So socks seem to be the recurring theme on my pinterest boards at the moment ( so many pretty ones with beautiful detail) However if like me you are a bit of a newbie to sock knitting* self patterning yarn is a god send! You can focus on making an awesome pair of socks and let the yarn worry about the funky patterns. This has to be my fave self striping yarn at the moment, because it doesn't just work up in stripes or spots, it does this super cool psychedelic wavy pattern!
The other cool thing about this yarn is that two strands of yarn are hand dyed at the same time so that you get a fairly identical pair of socks. However you do need to follow the instructions when unwinding it from the disc it comes on, because the two strands are together you need to hook it on a door handle or make a small person stand and hold the disc, whilst you wind it into two separate balls. DO NOT do what i did and try and wind off one with my yarn winder and forget about the other, i ended up spending an entire knit night untangling myself (I should always follow instructions). The yarn itself is really nice to work with, no splitting and I had no joins in my disc which is always a plus. I did however have a bit of a freak out with the pattern not working on the foot of my sock (i did mine toe up) but i feel this was down to the heel I did, thinking about it an afterthought heel would have been much better and the pattern would have probably worked up perfectly. Hindsight huh! Before blocking i did have a sneak wear of the socks and they feel so toasty on my feet (I may be converted to hand knit socks!). When i did get round to washing/blocking them, quite a lot of the black dye came out of the sock into the water, however this wasn't noticeable in the black colour so I think some dye crystals were hanging about, and not once did I end up with black fingers or needles! Weird.
Yarn details
Name - Schoppel-Wolle Flying Saucer
Rav link - Here
Weight - 4ply/fingering
yardage- 100g = 420m approx.
Tension- 30sts x 42rows
Needles- 2 - 3mm, UK 11 - 14, US 0 -2
Tension- 30sts x 42rows
Needles- 2 - 3mm, UK 11 - 14, US 0 -2
Fibres- 75% new wool, 25% nylon
washable? - Machine washable at 40 degree
washable? - Machine washable at 40 degree
Price- £11.90
There are thousands of patterns out there for socks however i have collected a few that would be excellent for using with this yarn. I used the Two at Once, Toe-Up Magic Loop Socks by the knit picks crew (link) excellent if you suffer from second sock syndrome, and FANTASTIC instructions on how to magic loop! Highly recommend.
Another good vanilla sock pattern by the Knitmore girls (link) a very straightforward cuff down sock knit in the round.
Lastly how about one for the men in our lives (link) again cuff down in the round!
Have I managed to convinced you that you need this yarn in your life? Come and smoosh it!! I promise you wont regret it!
P.s Keep your eyes peeled for some exciting socky news on the 3rd of June!! I cant wait!
* (this yarn is also very cool if you are not a beginner sock knitter)
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