Tag Archives: socks

New Favorites: Boyfriend socks

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Boyfriend socks

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like wearing socks, like, in the daytime — with shoes — and do it only under duress. But on a chilly evening, with leggings or pajama pants? Nothing seems more appealing than old-school sweat socks or L.L. Bean-style ragg wool socks. So from the minute Shannon Cook and Jane Richmond released the pics from their new joint collection, Journey, I’ve been dying to knit the Climb socks, pictured above. Perfect examples of their type.

See also: IBH’s Toasty Socks from Green Mountain Spinnery and Men’s Socks for Giving Away (or, you know, keeping for yourself) at the Purl Bee (free pattern). And the cutest little improvised socks I have yet seen.

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New Favorites: Footie socks

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New Favorites: Footie socks knitting patterns

The main reason I was never much interested in knitting socks is that I don’t really wear them. I live by the San Francisco Bay, where “summer” means perhaps wearing sandals with our sweaters once in awhile, and “winter” means boots and a light jacket over that sweater, and you’re good to go. You don’t really need socks in your boots — the boots are pretty much just for keeping your feet dry during the drizzly season. But if you were around here last winter, you probably heard me whining about how cold my feet got (still get, most days) in my studio/office/micro-warehouse, which I moved into in January. As the sun begins to shift in the sky, I’m increasingly preoccupied with the idea of warm socks and how one wears them. It seems like what would serve me best are footie socks — little guys that will tuck obscurely into ankle boots or Birkenstocks. AND! abbreviated socks mean quicker FOs, which means more of them. Which is awesome because the most appealing thing about knitting socks is exploring the million different ways there are to construct them. So bring on the little socks!

TOP LEFT: Turkish Bed Socks from Churchmouse, with interesting roundabout construction — one of the first patterns I ever bought and possibly the next I’ll knit (+Ravelry)

TOP RIGHT: Pom Pom Peds from the Purl Bee, top-down ultra-classics (+Ravelry) (free pattern; see also their Sporty Striped Peds)

BOTTOM LEFT: Picot Socks from the Pom Pom Magazine blog, toe-up with a little hemmed cuff (+Ravelry) (free pattern)

BOTTOM RIGHT: Summer Clog Socks — or, as the pattern/recipe is labeled, “Clog Socks of Doom” — really intriguing construction, but how do we feel about the business with the elastic thread? Your thoughts on that, please. (free pattern)

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I made a sock

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Stepping Stones hand-knit sock

I swore I was going to knit a sock this summer, right? Which to me means by Labor Day. After that Starter Socks post awhile back, I exchanged a few tweets with Clara Parkes and decided my first socks would be her Stepping Stones, seen in that post — a free pattern, in worsted-weight yarn, and Clara knows from socks. When Sarah Hurwitz recently announced her “sockalong,” I almost wavered and cast on Hermione’s Everyday Socks with her instead (the other contender from my Starter Socks post). But 1) fingering, not so compatible with my self-imposed deadline, and 2) I don’t even own any sock-appropriate fingering. What I did have in my stash, when the mood hit me last Saturday night, was this variegated Malabrigo Rios, which was sure to obscure the nice stitch pattern on the leg, but which happens to be superwash. Since warm feet are the objective, and a little rim of blue-green sticking out of my boot tops will suit me just fine, the decision was made.

What I hadn’t noticed is that even though it’s a worsted-weight pattern, it’s knit on US2 needles, 54 stitches per round. Hermione is 64 stitches on US1 needles, so not as big of a difference as I might have assumed. But I’m glad I stuck with Clara’s pattern, and I especially love the way the heel flap is done. It’s knit with alternating strands of the same yarn — stranded knitting! — and the tension and double-density of those floats make for what seems like a pretty bomb-proof heel. (I won’t even try to describe how slowly I knitted the wrong-side rows of that stranded section. Thank god it’s only a two-inch square!) End result: super dense sock, sure to keep my toes warm in the studio this winter and survive repeat washings. But if anyone has thoughts on sock-worthy, worsted-weight, wool yarns that don’t have that unfortunate squeakiness of superwash — the earthier the better — please voice them! Meanwhile, I’ll be doing my research. Because there are more sweater-weight socks in my future.

So I made a sock this summer. Now the question is, how long before it has a mate? Feel free to wager and/or tell me about what you’re working on! And have a lovely weekend, whether it’s a holiday for you or not.

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Ann Budd’s “Five Easy Pieces”

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In praise of Ann Budd's Five Easy Pieces

After a veritable forty days in the desert, new knitting patterns are finally starting to drop at a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pace again. There have been several lovelies this week that will have to wait for future New Favorites, but right now I want to talk about Ann Budd’s new collection for Quince & Co., Five Easy Pieces. It’s a hat, a pair of gloves, a pair of mittens, a scarf and a pair of socks. All lovely. But true to Ann Budd form, each one is written up in five different gauges, from fingering to chunky, corresponding to the five core Quince yarns. (The one exception being there’s no chunky version of the gloves.) Plus, most of the simple stitch patterns are based on multiples-of-four stitches, so you can swap them around amongst the different patterns at will. I’m already picturing that chevron cable on a hat. (Which, come to think of it, would look a whole lot like this, no?)

You can see all five patterns here, view the lookbook here, and download the ebook here.

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In other news, I’m happy to be able to tell you that both of the Fringe Supply Co. totes can now be found at the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store in Portland (among all these other fabulous shops). Sorry I don’t have any knitting to show you this week, but that’s the kind of week it’s been. All the more reason I’d love to hear about what you’re making …

First socks x colorwork = bad idea?

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Flying Geese quilt and socks

Two things I had vowed to knit this summer: my first pair of socks, and some kind of colorwork project. I keep waffling on which socks (currently debating between one of these or these), and have been collecting good options for beginner colorwork (watch for a roundup!), and it would probably be a bad idea to combine the two in one project. But I’ve been sorely tempted by this Flying Geese sock pattern that recently appeared at Knitty. The traditional Flying Geese quilt is one of those impossibly beautiful, timeless designs, and I love Lacey Volk’s idea of adapting it to a sock pattern. Plus the construction is pretty fascinating. The minute the always-inspiring Maura Grace Ambrose, of Folk Fibers, began Instagramming her indigo- and osage-dyed quilt (above left), I began picturing these socks in a combination of undyed and indigo-dyed yarns. Wouldn’t those be the best socks ever?

It’s just a little short-row intarsia — what could go wrong?

Meanwhile, since August means the onset of back-to-school-clothes fever, this week’s ICYMI post is FO Sightings: Z’s coveted closet of handmade clothes.

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New Favorites: Camp wear

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perfect campsite knits

I have got camping fever, people. West Texas road trip fever. Live in a van fever, even. I’m way past due for an outdoor adventure, and editing a book of camping recipes (with corresponding drool-inducing images of savory foods in cast-iron skillets over open fires) is not helping. Then along comes the preview for the new issue of Pom Pom Quarterly. Look! Oddly, I wasn’t factoring knitwear into any daydreams I may have been having, but I am now!

LEFT: These adorably slouchy Camp and Trail socks by Pom Pom’s Lydia Gluck would be a dream after a long hike into the backcountry or around a campground fire.

RIGHT: And this Flying Squirrel wrap by Michiyo (from the new Brooklyn Tweed Wool People 5 collection) would be equally perfect around camp. It’s a big rectangle shawl with anchoring armholes on two corners, which you wouldn’t always have to use. It cracks me up that the pattern is called Flying Squirrel (get it?), and that it’s defined as a “textured stole garment.”

Have I ever told you my friends Meg and Jo (mother and daughter), who taught me to knit, take camping trips together where they just camp and knit? I need to get in on that.

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One more thing!

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No.6 Old School Clogs and socks

I can’t believe I did a post about things that make me want to make socks and left out the photo above, which comes from the No.6 blog. I can’t even tell you how many times I have looked at this image in the past week or two. I want the clogs desperately — No.6 Old School Clog on Mid Wedge in Desert. (I recite that phrase in my sleep.) (Have I told you my childhood clogs sob story?) But — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — I want to wear them with sweet little footie socks. Handmade, of course. I have an ultra chic, super petite, Japanese floral designer neighbor who wears little colored socklets with pointy flats, so you just barely see the edges of the socks poking out. The idea of a hipster/hippie clog variation on her look amuses me greatly.

Good footie sock patterns, anyone?

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