Sock knitting during Advent

While everyone is working on the Sugaridoo Advent project, I’m also working on an Advent project myself.

When I found out that Moonglow Yarn Co was creating a rainbow Advent calendar, I was in love. I had been following Pacific Knit Co on Instagram. She creates the coolest doodle knit patterns. I noticed that she often used the DK-weight Moonglow yarn.

So, hopping over to Moonglow’s Instagram, I learned about their super soft, hand-dyed yarns.

And then the Advent calendar appeared. I didn’t have to think long. I added a large strand of off-white (the color name was Marshmallow), and the wait for December 1st could begin.

There are 24 strands of DK-weight yarn, so enough for a big project. At first, I thought about making a striped blanket. But what I actually wanted were squishy, warm knitted socks—socks that really fit me well.

The plan

I love colorwork in socks. It looks so cool and is also fun to knit! But colorwork makes socks less stretchy. And with a high instep, this resulted in socks that looked awesome but didn’t fit me well.

So, I needed a solid plan. The idea:

• DK sock yarn
• Colorwork
• Adjusting for a high instep
• Knitting toe-up

For the high instep, I came across a pattern on Ravelry that sounded exactly like what I needed! I started knitting at the toes, so I’m not quite at the heel yet, but I’m confident that this is going to help.

DK Sock Pattern

I found a tutorial with general instructions on how to knit DK-weight socks. The most important thing this blog post brought me was finding my gauge.

When you’re just starting with something there is so much to learn! And there is so much information available online! What worked for me was not to search too long. When I found the pattern for the high instep, and this tutorial for DK socks, I printed them both.

That way I could take my time to read them, follow the instructions and take notes, without searching for more and more information.

Toe up socks

One other thing on my list that was new for me was knitting ‘toe up socks’. I just figured that would be nice, so I could fit my socks right from the beginning.

Who doesn’t love a good video tutorial? Well, I found one! It gives a great explanation of all the steps. There’s also a video about changing colors invisibly.

What I’ve Learned So Far

There were a lot of new things for me on this side quest. Here are some things I’ve learned so far:

Needles
I started off with two socks on one needle. That worked perfectly until I started the colorwork. Then you do half a round on one sock, the whole round on the second, and then half a round on the first one again. This became too confusing with my pattern. So, I put both socks on small sock needles.

ChiaoGoo
Needle wise, I wasn’t off to a good start. From the needles I had, the screw where you connect the cable broke. Then I tried other small sock needles. But the transition from the cable to the needle wasn’t smooth with those, so the yarn kept getting stuck.

That was when I bought myself a pair of ChiaoGoo sock needles. These tiny sock needles are the ones for me! 😍

Keep Going
In my quilting tutorials, I often mention that you have to keep going—don’t stop when it’s not perfect. Keep practicing, because you will never make a second quilt if you don’t make a first one.

Well, that’s what I’m trying to tell myself with these socks as well. The knitting isn’t perfect. Some stitches are too tight, some are too big. I would love for it to be perfectly consistent from the start, but I’m still new to this, so what can I expect? 😅

Love where this is going

Now, with the last few rounds, I’ve started to get into a rhythm! I think it’s getting better already. So, I need to trust the process. The final stitches on these socks will be better than the first ones for sure.

I’ll try to give you an update towards the end of Advent on this project!

Enjoy your Advent sewing! 😃

Hugs,
Irene