Every August, I develop an urge to knit new socks for the winter. This year, we had an unprecedented heatwave in mid-August. Despite that, I ordered grey self-patterning sock yarn to feed my addiction. I cast on a pair of knee-highs as soon as the yarn arrived, and two weeks later, I had my socks.
I chose a very basic wool blend for these. Wool is warm during the winter, though working with it while the rest of the world enjoyed beach-weather was… interesting. Next year, I might try to fight the urge and save sock knitting for colder days.
Lately, I’ve enjoyed sock yarns made by AdLibris. They offer a wide selection of solid colours and self-patterning shades. Most of my socks sport shades of pink and purple. For this pair, I picked Mountain Grey and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Having a grey pair of knee-highs saves on the days when I cannot face wearing colours. I couldn’t be bothered with aligning stripes this time. A mismatched pair is actually more fun than one with uniform stripes.
I used my own pattern from last year to knit these socks. Originally, the pattern is for the most basic knee-highs. I added a six stitch cable to the back of the sock, and worked decreases on both sides of the cable to ensure a snug fit. The small detail serves as an eye-catcher, and also helps with knitting. Thanks to the cable, I didn’t need to count rounds while decreasing. I chose to work both socks at the same time. Having both on the needles is another great way to avoid counting rounds, even though process feels somehow a bit slower.
I’m really happy about the way my grew knee-highs turned out. They’re comfy and warm, and I’m certain they’ll get a lot of wear during the coming winter. The urge to knit socks isn’t yet satisfied, though. I have three balls of pink Socki yarn stashed. I’d like to turn those into over-knee socks, and who knows, I might cast on sooner rather than later. After all, fall weather is returning, and my fingers are itching to fiddle with pink wool.
Love,
Heather