Knit Socks and a Cozy with Jazz

I like to come up with themes for different days of the week to amuse myself and make it a little easier to plan out content for the month, so I’ve decided that from now until I get tired of it Wednesdays will be “Whimsy Wednesdays,” where I share some kind of fun, maybe a little wacky, knitting pattern that has tickled me in some way and I hope will do the same for you.

If you’re a child of the 1990s, you probably immediately recognize the graphic on this sock and cup cozy combo. The iconic design is called Jazz, and it was used on disposable cups through 2015 and has been seen copied onto all sorts of things, including cars, shoes and now, socks.

The Paint Brush socks and cup cozy pattern from Etsy seller Lost Socks Knits features a woolly variation of the classic teal and purple strokes, with a bit of extra colorwork around the foot near the toe.

The pattern comes in three sizes, which are made by adjusting the needle sizes, and they are worked from the top down using three colors of sock yarn. The colorwork sections are charted, and the sock includes a heel flap and gusset. Of course you could work them in other colors but the ones shown here really are classic and will make it easier for people to understand the reference.

The coordinating cup cozy comes in one size and is a fun addition to the ensemble (and of course it’s fitting to have the design on something cup related). Stitch these up to wear and use at your next yoga class or as a gift for a friend who loves all things late 2th century.

You can grab the pattern from Etsy. Lost Socks Knits has a small but cute collection of sock knitting patterns including flowers, axolotls, owls and hearts.

[Photo: Stephanie Maz]

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Simple Short Socks Knitting Pattern

Waves Socks– Free Knitting Pattern
These cozy Waves Socks are a lovely choice if you want a handknit sock pattern with a little texture but nothing too fussy. The gentle scallop stitch creates a soft wave effect, making them pretty enough for gifting but still practical for everyday wearing. They’re worked in light worsted weight yarn, so they knit up a little faster than fine sock yarn socks too.

Ladies Lace Top Socks – Free Knitting Pattern
These Ladies Lace Top Socks are a sweet step up from a basic handknit sock, with a delicate lace cuff that adds just the right amount of pretty. The rest of the sock is worked mainly in stocking stitch, so it’s a nice project for knitters who are ready to try sock shaping without making the whole thing overly complicated. A lovely handmade gift idea, especially if you use a soft 4-ply sock yarn.

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns.

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn.

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options.

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners.

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set.

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn.

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers.

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.

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