All about socks

Over the last month I have undergone a huge change in my attitude to handknitted socks.

I knitted my first sock a couple of years ago however I was very much a sock cynic thinking 'What is the point of handknitting a sock just to hide it away in your shoes where it will be worn out in no time at all?' So I knitted my first sock out of a desire to try out all the soch knitting techniques - dnps, turning heels, short rows etc. I used lovely Old Maiden Aunt yarn and had a enjoyable knit and I had a nice little pair of socks at the end of it.

However I still wasn't absolutely convinced about the value of handknitted socks.

I went on knitting socks because of the project portability and the lovely yarns plus of course the fabulous patterns. When I had to go away from home for business trips I'd always take some of my socks because they were such comforting things so slip on at night and remind you of home.

Last year I knitted quite a few pairs of socks including socks for friends AND I went on a Lucy Neatby sock knitters course. But I still wasn't a totally convinced sock knitter.

So what has changed? This cold weather has finally made me realise that handknitted socks aren't just ornamental socks to wear at home. They are very practical being warmer, more squishy and thicker than shop bought socks. The change is now I feel that I don't have enough handknitted socks and I need to knit more so I don't have to worry about running out. In other words I've gone from being a Process sock knitter to a Product sock knitter.



So it is slightly ironic that it has taken me since last April to finish my latest pair of socks. I picked them up again as part of my WIP drive and actually it's taken me about 3 weeks to finish them off. They were knitted on 2mm needles in beautiful yarn that Jon from Easy Knits gave me on a funny drunken afternoon (you can read about it on his blog 13/04/2008 entry). The yarn is a bamboo/merino mix & I loved the colours - pink, yellow and beige.

The pattern is Having Hope by Diane Mullholand which I more or less followed although I made a few adjustments for the quirks of my feet. Diane wrote this pattern in order to raise money for cancer research (which is a cause that is also close to my heart).