The Sock Pile Grows

Now there's a pretty picture!! Doesn't the sight of all that glorious colour and neat knitty stitches make you go just a tad weak at the knees? Piles of handmade yarny things are my most favourite kind of piles, and I am thrilled to have the beginnings of my very own personal Sock Pile. They are mine, all mine!!!

Ok, so if you've just recently landed here in the Attic looking for the crochet and wondering if I've gone a bit off the rails with all this knitting business, fear ye not. I am still first and foremost a dedicated hooker at heart, with just a little bit of an addiction to knitting socks on the side. You can read about my sock making journey here and here.

If you already know about my sock making story, then lets have a quick catch-up on progress shall we? I do so love to share my creative carryings on, thank you as always for egging me on with my yarny adventures. You are very good enablers, every last one of you.

I finished my third pair of socks at the end of February, they really were a delight to make.

The stripes in this yarn aren't as overly stripy or patterny as the Opal or the Arne and Carlos ones I've made previously, but the glorious colours more than make up for that {this is Regia sock yarn :: Design Line by Kaffe Fassett :: Ombre Stripe, colourway chilli pepper}

I've worn them a lot since they came off my needles a few weeks ago, as they look so good with my red ankle boots. If you don't remember my beloved boots, you can see them in this post, and imagine these socks cutely poking out the top of them. I love the feel of wearing hand knit socks inside boots, my feet are never, ever cold when they are wrapped in woolly stripes.

Knitted socks + crochet blanket = cosy x a million. The perfect combination of yarny happiness.

Now as you would expect, once my chilli pepper socks were on my feet, my needles didn't sit empty, not at all. I had already carried out the necessary 3.5 hours browsing the internet drooling over sock yarn, and my next ball was sitting waiting patiently for cast on.......

....oooooooo, I've got me some Peacock yarn!! This yarn is divine, it's made by a fabulous local Yorkshire company called West Yorkshire Spinners and contains 35% Blue Faced Leicester sheep wool, which is rather nice to know when you have this yarn running through your fingers. WYS have designed a range of 4ply yarn inspired by British country birds, there are nine to choose from. Quite a few ladies in our Creative Coopers group have been making socks with this yarn and I loved how the stripes turn out in the different colourways (wood pigeon and kingfisher are particularly lovely).

But there was no doubt which bird's feathers would float my boat as these are definitely my colours - blue, turquoise, teal and lime green, it had to be the peacock for me.

I cast the first sock onto my needles on a wet and wintry Sunday morning, and spent a whole afternoon falling in love with the stripes as they emerged from the yarn ball.

I just adore sock yarn for it's cleverness, it really is marvellous the way the yarn is dyed to produce these stripy patterns.

It didn't take me long to make my first Peacock sock, and I am already started on it's twin.

I silently squeal with delight to my inner self when I think about creating a pile of hand knitted socks for myself that one day might have a special drawer to live in. These little things please me so much. Not quite as much as a pile of crochet blankets (still my everlasting love, I remain devoted)

One last thing to share with you - a sock drawer belonging to the creator of hashtag Operation Sock Drawer no less,  Susan B Anderson.....

If you're on Instagram and search for #operationsockdrawer you will see that many of the socks belong to Susan. She's a sock making diva. With a beautiful set of drawers it has to be said.

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ps I knit my socks using Christine's brilliant Sockalong tutorial which you can find on her blog >>here<< Christine, you are the Queen of Socks :)

pps my own sock making journey started here, with an update here, in case you missed it and want to find yarn details etc for my modest pile of socks xx

ppps Bird-inspired WYS sock yarn can be found at Wool Warehouse, if you feel a need to feed the stash....find it >>here<< You only need 1 x 100g ball for a pair of socks.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Gill Tomlinson]

Love your socks, so inspiring, I have a ball of 6ply , bought in erro. Have you a pattern for 6ply socks please?

[Marlyn]

Beautiful socks. I love knitting them but takes a long time to complete. I need 30 hour days.

[Lou]

That WYS sock yarn is just the most beautiful stuff... I'm going to have to have me some (oh, dear, I've been really good recently at not buying yarn). Such zingy spring-y green and blue, like new shoots and blue skies.

Thanks so much for your blog - I don't comment often (maybe once before?!) but have been reading it since I found it doing night feeds with child number 1 - who is now 4! I read the entire blog backlog back then, so have read every single post! Your blog reminds me to appreciate colour in my everyday life - which brings me much joy - and to practice gratitude - which also makes me a happier mum/ NHS worker/person! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Jennifer]

What a lovely and bright post! Colors combinations are super great! I really love your stripped socks! It is so adorable to put on such socks when it is winter and cold outside. My co-workers from pinkelstar uk essay writing service love it as well. Cannot wait to see more knitted and bright things from you.

[Anne Marie]

I have knitted 2 pairs of socks but am at a standstill at the moment on the heel turn on my second sock of 3rd pair. You are out to fill some drawers with socks I see. I don't find knitting as easy as crochet.

I must get on and finish mine.

[Tray]

WOW socks. I did my first pair in October 15 and have done 10 pairs since. I've peacock in my stash - currently working on WYS Goldfinch in a zig zag pattern - loving socks - so addictive.

[Therese Bizabishaka]

What a beautiful sight to behold. I've never made socks but am going to get started after I recover after my carpal tunnel surgery. So naturally I've been drooling over sock wool and looking at patterns. I have to admit thought I'm a tad intimidated by the talk of all the kinds of heels, needles, toe up and ankle down. Do you have any view about which way is easiest for a beginner? Also I wondered about the self stripping yarn and how the pair of sock start on the same colour and have matching stripes. IS there any trick. Happy sock knitting. Hoping to join you soon.

[Valerie]

Hi Lucy

I just started knitting socks encouraged by my sister who is a total sock addict and her friend who encouraged me to use tiny circular needles. I used a typed pattern by my sister and never even thought to change to double pins for the toe. I just placed stitch markers at the beginning of the row at stitch fifteen and at stitch 45 and use them as a guide for decreasing. The last couple of rows get a bit tight but you just have to keep the stitches moving.

Val

[Jo Browning]

So glad you're back! Your socks are gorgeous!! Now I need to find someone to teach me to knit.

[Mickie]

Lucy,
Love the socks and what beautiful colors. I am still trying to commit to knitting some. Will try the tutorial you suggested. So glad you are back, take care of yourself.
Mickie, Indiana USA

[Janis]

I'm another sock knitting fan, but I also love to crochet; in fact, crochet is sort of my "native tongue" when it comes to yarn. And I must tell you that one of the best things about sock knitting is the gradual accumulation of sock yarn scraps, which can turn into the most wonderful crocheted things! Sock yarn scraps, an E hook, and free time are the best things in the world to have on a long weekend. :-)

[Kirsten Decoster]

Hello Lucy
The colours, the stripy patterns, the cosyness, I really love all of your socks! I've been reading all your "sock posts" and I might have a tip for you. I have recently learnt to knit socks too, also with continental knitting, but I knit them two-at-a-time. It's called the magic loop method, and you use a long circular needle for it. This way, your socks always end up the same, as you knit them at the same time. Best part: you don't need to "wrestle with the hedgehog", as you can knit a tube of any size with this method. Maybe you might try it sometime too?

[Rachael Iddon]

I just discovered the WYS range but I cheated and bought a ready made pair in 'bluetit' for my brother-in-law's birthday. He's a sheep farmer and has a few blue faced leicesters so it seemed appropriate. I will buy some WYS yarn and knit some eventually but for now I'm using Christine's pattern for some 6ply regia that I bought at the first ever Yarndale. People keep asking me who I'm knitting them for and I say 'THEY'RE MINE, ALL MINE!" I do love a nice pair of hand knitted socks.

[Pamela]

I am with you...I knitted my first pair of socks in January of this year. I fell in love with the makings and the sock yarn. Who knew knitting a pair of socks would be so gratifying and feel so good on the feet.

[Caroline]

I have recently embarked on my own knitted sock journey and am the proud owner of a pair of hand knitted socks. The second pair is on the needles and i'm giving the magic loop, two at a time method a try. I suffer from second sleeve syndrome and overcame that by knitting both sleeves at once.
I'm not a huge fan of these bright coloured yarns so mine are much plainer but lovely all the same :)

[Charlotte]

Beautiful socks! I am much slower at knitting socks than you but my grandchildren are requesting more. Have found a book on Amazon for crocheted socks and will try that as I am much better at crochet since breaking my wrist. Take care of your body and know that we are with you.

[Heather]

I envy you and admire you. Well done on the sock making. They're amazing and wonderful. I can emulate the crochet but just sit and enjoy the socks as I can't hold anything in my left hand. Super work ...as usual..

[Tracy🤗]

Hi Lucy, just finished my first sock to night, so rushed up stairs to show Hubble in a true ta dah moment. His response oh, now all you have to do is knit the other one. Men!!!
Almost finished your cosy blanket as well, just the borders to do.
I also had a how did that happen moment this week when another of your blanket kits fell into my online shopping basket.
Hope you are basking in the spring sunshine like we have been on the Isle of Wight and that you are continuing to return to your full health.
Looking forward to your next blog
Take care

[Elizabeth]

Love all your colourful socks, a feeling of guilt has enveloped me, my sock yarn is still waiting to be used!!!
Pleased to hear you are feeling a bit better.

[Rose]

Oh I love it so much. I do love sock yarn as it as such beautiful mix of colors. And it is son nice to see knitting here😉 it is among time since I had knit socks... may be it is time to knit socks again.
Rose. Xx

[Joy]

loving your sock pile xx Joy xx

[SnowLilly]

Oh Lucy! Your sock pictures always inspire me to try to make socks. Last time I did such a poor job on picking up stitches on the side of the heel that I threw my sock in the corner and gave up. But here you are posting pics again and it's given me inspiration to try again. Keep your fingers crossed and thank you!

[Shirley Rae]

Oh! I love ❤ the chilli pepper socks. My needles are sitting empty at the mo; I can see a wee purchase of this yarn coming on, and I think I will check out the other yarn too. 😉

[Lily]

Hi, Lucy, lovely socks and glorious colors! I really like your chilli papper and green socks. Thank you for a colorful love to knitting and crocheting! It makes me happy too. Can you also knit socks toe-up? It's a good method to control running out of yarn. It's very amazing. I found the tutorial here last year: http://maiaspins.typepad.com/maiaspins/2007/05/toeup_gusseted_.html

[MC]

I have missed you, here in Chicago!! We haven't seen nearly the blue skies you have so thank you for sharing!!

I appreciate all your effort to brighten my day with c.o.l.o.r!!