Not yet blocked, so a bit wrinkly, but you get the idea

Happy new year to everyone!  Here in Ottawa the day is bright and sunny and fairly cold.  Chickadees are all over the bird feeder by my window and the squirrels are cleaning up the seeds on the ground (and for once not fighting with each other).  The grouse is still finding things to eat in the crab apple.  There are deer and squirrel tracks all over the back deck.   It’s after 10 am and I’m still in my pyjamas…. I hope your day is as nice as this one.

The sock in the picture was designed for a man, and I think it’s got a classic look to it that even those guys who only ever want plain black socks would like.  It’s done in Farrow Rib, a multiple of three stitches (three plus one, if you’re knitting it flat rather than in the round).  I used Elann’s “Sock It To Me” — two balls of 210 m/50 gm superwash wool/nylon blend.  Pretty much any sock-weight yarn will do, of course.

Here’s the pattern, with my best wishes for a great 2009: Farrow Rib Socks download

Don't they look cozy?

It’s so windy today that even though it’s not that cold, it feels chilly and biting out there. One of the things I love about winter in Ontario is that the weather just requires fabulous knit things!

This is a simple pattern with eye-of-partridge heels for thicker socks, like boot socks or house socks.  For variety, I’ve made them with ribbing and/or cables down the leg, and stripes, but they have a rustic simplicity in plain stockinette, too.  The free, downloadable pattern is for plain socks, but you can choose your own embellishment, as long as it fits into 44 stitches.

Two skeins of Briggs and Little “Tuffy” (80% wool and 20% nylon) and a set of four 3.25 mm (US 3) double-pointed needles are suggested to make them (Tuffy is an 8 wpi aran-weight type yarn with 215 yds/197 m per 4 oz/113 gm skein).

Comfy Old Favourite Socks download