Doubling Up For Quickie Socks
Ever tried knitting socks in a DK or worsted weight? Spring-time on the West Coast is often soggy and not as warm as we’d hope, so why not whip up a nice thick pair of socks?
A pattern by sock maverick Summer Lee, Thicksgiving Socks are equally at home in gumboots or paired with your Birkenstocks when it’s a little drier out. Very nearly instant gratification, they’re an ideal project for in-between your bigger makes.
Using fingering weight sock yarn held double, this pattern makes for a great stash-buster, or you can use two strands of the same yarn, as Baaad Anna’s staff member Meghan did with a Fireweed Fibre Co. Sock Set in “Sweet Romance.” Thicksgiving gives three pattern options in one: a “vanilla” version that’s all stockinette with a forethought heel, fully ribbed socks with a heel flap, or stockinette with cabled cuffs with a heel flap.
Lee writes that “the Thicksgiving socks are a celebration of winter, of cozy twilights by the fire, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, hot drinks steaming beside an open book resting on the bedside table,” and Meghan’s pretty dang sure that we can carry that hygge energy through Spring. (Especially if it keeps hailing in April here on the Coast!)
About the Yarn:
Hand dyed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sweet Pea Sock is a delightful sock yarn made from soft, springy merino with a bit of nylon for strength. The two firmly twisted plies plump up together to make a nice round yarn perfect for shawls, socks and lightweight garments. It’s soft enough for babies, and weavers, it’s strong enough to be used as a warp!
Made of 80% Superwash Merino and 20% nylon, Sweet Pea Sock can be machine or hand washed in cold water, and should ideally be laid flat to dry.
A Baaad Anna’s staff favourite!
Do note, however, that any of our sock yarns would work great with this pattern!
BROWSE our Sweet Pea Sock selection HERE
You can read more about Fireweed Fibre Co here:
About the Pattern
The Vanilla version is a quick knit! The pattern is suitable for a beginner sock knitter, though the forethought heel might be just a little fiddly.
Pro tip from Janice: if you pick up and knit the heel after knitting an inch or so past the waste yarn – instead of after finishing the toe – you’ll be able to try the sock on as you go. Then just do the same number of rows for the second sock.
Holding a variegated yarn double yields a lovely marled fabric that’s more subtle than the splotches the same yarn might reveal when knit single. This technique also allows you to use up a whole skein/set of sock yarn in one go, and who doesn’t love not having a tiny scrap left at the end of a project?
The resulting socks are delectably squishy, and warm enough to tackle surprise snow in April. Catch me showing them off with sandals in the coming weeks! Will you be wearing yours? It’s a good look, I promise.
Don’t forget to check out Erin of Fireweed Fibre Co and Summer Lee on Instagram, and peep Summer’s other patterns on Ravelry !
