have at least 20 pairs now. I normally do toe-up with a gusset and heel flap, but love exploring different construction techniques.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.