I admit to having more than my share of handknitted socks. At last count there were 32 “active” pairs and another 38 pairs in my workshop/gift bin. That’s 70 pairs for a total of 140 individual socks!
Still, I find myself unable to stop knitting them. Whether I use double-pointed needles or the magic-loop method on a long circular needle, I find socks most satisfying to knit. And I prefer to wear them above any store-bought pair.
I love the endless combinations of stitch patterns and yarns. I rarely visit a yarn store without purchasing a skein of sock yarn and I have dozens of skeins of sock yarn to prove it.
I am currently working on three pairs. Clockwise from upper left: a pair of Topsy-Turvey Socks in Madeline Tosh Tosh Sock in the Curiosity colorway (ready for the heel flap), a pair of Ann’s Go-To Socks in The Cyborg’s Craft Room Assockilate in the Impromptu Dance Party colorway (halfway down the foot), and another pair of Ann’s Go-To Socks in Jorstad Creek tweed sock yarn in a brilliant lime green (ready for the Kitchener stitch).
If you’ve never tried knitting socks, I suggest you get a copy of my Getting Started Knitting Socks book. It will guide you step by step through the process. If you’re ready to expand your sock horizons, check out Sock Knitting Master Class and New Directions in Sock Knitting. You’re sure to find a pattern that will, well, knock your socks off!
Oh, what a relief to find out that I’m not alone in my love of handknit socks! I have a very ‘active’ stash of socks that I wear all winter, and my gifting bin is usually empty because people with feet show up every time a new pair is available. I have all the socks books listed, and if forced by a cruel circumstance to choose only one thing to knit forever, it would be socks. And I don’t care what they say, I’m not a hoarder, I’m an archivist….
Love your socks! Sock knitting is addictive and, like you, I have many pairs to prove it and many skeins waiting in line.