Socktober Fest 2017- Why Craft Your Own Sock?

The big question is "Why knit socks?" (Don't go anywhere crocheters we have a pattern for you too)  Socks are so easy to come by nowadays.  Most people have a basket of lost socks or socks that need to be matched. So why should you spend your time knitting your own socks?

Reasons why you should knit your own socks

1. They will always fit.  The heel will always be in the right place, and the width and toe will always fit snugly in the right place. This also means that your foot won't fall asleep because your socks are too tight and your socks won't flop off because the toe is too long.  We are confident once you start knitting socks you will add them into your crafting routine.

2. One word "Cankles"-  If you have them you know it and you also know how uncomfortable it is to have socks that are too narrow in the leg. It hurts and there is nothing you can do about them. People who are afflicted with edema often can't find socks that fit them right because of the swelling and knitting them their very own special socks make wonderful gifts.

3. If you are an outdoors person or know someone who is then you are familiar with the phrase "cotton kills". When you are tromping through the wilderness it is so important for your own safety to take good care of your feet. A good alternative, wool, also tend to be pretty pricey and you may know how expensive a good pair of wool socks are. A good pair of wool hunting or hiking socks costs about $20-15 a pair and a ball of our a step above 100% wool sock yarn costs $4.99 per skein, so it is much cheaper to make your own.

4. Christmas Gifts! Socks make a wonderful Christmas gift. Socks work up quickly, you can customize them for the receiver and everyone loves socks at Christmas especially good socks.

5. Unique designs that you control.  Once you've made a few there are so many variations of socks to be made the customizations are endless and it's a great way to practice a new stitch or technique before starting a big project.

So now that we have thoroughly convinced ourselves that we must knit some amazing socks lets look at the patterns we will be working throughout the months of October and November.  

Pedicure Socks Knit Pattern (week of October 2nd)

Pedicure Socks make wonderful gifts for those who like to pamper.  As the weather gets chilly leaving the salon can be tricky if you don't have the right footwear.  If you're an at-home pamperer, you may appreciate the ability to keep the footsies warm during drying time and showing off your polish after. It's also a wonderful first-time sock project if you want to practice your heel. This pattern calls for (4) size 3 needles and we will be using Mary Maxim's A Step Above sock yarn in Grand Canyon.  We selected this yarn because it's 100% Superwash Wool and incredibly soft.  

Footloose Socks (week of October 17)

The footloose sock pattern is made specifically for the footloose sock yarn.  There are two versions of the leg and is an intermediate knitting project.  We picked this pattern because of our awesome Mary Maxim Footloose yarn.  Footloose is 450yards per skein and is 75% Superwash Wool and 25% Nylon.  Footloose is a special yarn because of its vibrant colors.  These colors make for a "Wow!" project    

Mystery Pattern (week of October 31)

Mary Maxim is debuting a brand new sock yarn and pattern in November so check back for more announcements and be the first to get a glimpse. The yarn is called Mary Maxim's Step Softly and the colors in this yarn are quite stunning.

Crocheted Twisting Lace Socks Pattern (November 14th)

We will also be using Mary Maxim's Step Softly for our crochet work. Crocheted socks don't have all the benefits of knitted socks however if you don't knit, these crocheted socks are a great alternative.  This pattern uses a size D 3 hook   Next week we leap into the construction of a sock looking specifically at types of heels.  Make sure you grab some Footloose and A Step Above yarns for Socktober fest and don't forget to join the Socktober fest facebook group to participate in games to win prizes.