Socks Yeah! but not just for socks

Socks Yeah! has been available for a few months now and there are loads of brilliantly executed socks out there. I'll share some of the best at some point soon. What has interested me recently though, is what else the yarn has been used for. A little digging through Ravelry and Instagram threw up some really impressive projects.

Super Eyelet Fine by Fiona Wright; Photo: The Woolly Brew

Super Eyelet Fine by Fiona Wright; Photo: The Woolly Brew

This Super Eyelet Fine shawl has been designed by Fiona Wright, a partner in The Woolly Brew yarn shop in Pitenweem. It is available as a free download from Ravelry now, and should knit up fairly quickly so you have something new to keep you warm during cool spring evenings.

This shawl, made by Aiko in Rachel's favourite shade, features a textured section that will look good at the back or the front of your neck, depending on how you wear it. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern go to a scholarship fund at the Australian National University in memory of the designer's brother.

Northallerton Hat by Rachel Coopey; Photo: Carol (UnfadingSpring)

Northallerton Hat by Rachel Coopey; Photo: Carol (UnfadingSpring)

This Northallerton hat, made by Carol, from Coop Knits Toasty Volume 1 shows that Socks Yeah! looks good in stranded colourwork, as well as in lace patterns. I could certainly do with wearing it to protect my head from the piercingly cold wind that I've been out in this week.

If crochet's more your thing than knitting, be sure to have a look at Crochet Yeah!, a book of crocheted accessories in Socks Yeah! from The Crochet Project. More on that soon! 

Socks from everywhere: Red

Many years ago I had a student whose father was a doctor. He would come along to parents' evenings in his sombre suits that he clearly wore to work, but you could pick him out from the crowd as soon as he sat down as he was partial to alarmingly bright socks, usually in vivid yellows or reds. 

I've done a little research on Ravelry and found that red is far from the most popular colour for socks. Perhaps it's the look-at-me quality that this dad was going for that some knitters shy away from. I would not presume to know, but here are four pairs that caught my eye.

Pattern: Im Kreis der Familie by Regina Satta; Photo: duesselhexe

Pattern: Im Kreis der Familie by Regina Satta; Photo: duesselhexe

These just look good. The variegation of the Drachenwolle yarn doesn't detract from, or disguise the cabling. Instead it adds depth to the design. The pattern name is In the family circle in English and these fine examples were made by prolific sock knitter Alexandra (duesselhexe on Ravelry).

In looking through thousands of sock projects, I've seen this pattern many times and these, from knitter and designer knittymelissa are good examples. I'm a relative newcomer to colourwork, but like the simplicity of the idea here of the gradual change in colour which works well. It would be a shame to wear shoes with these since the instep colourwork would be hidden from view.

Stephanie van der Linden's designs seem to really stand out from the crowd and could easily have chosen two or three for this post alone. The leafy lace pattern on these Esther socks, made by knittyliciousuk, is accentuated by the hint of sparkle in the Easyknits Twinkle yarn.

This came up as one of the top hits when i went looking for red socks and I couldn't resist putting them in. It's just a fun design that made me smile when I first saw the photos. Maybe these are for you and you can be the one standing out from the crowd with apples on your socks.....

VT

For the Tree

In a panic about what to get for your child's teacher? Need a bauble for your knitting group's annual decoration swap? Want something classy, but quick to make for your tree?

The mini-stockings from the For the Tree set could be your answer. Re-edited for 2015, pattern instructions for all five come together:

Choose from stranded colourwork, beaded or cabled stockings. Or even better, make all five! Because the projects are relatively small scale, these are a great opportunity to try out something new.

I've been told that I should have a go at the cabled and beaded one on the far right. The trouble is, I've never put beads onto a knitted piece before. Fortunately, Cat Bordhi's YouTube video, featuring Wayne's World stye extreme close-ups, has come to my rescue.

A bead can be are easily placed around the neck of a stitch before it is worked, using either a very fine steel crochet hook, or a floss threader (easily found in any drug store). Here I demonstrate both methods on my sock pattern, HITHER & YON, which can be found in my eBook, CAT'S SWEET TOMATO HEEL SOCKS, or as a single pattern.

The For the Tree set is available now from the Coop Knits Ravelry store. Be sure to share your progress and photos with the Coop Knits Ravelry group. If you have previously purchased the set, your Ravelry library will have an update waiting for you.

 

Decca and Delbert KAL Round-up

The first autumn KAL came to a close a little over a week ago. The two patterns were Decca and Delbert from Coop Knits Socks Volume 2. Here's a selection of the finished socks posted to the Ravelry thread.

First are the Delberts. From left to right, the projects of agita, Rubywool and pookiebb.

Then the Deccas of aiko1122, writergirl3 and gillianrp.

As ever with knitalongs, there is a random prize draw, with two yarn prizes and three pattern download prizes.

Using a random number generator, the randomly selected yarn winners are MissFrances and jillrlambert, and the pattern winners are mandyscragg, aiko1122 and writergirl3. Congratulations to you all!

The next sock KAL has started already (Wilbert and Orville) and you can post your progress on the Ravelry thread.  Happy sock knitting!