I still haven’t taken photos of the first official FO of the year, so instead, how about some socks? I finished these on Friday and even though the weather has improved, I’ve already been wearing them like crazy.
Last year I knit two pairs of Stepping-Stones (the excellent and free Clara Parkes pattern from her equally excellent book The Knitter’s Book of Socks) for my mum. I’ll admit to not being totally convinced about the pattern after the first pair (although I quite like how they look), but after the second I knew I wanted a pair for myself. That it got so friggin’ cold here just pushed me to knit them sooner.
These socks took a week, almost exactly, which was great. I can knit a pair of fingering weight socks in a week when I really want to, but these socks felt like they were knitting themselves, and they flew off the needles. My original plan was to give them contrasting toes, because I was pretty sure one skein of Tosh DK wasn’t going to be enough for my big feet and because I wanted to use up my leftover Hudson, which was a pretty good match.
As it turned out, contrasting heels and toes would have been a better plan, but oh well. I kind of like the asymmetry of these socks, which are still clearly a pair, despite their differences.
Details
Pattern: Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Tosh DK in Cosmos and Jill Draper Makes Stuff Hudson in Chestnut
Needles: 3.25mm
Notes: I followed the pattern pretty much as written, though I changed the heel because I’m set in my ways and like a slip-stitch flap heel best. Ravelled here.
It has gotten warmer over the last few days, but I’ve been fooled by January before. I’m not totally over my love of this pattern, but I’m thinking I might try Rye by tincanknits for my next pair of quick and thick socks. I already have the yarn and everything…
Tosh VIntage in Amber Trinket. Two skeins this time.
Pans & Needles 
Photos of socks are always a good thing, in my opinion. I need more *sigh* Unfortunately, I need more time too…
Haha. I feel this way all the time. I tend to just always have a pair on the needles, so even when I’m knitting other things, slowly slowly socks get done too. It’s always a surprise when the background socks get finished, but so nice!
Who says socks should always be perfectly matched anyway? I like the asymmetry 😉
I agree! 🙂
I like the difference – looks like one got a bit more dipped in chocolate than the other 😉
I love this!
😄😄😄
I think those are cute. But then, I’m not a matchy-matchy sock person.
Socks should be unique! Love them 🙂
If you wouldn’t have told me, I would have thought the asymmetry was intentional. I love it. It adds character and flair.
I really love the colour, even though they don’t match. If I knit with Opal, I don’t mind if I get fraternals, and these are great!
I hope that your icy weather will be gone soon … Must have been totally crazy. It is too warm here, we’ll see how that goes … Last year was the same, but the weather skipped spring somehow. Bah …
I think they’re great! Funny that you posted about non-matching socks on the same day as me. 🙂 The new colourway for your next pair looks delicious.
Thank you! I think it’s all the snow that’s driving me toward warm colors right now.
Looooooooooove that Madeline Tosh color! I’m learning to love mismatched socks. More character. As long as you’re feet are warm, that’s all that matters. 🙂
As someone with big feet who insists on knitting top-down, I feel there will be a lot of mismatched socks I my future. If nothing else, it’s a good way to use up odd bits of leftovers.
I rather like non-matching socks; I deliberately did a pair of opposite socks one time because of that.
Rachel Coopey has a couple of socks designs that are deliberately mismatched. I haven’t knit them yet, but I think I might have to.
I love these. The Cosmos coloway is great and the brown looks great with it! And the mismatched toes are very you 🙂 I’m pretty sure that someday you will publish a pattern book, and there will be a chapter on ‘surprise toes’.
What a lovely thing to say! I am quite partial to slightly odd socks 🙂
I always feel like I can conquer the world when I’ve knit a pair of socks in a week, lol! Yours look so cozy 🙂