Socktober Pattern Sale

Socktober—the annual celebration of the joys of knitting socks—is winding down. I was so busy with other projects (plus going to Rhinebeck), I didn’t finish a pair. I did, however, finish one leg and most of another—better than nothing, right?

Clockwise from bottom left: Hulst, Rowhouse, Couplet, Mill River, Tortoiseshells, Plumtree

If you had great plans for Socktober but life got in the way, and maybe you didn’t even get around to picking out a pattern, don’t feel bad. There are still a few days left, and no law says you can’t keep up your sock knitting beyond Socktober.

To end the month on an up note, I’m having a sale on all of my sock patterns. Through October 31, take 25 percent off any Blue Peninsula sock pattern at Ravelry and Payhip with the coupon code SOCKS2021.

Rhinebeck was fantastic, by the way. A bit too warm on Saturday, but nice and cool on Sunday—perfect sweater weather. It was so good to be back among our tribe, and get to pet yarns and sheep, catch up with friends, and enjoy an awesome lunch of Aba’s falafels.

Rhinebeck weekend was over too soon, just like Socktober. But it was joyful, in so many ways.

If October flew by for you, and you didn’t get around to any sock knitting, I hope you’ll enjoy this little sale. You can always cast on in November!

Socks, Seedlings, Sale

It’s a season of endings and beginnings: the Mill River Socks I began on New Year’s Day are off the needles and on my feet. And the seeds I planted back on May 1 are sprouting: nasturtiums, marigolds, and zinnias, two pots of each. Hummingbird Cafe 2021, here we come!

To celebrate new seedlings and new socks, I’m having a sale: Take 25% off the Mill River Socks pattern at Ravelry or Payhip with the coupon code MILLRIVER.

Mill River Socks, by Bonnie Sennott

I knit this pair with a sock set dyed by OlannGra—the colors are Mercy and Raspberry. Laura conjures up really beautiful flecks of contrasting color in her speckled yarns. I love the tender greens and berry colors in the Mercy colorway. The base is 75/25 superwash merino/nylon, so the yarn is incredibly soft (especially after blocking), and thanks to the nylon the socks will hold up well to washing and wearing.

I feel like I’m seeing the colors in these socks everywhere—even in the pansies I spotted in downtown Amherst yesterday.

Aren’t they lovely? It’s so refreshing, after a long winter and a very hard year, to witness color bursting forth and feel new possibilities on the horizon. I hope you’re feeling renewed hope and optimism, as well. Happy sock knitting!

LINKS

Mill River Socks - Ravelry

Mill River Socks - Payhip

Pattern Release: Mill River Socks

Just released and ready for your needles! The Mill River Socks are a fun and easy colorwork project, perfect for holiday gifts or to knit just for yourself.

Save 20% at Payhip and Ravelry with the coupon code SOCKS20. Sale ends this Sunday, November 22, at midnight EST.

The Mill River Socks feature easy-to-knit stranded colorwork on the upper leg, with another "bracelet" of color just before the toe shaping. They're worked top-down, but if you're a fan of toe-up socks, you can easily adapt them — the colorwork patterns are identical in both directions.

To make them, you'll need about 300 yards/275 m of sock yarn for the main color and 75 yards/70 m for the contrast color. For the sample pair, I used OlannGra Tommy 4-Ply Sock in the colorways November Skies and Pigeon Gray.

The pattern's named after the Mill River Conservation Area in Amherst, Massachusetts. The trails in the woods along the Mill River offer refreshing places to walk, sit and reflect, and knit or spin. It's a calming, restorative place, lovely in all seasons, and I'm grateful it's just a few minutes from home.

Find the Mill River Socks pattern at Payhip and Ravelry.

New Pattern: Sugar Dusted Socks

If you haven’t decided which socks to knit for the summerlong Sunshine + Socks KAL starting next week, here’s a new design to consider — my just-released Sugar Dusted Socks.

Sugar Dusted Socks by Bonnie Sennott

A pretty confection of texture, lace, and color, the Sugar Dusted Socks feature columns of lace on the outer leg and foot, surrounded by clusters of purl stitches. Worked top down in two colors of fingering weight sock yarn, they're easy yet engaging to knit.

I used a solid main color and a speckled contrast color for my sample pair, but you could do just the opposite — use a solid on the cuffs, heels, and toes instead. Or two solids? The possibilities are endless — this design lets you create a truly unique pair of socks using colors you love.

I used the Bakery Rye colorway of Bare Naked Wools Better Breakfast Fingering for the main color. This yarn marinated in my stash for a long time until the lightbulb went off and I knew what to make with it. The lovely neutral was a good match for a colorful skein of The Fawn and the Fox Otter, in a colorway called Let’s Stay Home. The Better Breakfast Fingering, a blend of merino, alpaca, and nylon, is a soft yet sturdy yarn with a satisfying crispness equally suited to textured stitches and lace. The Otter, a blend of superwash merino and nylon, was a delight to knit — with every round it was great fun to watch the colors change.

Sugar Dusted Socks by Bonnie Sennott

I’ve added the Sugar Dusted Socks to my Sunshine + Socks sale on Ravelry — save 20% on this pattern and all of my sock patterns with the coupon code SUNSHINE. The sale ends on the first day of summer, June 21.

Friday, June 21, is also when the Sunshine + Socks summer knitalong starts. Knitters are already chatting about yarns and pattern ideas — feel free to join in anytime. The KAL will continue all summer, ending on September 1. There are some great prizes, too — head to the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group to get all the details. I hope you can join us for a summer of leisurely sock knitting!

LINKS

• The Blue Peninsula Sunshine + Socks KAL

• Sugar Dusted Socks

• My socks/mitts/hats pattern bundle on Ravelry

Summer Sock Sale

I myself don’t wear wool socks in warm weather, but I do love to knit them. A sock is the perfect knitting project for summer: small, portable, easy to pick up and set down. You can tuck one in your bag and take it with you wherever you are, whether that’s in your car (not driving, of course!), the beach, or your own backyard.

Now through the first day of summer, all of my sock patterns are 20% off on Ravelry. Use the coupon code SUNSHINE to get the discount. You can use it as many times as you like through Friday, June 21. That’s the day the Sunshine + Socks KAL begins in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group. Once you pick your pattern(s), come join us for a fun, relaxed-pace summer of sock knitting.

Sock patterns by Bonnie Sennott

Next week, I’ll be releasing a new sock pattern called Sugar Dusted — a pretty confection of texture, lace, and color. It will be added to the sock sale so you can get the 20% discount. Stay tuned!

LINKS

• The Blue Peninsula Sunshine + Socks KAL

• My socks/mitts/hats pattern bundle on Ravelry

• My Ravelry designer page

Sunshine + Socks Summer Knitalong

Save the date! The next Blue Peninsula knitalong starts on June 21, the first day of summer. Seems like the perfect day to start a summer KAL devoted to socks, don’t you think?

You can knit any of my sock designs for the Sunshine + Socks KAL. And before it starts, I’ll be releasing a brand-new pattern. While you wait, feel free to browse my sock patterns on Ravelry.

More about the KAL and the new pattern soon!

Treat Yourself KAL Ideas: Hands and Feet

The Treat Yourself KAL is meant to be relaxing — but sometimes working on a deadline feels stressful, and we don’t want that! So if you’d like to join the knitalong but aren’t sure you’ll have time to finish a large project like a sweater or shawl, consider choosing something smaller. Mitts, mittens, and socks are not major time commitments, and they’re also portable, easy to bring with you wherever you go.

You can make any of my designs for this KAL, which starts Monday, January 14. Here are just a few ideas for hands and feet - see more in my socks, mitts, and hats Ravelry bundle (hats are quick small projects, too, and I’ll talk about them in another post).

Treat Yourself Knitalong Ideas: Hands and Feet

Indikon Mitts, by Bonnie Sennott

Pattern: Indikon
Yarn: Sportweight

I have a soft spot for the squishy texture of these mitts. They’re incredibly warm! I’ve worn them so much they’re beginning to wear thin in places, so I might cast on a new pair for the Treat Yourself KAL. The pattern provides instructions for two sizes; you’ll need 190-225 yards/174-206 m.

On the Other Hand Mitts, by Bonnie Sennott

Pattern: On the Other Hand
Yarn: Skeinny Dipping Merino Single (fingering weight)

This pattern gives you two design options for the cuffs - make one of each, or make both mitts the same. They’re nice and long, great for keeping cold air out of your coat sleeves while leaving your fingers free.

Leaf in the Wind Mittens, by Bonnie Sennott

Pattern: Leaf in the Wind
Yarn: Cascade 220 Fingering

For winter’s coldest days, you’ll want your fingers well covered — and that calls for mittens. Inspired by the art of Agnes Martin (and named after one of her paintings), the Leaf in the Wind mittens pair striped garter stitch cuffs with geometric stranded-color patterning.

Couplet Socks, by Bonnie Sennott

Pattern: Couplet
Yarn: Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors

I love when I hit on a design idea that gives knitters options. Like the On the Other Hand mitts, Couplet gives you two options for the cuffs — one with lace (shown here) and one without. Choose whichever strikes your fancy!

Rowhouse Socks, by Bonnie Sennott

Pattern: Rowhouse Socks
Yarn: Fingering weight - three colors

Here’s a project for those odds and ends of sock yarns in your stash. The colorwork is not complicated, and once you’re past it, the solid-color part of the sock is really perfect for knitting while on the bus or in line or at meetings (or hanging out at home with your knitting inspector/kitty).

I hope some of these patterns appeal to you for the Treat Yourself KAL! If you’re joining in, what will you make?

Coming up next time: garment ideas.

LINKS

Treat Yourself KAL

Bonnie Sennott: Ravelry Designer Page

Bonnie’s Socks, Mitts, and Hats Bundle

New Pattern: Rowhouse Socks

New in my Ravelry pattern store: Rowhouse Socks, a sweet colorwork design to brighten your winter knitting.

A pretty row of houses circles the calf in these top-down socks knit in three colors of fingering weight/sock yarn. If you've never done colorwork before, the Rowhouse Socks are a great project for getting your feet wet (sorry about the pun — I couldn't resist!). The colorwork pattern is an easy 8-stitch repeat, and you never use more than two colors in any round.

I knit them with yarns hand-dyed by Krista McCurdy of Pigeonroof Studios. The main color is her High Twist Sock (100% superwash merino) in the Picholine colorway. The two contrast colors are her American Sock (also 100% superwash merino), chosen from a mini skein set of six one-of-a-kind naturally dyed colors. Krista's colors are rich and vibrant, really perfect for colorwork knitting.

The pattern's now in my Ravelry pattern store. As always, you can save 20% with my Create Your Own Collection promotion: purchase four individual Blue Peninsula patterns at the same time to automatically receive a 20% discount on all four patterns (no coupon code required).

Thanks very much for reading, and happy sock knitting!

Sneak Peek: Rowhouse Socks

Kitchener stitch — do you love it, or hate it? When I first learned to knit socks, grafting the toes with kitchener stitch made me nervous. Incredibly nervous. I'm not sure why, because if you take your time and follow the steps, it's not difficult. Maybe it was just a big fear of "messing up." 

Anyway, I grafted the toe of a sock yesterday — and it went without a hitch. I have no nervousness whatsoever about kitchener anymore. So if it makes you feel queasy, hang in there! As with many things in life, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

The sock in question is my next pattern, the Rowhouse Socks. They're knit in hand-dyed superwash merino by Pigeonroof Studios (the same indie dyer whose gradient set I used for my Purlish Mitts). For this design, I tweaked the little houses from my Rowhouse Hat so they'd work top-down, and jazzed it up a little by using three colors instead of two.

These socks require focused attention at the beginning, but once you're past the colorwork, the knitting is easy. That makes them a great travel project and perfect for taking to knit night or work. They also make good walk-and-knit projects, if you're so inclined. As you can guess from these photos, I love to walk and knit — as long as it's not freezing cold. 

The pattern's written and edited, and the socks are blocked. All that's left is a photo shoot. So they'll be ready for release soon — probably next week!

Sneak Peek: Tortoise Shells Socks

The pattern is edited, testers are knitting up the socks, and photos are in the bag. I'm almost ready to publish this new sock pattern!

Look for the pattern early next week. I'll be sending out the newsletter next week, too — with a special discount code. So watch your email! If you don't already subscribe, you can sign up here.

Have a beautiful weekend!