Review: Easy Knitted Socks

I’m sort of doing a sock week over at About this week, so it seemed appropriate to review a little sock book over here as well.

Easy Knitted Socks, compiled by Amy Palmer, is a booklet containing 14 projects. It starts with tips on knitting in the round and making jogless stripes and then provides a nice variety of patterns for socks rugged and romantic, for kids up to adult men. Many of the projects have multiple sizes, though they don’t always say which size corresponds to what sort of foot, so you may still need to measure the foot you want to fit to find the ideal pattern and size.

Some of my favorites include the Ribby Retro Socks by Chrissy Gardiner, which look like classic athletic socks (but in a cute way); Jennifer L. Appleby’s Uptown Boot Socks, featuring a delicate allover cable pattern; Gardiner’s toe-up Wooly Toe Socks, worked in stripes and sized to fit kids and adults in crew length or knee high styles (they use an afterthought heel, too, which is pretty fun); the Tyrolean Stockings form Ann Budd, which are pictured on the cover; and the pretty, lacy Socks for Véronik by Mona Schmidt.

None of the patterns are rated by skill level, and there isn’t a plain Stockinette sock in sight, so this may not be the best book for beginner sock knitters. But if you have a couple of pairs under your belt and you’re ready to try something that’s a little bit more challenging but still not difficult, this book has a great collection for all sorts of styles and all kind of feet.

[Photo via Interweave/F+W.]

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

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

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Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

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