My friend, Bonnie, recommended the Leyburn socks for variegated yarn. She’s knit these twice and been perfectly happy with them. As I’m typing this, I went to look at her projects and have just this minute realized that she knit both pairs top down rather than toe up as the pattern calls for. I bet she even mentioned that to me at some point…

Anywho, I knit a toe up Leyburn and it was gorgeous! but far too tight across the top of my foot. I took a deep breath and ripped out the entire sock. I located the Crystalline pattern which had the added benefit of a nice little cable up each side. and waited a year.

I then knit a Crystalline sock and it too was tight in the same elfing spot. I tossed that aside and started a third sock and made sure the heel flap was going to be tall enough to feel comfortable….by actually reading the pattern which called for a 34 row heel flap instead of the 30 row heel flap I’d done. I knit a 36 row heel flap just for good measure and was pleased with the fit. Back to sock 2. Made that flap 36 rows and finished the pair. All’s well that ends well. Except, the thing about variegated yarn is that it’s variegated. What I ended up with is a sock that I LOVE and her slightly less attractive step sister. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a reason I knit so many semi-solid socks.

Pattern: Crystalline Socks by Cailyn Meyer
Mods: Crossed cables on rows 1 and 5 so I didn’t have to track an 8 row pattern and a 12 row chart.
All left crosses on one sock and all right crosses on the other.
I had 20 sts remaining after the heel turn on both socks, so I did one extra decrease after knitting across the heel the last time.
Toe Decreases: (Repeat round 1 & 2) 6 times and then decrease every row.


Needles: 2.5mm Signature Needle Arts for the Legs
2.25mm Signature Needle Arts for the Heels-Toes

Yarn: MadelineTosh Tosh Sock

Colorway: Spectrum

Tags: handknit, handknit socks, knit, knit socks, knitting, Madeline Tosh, sock, sock knitting, sock yarn, socks

Another pair of socks is finished and I find myself reflecting. I hadn’t considered that using the scraps from old socks would make me think of the socks these leftovers originated from. Now, my scrappy Lycaena virgaureae socks are like a scrapbook for 6 other pairs of socks. Well, 5 finished pairs of socks and a Texas Stars cowl that I plan to knit. at some point. after I knit all the socks.

Pattern: Lycaena virguareae from The Knitter’s Curiosity Cabinet, Volume II
Needles: 2.5mm for the legs
2.25mm for the feet

Yarns: Cascade Yarns Heritage – (red)
Barking Dog Yarns Achilles – Teal Mist
KnitPicks Stroll Tonal – (orange)
KnitPicks Stroll Tonal – Springtime
The Plucky Knitter Plucky Feet – Vignette
Cascade Yarns Heritage – (gold)

Tags: Barking Dog Yarns, Cascade Yarns, handknit socks, hunter hammersen, knitpicks, knitting, Lycaena virgaureae, Plucky Feet, Plucky Knitter, The Plucky Knitter

As you may or may not have noticed, I’ve been a slack blogger lately. So, inspired by Kate White (via her book “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know”) and Rachel Herron (via her newsletter), I got up early this morning to blog my Sty Head Tarn socks.

As it turns out, writing in a quiet house with the moon and stars shining outside and me all snuggled in a sweatshirt, PJ pants and cozy socks is fitting. When I agreed to test knit for Louise Tilbrook, I did so because she’s terribly nice to work with and because I have a cable addiction. Then, I went stash diving for yarn and came up empty handed. The pattern isn’t so complicated that I wanted a semi-solid but wasn’t really suited to a variegated. So, I shrugged and reached for a hank of Casbah, knowing that at least the socks would feel like heaven on my feet. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with these. I normally knit lace and cables in bright jewel tones, but these soothing greens and blues and lazily swooping cables delivered socks that could give chicken soup a run for it’s money.

Pattern: Sty Head Tarn by Louise Tilbrook
Needles: probably 2.25mm wooden DPN’s (my go to needles for when I’m just enjoying the knitting)
Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn Casbah Sock
Colorway: Peridot

Ps. I looked up what Sty Head Tarn is and it’s a mountain lake in the English Lake District near the top of Sty Head pass. Sounds as soothing as my new socks.

Tags: casbah, Casbah yarn, handknit, handknit socks, Handmaiden fine yarn, knit, knitting, Sty Head Tarn, Sty Head Tarn Socks