Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Learn to Knit Socks with this Easy Ribbed Sock Pattern

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If you’ve been a reader here for very long (and thank you if you have, or even if you’re just joining us!) you probably know that I’m a big fan of sock knitting. I know some people don’t like it, and some people are intimdated by it, or just wonder why someone would bother with such a thing, but my knit socks are my favorites and I always wish I had more of them.

Socks are a great project to always have on the needles if you need something to take with you to a doctor’s appointment or anywhere else you might be waiting. A sock doesn’t take up much space in your bag and most of the pattern is usually pretty repetitive and easy once you get the hang of it.

Such is the case in particular with ribbed socks. Adding ribbing across the whole body of the sock also adds a lot of stretch, so they cling to the foot nicely but also fit a wider variety of foot sizes.

If you’ve never knit a sock before, the Tin Can Knits Everyday Socks are a great place to start. This pattern includes sizes ranging from newborn to adult large — seven sizes in all — and includes options for shorties or crew length socks. Not only that, you can also choose your yarn weight, from standard sock yarn for everyday socks you can comfortably wear with shoes to worsted weight boot socks that almost double as slippers for wearing around the house.

The pattern goes into why you might want to use different weights of yarn, and there’s a great detailed blog post that covers all the questions you might have when getting started and knitting the socks.

The Everyday Socks pattern is available on their website and on Ravelry. You can purchase just this pattern or the whole Everyday collection, which includes the socks, a hat, a pullover and a cardigan pattern.

[Photo: Tin Can Knits]

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Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.