We love sock knitting. Like… LOVE it. Such a simple project that can easily get tossed into your purse/bag to be worked on when you find yourself with a lull in your day? Perfect. (Come on now… even the busiest people have lulls in their day. Waiting for the doctor, sitting on the bus, waiting for the water to boil…)
Even if the thought of wearing wooly socks doesn’t quite turn your crank, we challenge you to try them on for size. We promise that once you start wearing them… you won’t ever want to stop.
We thought it would be a good idea to offer up to some of you sock knitters out there, both new and seasoned, some of our favourite sock patterns from the interwebs, and sock yarns that you can find at your local yarn shop.
First- let’s start with the basics. Shall we?
One of the most popular plain vanilla sock patterns on the internet is the ever talented Yarn Harlot’s sock pattern. This pattern is available in her book Knitting Rules, and is widely available in your local library, if you aren’t into spending the cash. It’s perfect for those of you that just like to knit around and around and around, and use a beautifully coloured yarn. (Remember… multi-coloured yarn doesn’t always work so well on patterned socks. The pattern gets lost in the shading!)
Are you someone who prefers ribbing all the way down the leg and foot? Then check out this pattern called A Nice Ribbed Sock by Glenna C. Another simple, easy to follow pattern for newbie sock knitters.
Great yarns to work with while churning through those socks? We have a few suggestions! (As if you even had to ask…)
Check out our ever popular sock yarn that is made in Italy called Sock It To Me Bold. Packaged in a 100 gram ball, this yarn will give knit you an adult pair, with yarn to spare! Even men’s socks! Just so long as you don’t make that leg too long… With gorgeous long colour repeats, this is a wonderful yarn to work up a plain pair of socks with. Let the colours do the talking! And let the socks keep those toes of yours toasty.
Are you wanting to churn through a pile of stocking stitch socks for everyone on your Christmas list? Then you need to have a look at Lang’s wide range of sock yarn! The self striping aspect of Lang’s yarn makes knitting socks out of this yarn wildly addictive (“Just one more stripe!”) and this yarn is built to last. Throw it in the washer, throw it in the dryer… you’re fine. Trust us! Just fine. Another little added bonus??? Lang is often good enough to tuck a little spool of reinforcement thread into the centre of your sock yarn. So when you pick up a ball, be sure to dig your fingers deep into the middle of it! Yank out the small spool, and knit the coordinating thread with your sock yarn when you go to knit the heels and toes. You will find yourself darning your socks a lot less than you are used to! Promise.
Another fabulous sock yarn that comes in a rainbow of variegated shades (rather than striping) is Cascade’s Heritage Paints. Great colour combos and a wonderful hand, you will find it a pleasure to knit with. Colourways that are exciting enough for your wild side, and tame enough for your conservative husband/best friend/mail carrier/person on your gift list. The great thing about variegated yarn??? You don’t have to worry about matching stripes. Not that I actually ever do… but some might.
Should you be someone that prefers the self-striping patterns- fear not! Cascade has very recently released Heritage Prints, a yarn that knits up in a jacquard style stripe.
While knitting plain vanilla socks is always a joy, every so often it feels good to sit down and actually focus on a stitch pattern. So allow me to introduce you to some ‘fancier’ socks.
Simple Skyp Socks took the sock knitting world by storm a while back, and if you cruise through the THOUSANDS of projects on this pattern’s Ravelry page, you will see that it can look beautiful in both solid yarn, or subtly variegated. This pattern is easy to memorize after the first few rounds and is a great introduction to patterned knitting.
One of the most well known patterned socks is Cookie A’s Monkey Socks. I have knit this pattern in multi-coloured yarn, and I have knit it in solid yarn… but I must admit that the solid coloured yarn seemed more successful to me. All that work and I wanted to show it off! Of course…
As mentioned earlier in this post, many richly textured sock patterns deserve front and centre stage- meaning that solid coloured yarn is best.
And we just so happen to have a couple of REALLY good options here for you!
West Yorkshire Spinners makes an incredible sock yarn right in the heart of Yorkshire! This yarn is 75% wool and 25% nylon, making it an easy yarn to launder (exactly what we need in a sock yarn). But what sets this yarn apart from other sock yarns is that the yarn is made up of 35% Blue Faced Leicester! This particular breed of wool, known for it’s softness and durability is what makes this sock yarn stand out in a sea of sock yarn. We simply cannot say enough good things about it!
And last, but not least, we could not talk about solid coloured sock yarn without mentioning Cascade Heritage once again (no surprise). While their variegated yarns are a hoot, their solid shades cover all of our bases. From bright pinks to classic grays, they have certainly done a very good job of working their way through the rainbow.
So there you have it dear knitters. A round up of some sock knitting patterns, and a few of our favourite sock yarns. Do you have a number one sock knitting pattern? Or yarn? Speak up! We would love to know what it is!
Until next time!
♥