Dad's Christmas Socks 2020

I've stopped making a lot of handmade holiday gifts, but the one constant is socks for my dad.

In the last few years, he has only asked me to repair one pair, but later I found out that he had thrown away a pair of socks that I made because they had holes. I was very mad, and I almost stopped making socks for him. I talked to him and told him I could fix the socks any time.

This year, I decided that instead of buying a new skein of yarn, I'd use scraps. I worried they'd look scrappy (ha, I know), but I think they're pretty cool.

I haven't been able to give these to him yet because of Covid life, but I look forward to the day when I can!

Pattern: My own, eye of partridge heel and cuff-down rice stitch

Yarn: Birch Dyeworks 80/20 Sock in Prismatic Indigo

Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Hurricane

Manos del Uruguay Alegría in Malvin

Zigzagular Knit Socks

 As an Election Day distraction, let's look at purty socks. (I already voted, so all I can do right now is check in with other people and wait.)

Pattern: Zigzagular Socks by Susie White (free pattern!)

Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Bubble

This is a great pattern if you want to mostly knit without interruption. The cabling is every other round for the most part, and I didn't have to consult the chart once I got going. These were supposed to be back-to-school socks for Alex, but I got a little bogged down with my knitting and didn't finish them until last week.

Prism Knit Socks

I'm getting so much sock knitting accomplished during stay-at-home orders. Alex and I have been watching The Wire (neither of us had seen it), so socks are perfect for knitting while also paying enough attention to remember the names of the bazillion characters.

I wanted to support small businesses during this time, and this yarn was one I purchased for that reason.

Pattern: Cuff-down, my own pattern; the stitch is garter

Yarn: Birch Dyeworks 80/20 Sock in Prismatic Indigo

Alex's Birthday Cake Socks

This month is Alex's birthday. I don't have to tell you why that sucks. We usually have a party at our house for his birthday, but this year his band Modern Strangers was going to play a show for his birthday. We were all looking forward to it.

With the show cancelled, we're still figuring out a fun way to celebrate. I started working on these socks with yarn from my stash that Alex had picked out a long time ago. I finished them way earlier than I thought I would. With staying home during the pandemic, I've been able to work through a lot of my old yarn. That feels nice.

Pattern: My own cuff down using hurdle stitch
Yarn: Araucania Huasco Sock in Guacamayo

GIVEAWAY: Ombre Purple Knit Socks from PaintBox

Before Christmas, Love Crafts.com sent me a ball of ombre sock yarn to try out. After I finally finished all the handmade holiday gifts (some in January *cough*), I started working on these.

Now that COVID 19 is taking over our lives, I'm finding time to photograph projects I finished earlier in the year. It's also a great time to host a giveaway for a lucky stitcher!

Love Crafts.com is kindly giving away one ball of their Paintbox Yarn Socks in the color of your choice. I'm hosting the giveaway on Instagram, so hop over there to enter.

Pattern: My own. Basically a cuff-down sock using Hurdle Stitch

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Socks in Wisteria

This yarn was really fun to knit with. I couldn't see the color changes as they were happening, but then I'd knit several rows and look back to see that gradual shift.

Hurdle Stitch 

When I'm knitting socks, I go for stitches that have a lot of texture but are easy to memorize. (That's probably also why socks are one of my go-to projects for stitch group.)

Rnd 1: Knit.
Rnd 2: Purl.
Rnds 3-4: k1, p1; repeat from across.

If I made another pair of these, I would probably do an afterthought heel. The Hurdle Stitch works really well with this yarn, and it makes it extra squishy and cozy.

Even More Waffle Rib Socks

This is my go-to sock pattern. When I make a pair of socks for someone for the first time, this is always the pattern I choose. They have squishy texture, and they're pretty fun to make.

I made these socks for two friends who had a heck of a year last year. I love making socks for people because I'm thinking of them the entire time I'm knitting. I just hope they bring a little extra coziness into their lives.

I'm so proud of myself because I haven't bought yarn in a while. My most recent projects, including these, have all been straight from my stash. Woohoo!

Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Hurricane

Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau (Free on Ravelry!)

This yarn was left over from my Sunset Highway sweater. I was surprised (and relieved) that I had enough to make a pair of socks. Hooray for destashing!

Yarn: Cape May Fiber Co. Yak Sock in Marina

Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau (Free on Ravelry!)

This was my first time knitting with yak. It's amaaaaaazing. And the color? Mmhm.

Boston Terrier Socks and Hat for Lynn and Henry

It's no surprise that I'm behind on baby gifts and may never catch up. But I did manage to send this one right after Christmas, so can we count that as a Christmas present?

Lynn and I worked together at Martha Stewart, and though we've both since moved away from NYC, we still keep in touch. Lynn has an adorable Boston terrier, so I thought it would be fun to send her a pair of Boston terrier socks along with a matching hat for her lil Henry.

Hat
Pattern: I used the Mohawk Hat from Wacky Baby Knits as my foundation, and I added in the chart from the Boston Terrier Socks. I also added a 14-stitch ear, folded over and sewed in half, on each side.
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock White and acrylic black from my stash

Socks
Pattern: Boston Terrier Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock in Black and White

Dad's 2019 Knit Christmas Socks

My dad's Christmas gift has become just as predictable as me overdoing it with pigs in a blanket on Christmas Eve. But I kind of like that, and I like thinking that his drawer is slowly being stuffed with more and more hand knit socks. He appreciates them and loves them, and so I just keep making them. (Meanwhile many other family members have been cut off from hand knits. You know who you are!)

Pattern: My own cuff-down with 64-stitch cast-on

Yarn: Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect Design Line By Arne & Carlos in Jolster

This is a fun, quick way to incorporate colorwork without doing the actual work. Around this time of year, I'm all for that! Plus when I do floats on socks, I don't feel like they stretch out quite as nice.

Yin-Yang Kitty Knit Socks for Danara

Christmas came early for my friend Danara who visits every Thanksgiving. Last year I made her a pair of knit socks for the first time, and she said she never wears them because she doesn't want to wear them out. We decided she needed a second pair so that having the one pair wasn't such a big deal. (I know a lot of people feel this way about knit socks.)

If you know Danara, you'll know that kitties are the perfect sock for her.



Pattern: YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Black and White

Arne & Carlos Pairfect Pair Knit Socks

Another pair of socks to celebrate fall! It's overcast and yucky today, so we're inside watching Breaking Bad. Can you believe Alex has never seen it? It's been so long since I watched it, so it feels a little new to me too.

This is another pair of Arne & Carlos yarn. I love how easy it is to get a pattern on these. I recommend this yarn if you don't want to deal with colorwork or if you just want a colorful pair of socks with very little effort.

Pattern: My usual cuff-down pattern, following the instructions on the yarn label

Yarn: Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect Design Line By Arne & Carlos in color 9093

Alex's Fall Arne and Carlos Knitted Socks

Fall finally arrived today. It was more than 90 degrees on Thursday, and I was worried it was never going to happen! Alex celebrated with a pair of socks I made a few months ago.

Pattern: My usual cuff-down sock pattern
Yarn: Schachenmayr Regia Design Line by Arne & Carlos 4-fädig in 3764 Orchard

This is not the Arne and Carlos yarn with the starter color, but this one works just as well as long as you're comfortable making your own pattern. I'm going to make another pair similar to this for my dad for Christmas this year.

Alex's New Knit Socks

Spring weather doesn't stop me from knitting socks. I just finished this pair with some yarn I picked up at Purl's Yarn Emporium last year. (I can't tell you how proud I am to be finishing projects with yarn I bought just last year. Progress!)

Pattern: my own cuff-down pattern (64-stitch cast on) with purling on the front, knitting on the back

Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Sock in Fells Point

Trying Sock Blank Knit Socks

I wanted to try knitting from a sock blank for so long, and then last year my friend Liz gifted me a pretty sock blank for my birthday. Yay!

This is a great example of how sometimes the process means just as much as the finished product. I love trying new yarn, tools, and techniques -- even if they don't always turn out the way I want. I think this experiment went pretty well.

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder (Free pattern)

Yarn: Purl's Yarn Emporium Hippie Hippie Sock, Platinum Sock Blank #49170

Knit Birthday Socks for Liz

I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want a cozy pair of knitted socks, which is why eventually all my friends will end up with a knitted pair of socks from me at some point.

I made this pair for my friend Liz of cozyblue. The sock yarn is leftover from my Sunset Highway sweater, and I even weighed the yarn and felt SURE I had enough yardage to make two socks. I guess you can see that didn't work out...

Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks by by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau
Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Budgie