A YEAR OF SOCKS

On this day last year, I put on my feet my very first pair of hand knit socks. And fell in love. With the colors, the comfort, the warmth, the "oh thank you I made them myself!". I knew it was the beginning of something. So I started a little challenge: a year of socks. And you know what? It was fun! 

In that year, I have made 10 pairs of adult socks, 2 baby ones, and I have two more currently on the needles. I tried cuff down, then toe up, discovered the magic of short row heels, designed my very own sock pattern, and started a pair out of leftovers from previous ones (Inception style!). A good year I'd say! Funnily enough, my favorite and most worn pair is still the very first one I made.

Seriously can't believe I used to be that girl who said "why would I even want to knit socks, I don't even wear any!" One year older me is laughing hard right now. Hand knitted socks are the best! So here's to many more years of knitting socks!

The Celtic Rainbow socks + my favorite no hole-short row heel!

My first design!! Kind of exciting <3 After almost 3 months without any sock knitting, the obsession came back! Mostly thanks to the most gorgeous/coolest speckled sock yarn ever, hand dyed by the lovely Kristina from Eaden Yarns and very aptly named Neon Lights.

I knew the socks I would make with it would have to be special, and since I couldn't find a pattern perfect enough for it, I decided to design it myself. I wanted it to be super simple so that the yarn would be the main star but with a little something extra special, and so the cable idea came. The one I picked reminded me of Ireland and celtic patterns, and so I started thinking of little leprechauns leading you to the end of the rainbow and the Celtic Rainbow socks were born!

I decided to write down the pattern, including the cable design and my very favorite short row heel method (no holes!) and share it with you all for free, here and on Ravelry. You will find at the bottom of this post a link to download the pdf, or you can get it directly on Ravelry :) I hope you like it, and please please share if you decide to make a pair of Celtic Rainbow socks for you or your loved ones because that would just be the best! Keep in mind that this is my first pattern, and not being a professional and all it might not be perfect! I'll be happy to answer any questions or issues you have :)

 Get the pdf here!

A YEAR OF SOCKS: blues and pinks

This is most definitely the year of socks. I think I'm already onto my 4th pair this year, and my 7th total. What can I say, socks are the best. And between patterns, heel techniques, toe up vs cuff down… the possibilities are endless. For my two most recent ones, I tried a few different things. And, spoiler alert: I love them both!

First is my first self-stripping pair! Isn't that yarn gorgeous? It's Drops Fabel long print in the Rose Mist colorway. Since the colors were so soft and pastel I decided to punch it out a bit by using my favorite sock pattern: Hermione's everyday socks. Which yes is the pattern I used for my first ever pair of socks (remember?). I did them cuff down and slightly longer that the first pair so I can wear them with boots for instance. I also changed the heel because I'm not super into the heel flap and gusset technique and I wanted to protect my stripe sequence. So I used a modified version of the afterthought heel, using P3tog instead of the usual ssk + K2tog combo. You can see what my heel looks like on my project page on Ravelry if you're curious :) Love them! I bought a whole lot of Drops sock yarn in March because they were having a sale, I love the yarn and it's super cheap (like 4€ for a pair of socks cheap).

My second pair is Irish Oats by Cabinfour and unlike most sock patterns calls for Sport weight yarn instead of fingering. Which is awesome if you want winter / very cozy socks and bonus point: they knit up faster! The yarn I used is some Regia Fashion that I actually found on Amazon! The pattern can look a bit impressive with its cables and texture panel but is actually a pleasure to knit and super simple to memorize! 

I made them toe up (the pattern is written for cuff down but easy to adapt to your style). I just adore the look of toes when made toe up! I just haven't found a bind off that I like half as much as my twisted german cast on for cuff down so I just switch from one style to the other. 

What's your take on cuff down vs toe up?

A YEAR OF SOCKS // REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

First toe up socks!! And I actually really liked it! Makes it a/ super easy to try the sock as you go so it ends up perfect b/ use as much yarn as possible instead of making the cuff too short because you're worried about yarn management.

This pattern called for short row toe which is both pretty and perfect for my foot. It's not super pleasant to knit however because I kept losing track of where I was at in the wraps and turns. So I might give Judy's magic cast on a try next time I do toe up. So I can compare. Also, garter stitch toe are AWESOME! It's super cute and super squishy and thick which makes it extra comfy when worn. Will definitely do that again.

The pattern itself is very well written, like I said it was my first time doing toe up and I managed it using only the pattern and without having to rip so it's a big win! The texture is quite cute and not complicated at all. It's also some sort of ribbing variation which means that the socks is quite stretchy. That's pretty cool considering I tend to knit too tightly. So would highly recommend it! It's 4£ or so I think and well worth it.

The yarn! I went super simple (and cheap) by using Cascade Heritage (it's a 80% superwash merino 20% nylon blend) in the best color ever: mustard yellow. Super nice to knit with + very sturdy yet soft. Definitely a reason to be cheerful! 

Now let's talk about the not so good stuff. Sock #2 is smaller than the first one. I have no idea what happened to my gauge. Well I have a small idea. The last 10 days have been super stressful and scary and sad so I might have taken it up on my knitting hence the tighter gauge. The sock still fits thanks to the stretch in the pattern but looks smaller by like a centimeter around the leg when worn. Handmade isn't perfect right? I'm ok with it. I just really really need to move on to two at a time knitting. If I can solve the tangles and yarn mess of the process first. Wish me luck.

PS: I have no idea what my next pair will be. I really want to try some self stripping yarn but can't seem to find any in France, or in stock. We'll see. 

MY CUP OF TEA // OCTOBER SOCKS

I finished my October pair of socks you guys! They are called My Cup of Tea socks and I never want to take them off! I used Oh Loops yarn in their Expelliarmus colorway. The yarn is a 80% superwash merino 20% nylon blend and it became the softest, prettiest thing ever after blocking! So glad I have two more skeins of that mix to knit with! The pattern is free on Ravelry and was pretty simple to memorize. The socks were knitted cuff down and I just followed the pattern for the heel and gusset, nothing fancy here (yet ;)). I'm quite proud of my toe, I'm getting way better at the kitchener stitch I think so, yay!

Monthly sock challenge 2 of 12 is thus completed! November now! I really really want to try toe up socks! But honestly a bit scared, they do seem way more complicated somehow. I do love the Leyburn socks though but the pattern isn't super generous in explaining the toe cast on and such so I have been digging the internet and youtube for tutorials and such, reading about the Judy's magic cast on a try! I however have quite a few things planned for November already so I think I might make the toe up my December socks using either the Leyburn or the Reasons to be cheerful pattern and go with a basic cuff down vanilla sock for November. I have a very fun multicolored skein of Oh Loops that would be perfect for it. Check my IG feed in the coming days to see what I decided ;) 

So, what are you guys doing for your November pair of socks?

FOR THE LOVE OF SOCKS

I did it! I've made a pair of socks! And I don't even wear socks! Well at last I didn't. But they are so comfy and pretty. and handmade! It's the beginning of a love story let me tell you. My family is warned, it will be a sock kind of Christmas ;)

I used a free Ravelry pattern called Hermione's everyday sock, perfect for beginners and super cute and not too boring (you wouldn't want your socks to be boring right!). As for the yarn, it's Malabrigo Sock yarn, it's 100% super wash merino, which isn't ideal for socks (it's better with a little nylon thrown in the mix!) but I just loved the color!

For the knitting itself, I confess, I did have to watch a few Youtube videos to help me with the heel (I highly suggest Martingale's 3 part videos How to Knit a Sock !) but other than that it was super easy. I apparently am kind of lucky because I followed the pattern to the word without any modifications or gauge checking and the socks fit me PERFECTLY. Maybe the designer is my feet twin who knows!

I improved my "technique" a lot between sock 1 and sock 2 and there is still a lot I would love to try/change with the next technique, especially for the heel, and the grafting. As everyone who knit socks for the first time, I was super afraid that I would run out of yarn and so made the cuffs not too long. And obviously I ended up with a LOT of yarn. I might have enough left for small mittens I think, or maybe baby socks for my nephew? We'll see!

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Of course now I am addicted, and thus decided to join the lovely Liesl in her Monthly Sock Challenge! I have even already cast on my October socks! I will be using Oh Loops yarn in a lovely soft pink and another free sock pattern called My Cup of Tea (aren't sock pattern names awesome??). Very lovely, very girly and from what I have read so far not that complicated.

So what do you think, ready to knit some socks?