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Question for all of you Sock Knitters (and a giveaway hidden inside…)

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sockSocks are a great portable “take it and go” project, I don’t have to tell you that. However. For me, socks take and E.T.E.R.N.I.T.Y to knit! Forever! I would love to get into knitting socks, but when it takes longer to knit one sock than a whole sweater, I lose my drive.

So, how do you, as sock knitters deal with that? I’d love to find a pattern that uses worsted, dk, or even sport weight. Can you steer me towards one?

The last catalog that KnitPicks sent out (not this past one, but the one before that) featured socks. The socks, all supposedly hand knitted, were all lined up in a drawer and looked so soft, comfortable and squishy. Made me want to knit nothing but socks the rest of my life.

I know what you’re saying, figure it out yourself, how hard could it be, but I’d rather hear from you tried and true knitters on your failsafe patterns.

Anyone? Anyone at all?

The above book, Sock Innovation is by Cookie A. Pretty cool book, lots and lots of neat ideas but beyond that, it’s a technique book.  Take the cuff you want, the heel and toe you want, choose a gusset and put them all together, the way you want to. Even an after thought heel. (there is hope for my sock knitting after all!). There’s a chapter on stitch techniques, working with charts, taking a written stitch pattern and converting it to a sock pattern and lots more. The socks in this book are all gorgeous, there aren’t any I don’t like, so why give it away? I’m sure someone else could better be served by this book.  Someone like you!

So, of all the comments that I get (steering me toward sock patterns that use worsted, dk or sport weight yarn), I’ll send an email to everyone. First one to respond with their mailing address gets the book. K?

Next Pattern:

Comments

  3. Briggs and Little have great sock patterns. Their Heavy sock pattern (#104)uses Aran weight yarn and is written for adult and child, while the fine socks pattern uses sport weight yarn and is written for Adult men’s, adult women’s, childs medium, and child’s small. You can buy them at http://www.briggsandlittle.com if you can’t find them in a store near you.

    Hope that helps.

  4. I’m an avid sock knitter and the only way to finish them is to take them everywhere you go- I have several little bags that attach to my purse that allow me to take them everywhere. You’d be surprised how fast they get done. Usually a pair a week. I think my favorite to knit at Cookie A’s Monkey sock!

  5. I’m one of those knitters who doesn’t knit anything but socks. Seriously, almost nothing but socks. I’m branching out a bit into baby-wear, but even that tends to end up being booties.

    In my opinion, the very best sock pattern for beginners is the Lifestyle Toe-Up Socks. There’s no swatching, you try it on as you go, and it works with any weight of yarn that you want–if you want to do your first pair in extra-bulky yarn, you can. (Though it’s worth mentioning that the thicker yarn, the later you want to start your heel–the pattern says 1.5″-2″ before the end of your foot, but for thick yarn, you might want to consider about an inch.)

    Socks get faster after a while–I used to spend literally weeks on each sock, but I’ve gotten to a point where I can do them almost without thinking, even when they’re fairly complex. For whatever reason, it just took me a while (several pairs) to get used to the small needles, the short-rows of construction, and the thin yarn, but when it clicked, it *clicked*.

  6. This might not be the answer you are looking for, but I find that a great pattern makes things go MUCH more quickly. For example, there is a reason that so many people have made Cookie’s “Monkey” socks– they fly off the needles! (That pattern is on knitty.com, I believe.)
    That being said, there are some cool patterns using heavy-weight yarn. I am excited to try the Log Cabin Socks by Anne Woodbury (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/log-cabin-socks)– lots of cables and BULKY yarn! I’ve also done some basic socks using Cascade 220 superwash, and they come out really nicely too.

  8. K. Bellehumeur aka Silver, has the most awesome online sock class available. Her patterns are copyright protected, but she allows you to make socks with them and sell them accordingly. She’s the first person I bookmarked for knitting for a reason: http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/

    I highly recommend ANY level knitter to check them out.

  9. Have you checked out Silver’s Sock Tutorial? She gives directions for just about every weight of yarn! If you want something a little more exciting, check out Broadripple from Knitty (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTbroadripple.html). It calls for DK weight yarn.

    I’m not a sock knitting pro at all, but I really want to work on my sock knitting skills. It definitely takes a lot more work at the beginning, but I think once you finally get in the groove of things it’s just as easy as any other project. I’ve been looking at projects from Cookie A.’s book, and I would love a chance to win it! She’s an amazing sock designer, and I think I could learn a lot from her to get me into the sock knitting groove.

  11. You don’t need a pattern if you knit them toe-up and use Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Afterthought Heel. Just figure out your gauge, cast on the appropriate # of stitches in your worsted or DK, and start knitting in circles until your sock is as long as you want it. I am halfway through the second sock of a pair knitted in anonymous thriftstore worsted in a pretty peach color right now. I am the world’s CLUMSIEST knitter and I can do this, so anyone can 😉

    http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html

    http://knitting-up-a-storm.blogspot.com/2009/04/afterthought-heel-pt1.html

  12. Hi!
    I work at Knit Picks, and although I personally can’t knit socks yet, I can tell ya that all the socks in the catalog were indeed knit by hand. I think we have the world’s best test knitters!

    We also have a free pattern on our web site for two at once, toe up, magic loop socks. If I ever decide to tackle sock knitting, I think this is the route I’d go. Good luck!!

  13. i realize I am years behind commenting here:-0
    but TOE up is the ONLY way to go..
    I have knit both ways..& to day TOE UP is easier & faster is an understatement.

    SO quick I could have knit a pair in two days ..( Just evenings , I should say )

    love toe up ..

Have you read?

Knit a Sweet Hood Covered with Flowers

I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to  stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]