Guys. I’m SHOOK! I consider myself to be a big time sock knitter. I’m someone who always has a pair of socks on the needles. I also consider myself as someone who has designed a hundred socks…. BUT I HAVEN’T AND I AM SHOCKED! I have released exactly 11 sock patterns in 12 years. I don’t even know who I am anymore.
Shall we take a walk down memory lane? I won’t walk you through every single pattern but let’s chat about some of the highlights ok?
This is my free Business Casual sock pattern (Rav link) and one of my all time favourites. I released this pattern in 2011. A decade ago! I’ve knit it a handful of times and I think I’m ready to knit another pair. It looks good in every yarn and has such a classy faux-argyle vibe. Simple to execute but so much impact.
I designed my Patina Socks (Rav link) for the 2013 Year In Colour Club. Oh brother the YICC designs are some of my favourites while at the same time being the most stressful things I’ve ever worked on. You need both the yarn and the pattern to be standouts in their own right while also working together perfectly. They also both need to work as part of a collection of 6 patterns/colourways that spanned the entire year. No small ask!
For the 2014 Year In Colour Club I designed the Cavalcade socks (Rav link). These I’m a really big fan of and I think I’ll cast on a pair again soon. These socks feature such pretty lace but in a simple repeat. Really stretchy and comfortable to wear. Not too much openwork. I’m very picky with my sock patterns. Socks are my happy place and they need to be an enjoyable knit. I love a challenge in other areas of my knitting but for whatever reason I need socks to be fuss-free, which has informed my sock designs a lot.
My Smokestack Socks (Rav link)! These remind me the most of my Rook Sock pattern (Rav link) that I just released last week. Fun story, both my Smokestack Socks and my Business Casual sock patterns were designed for my dad! I try to knit him a pair of socks every Christmas and I had a bit of a designing streak for a while where I would design his Christmas socks too. Finding fun man-sock patterns can be a challenge so I’m always keeping the boys in my life in mind when I’m scheming up a new sock pattern. I LOVE these socks. They are so crisp and clean and textural. Sock knitting heaven. I released these in 2014 shortly after my Brixter Hat pattern (Rav link) which remains one of my all time favourite hat patterns as well. Is it time to put this motif on a sweater? I love it!
Lavanderia (Rav link)! I love these socks. They are so pretty. I fell hard for this motif and used it on this pair of socks in 2017 and then used a slightly different version of it on my Skylights Sweater (Rav link) pattern in 2020. I’m currently thinking about a Skylights “light” (working title) for a t-shirt version knit in fingering weight featuring this same motif.
Last on my list to talk about today is my Trusty Toe Up pattern (Rav link). Friends, I vow to design more toe up sock patterns! I really mean it. I released 2 basic sock pattern, one toe up and one top down and the toe up is knit twice as often according to Ravelry. I knit so many of my socks toe up but this is my only toe up pattern! Why? Beats me. I’m vowing to fix that. I’m also vowing to add some colourwork to my next (toe up) sock pattern. Because none of my sock patterns feature colourwork! Why?
Well, thank you for humouring me with this little look back over my career as a sock designer. I do love knitting socks. Knitting happy little socks just makes me feel good. I am so picky about what I look for in a sock pattern and put a lot of pressure on myself to only design patterns that I would personally want to knit - and when it comes to socks I have such a strict criteria that it can be daunting. But, that criteria has just expanded to include colourwork which I’ve recently had a change of heart about when it comes to socks so a whole new world has just opened itself up to me and my sock loving heart! I already have a plan. Stay tuned!