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!

New Pattern: Tortoise Shells Socks

Just published: a new sock pattern called Tortoise Shells.

Worked in the round, from the top down, the Tortoise Shells Socks feature cable-and-lace medallions (like tortoise shells in miniature) encircling the upper leg. Pretty columns of faux-cable twists flow down to the foot, set off by a bit of 2x2 ribbing at the sides.

They're knit with 385 yards/355 m of sock yarn. The sample pair are in Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, in a colorway called Strange Harvest. I loved this color more and more as I knit the socks. Its rich blend of golds and greens seemed absolutely perfect for fall.

The pattern provides complete instructions for a women's medium size. You can easily make them smaller or larger by changing the needle size and/or yarn weight. The stitch patterns are given in both written form and charts, and instructions for grafting the toes using kitchener stitch are included.

The test knitters in the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group have had very positive things to say about these socks: "This pattern is practically knitting itself!" "Pattern is well written and creates a lovely finished project." For me, it's been great to see that these socks look good in both variegated yarns and solids. View finished and in-progress Tortoise Shells here — maybe they'll inspire you to make your very own!

P.S. Did you know Etsy is holding a big Labor Day Sale? I'm excited to join the fun, with 25% off individual knitting patterns in my Etsy shop, August 31 through September 4. There's no minimum and no coupon code needed. It's a great time to stock up on patterns for your fall projects!

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!

A Sock's Progress

I saw a few red leaves on a maple tree in the backyard the other morning. That, and new coolness in the air, made me realize it's time to savor every remaining moment of summer.

I love the freedom and ease of wearing sandals, but even so, I'm not sad to start thinking about wearing my hand-knit socks again. I've had a great time the past few weeks working on a new sock design. It's got cables and lace, something for everyone. The yarn is the luxurious Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. Cashmere! Always a happy fiber to knit with.

One sock is done and I've sent the pattern to the tech editor. That's progress!

If you're interested in test knitting, please keep an eye on the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group — I'll post a call there pretty soon.

Pattern Spotlight: Plumtree Socks

Since I published the Plumtree Socks last month, eight knitters have already finished them. It's nice to see how quickly this sock design knits up! Sometimes it seems as though a pair of socks can take forever. They're not large compared to sweaters, but there's a lot of stitches packed into each sock. 

It's also nice to see that knitters have used a wide variety of yarns in a range of colors and they all look great. I love it when a design is adaptable and doesn't limit knitters' choices. 

The Plumtree Socks are a good "advanced beginner" sock pattern—perfect if you're ready to move beyond a simple "plain vanilla" stockinette or ribbed sock, but aren't ready (or aren't in the mood) for an overly complicated or difficult pattern. See what you think!

Elizabeth knit her powder blue Plumtrees in Coopknits Socks Yeah! She describes them as a "fun, relaxing knit," and it looks like her kitty likes them, too!

Nadia used Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply in sunny Jonquil for her Plumtrees. She modified the number of stitch pattern repeats on the leg and foot to get a perfect fit.

For her fiery orange Plumtrees, Brenda used one of her own hand-dyed sock yarns (End of the Row Yarns). Her pattern page says that "the end result is a beautiful sock that fits great!" As a designer, I can't ask for better feedback. 

Beth knit her Plumtrees in orange, too. She used Jill Draper Makes Stuff Splendor Sock in a summery colorway called Tiger Lily.

Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply has been used a couple of times so far. Hattie knit her Plumtrees in the juicy Ladybug colorway. She says it's "the ideal sock pattern."

Another juicy color is Countess by Fiberstory FAVE Sock, which Barb used for her Plumtrees. It made me so happy to read on her project page that she's gotten her sock knitting mojo back. Yay!

If your color preferences veer toward neutrals, you may like Sabina's grey Plumtrees. She knit them up in the Great Grey Owl colorway of Madelinetosh Twist Light, and says the lace pattern is "rhythmic and relaxing." 

Me, I love socks in a rich gold or yellow ochre (witness Couplet), so I have to admit I really swooned over Amy's golden Plumtrees in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Lichen. I also was happy to read that she's glad the pattern includes directions for Kitchener Stitch (for grafting the toe). I know knitters can look Kitchener up, but I feel the pattern is more complete and helpful if the instructions are right there when you need them.

I hope you've enjoyed this colorful parade of Plumtrees! If you'd like to try the pattern, take 20% off in my Ravelry store now through Sunday, July 23, with the coupon code COLORFUL.