FO – Stripey socks

In today’s episode of Finished Object I present to you a few colored stripes. Currently you can see striped objects in many places. I am infected from this trend and tried self-striping wool.

Stripey socks - yarn

Here in Switzerland, it’s really hard to get self-striping yarn. We have mostly industrial dyed yarn and therefore not many choices when it comes to special yarns –  unless we order them online. So I did. I searched on Etsy.com and found the brand “Stray Cat Socks”. They have gorgeous colours, which makes it difficult to choose from. Every single skein comes in a box. That makes it even more special.

Stripey socks - roll

Pattern: Vanilla socks by Carle Dehning (just as a reference)
Needle size: 2.25mm
Yarn: Stray Cat Socks self striping yarn, colour “Momentum”

Stripey socks - wear it

To show off the yarn it takes only a simple, plain stockinette pattern for socks. I took Carle’s pattern as a reference. Thus, the colours look on the heel evenly as the stripes on the foot and leg, an afterthought heel is worked. I know this technique already from the Flower power socks. The afterthought heel is made as follows: you knit to the heel and knit the heel stitches with a separate, waste yarn. Then you just slip the knitted heel stitches back onto the left needle and work as normal with the original wool on. When you finished the sock, you pull out the waste yarn, pick up the heel stitches and knit the heel.

Stripey socks - heel

But there’s another method to work the afterthought heel without a waste yarn. You knit a tube as long as you want. When the socks are done, you measure the RIGHT spot where the heel should be and cut the yarn in the middle of the heel side. You unravel, pick up the stitches for the heel and work a heel.

I’m not I if I do not drop a brick. Of course, I promptly cut the yarn in the wrong place at the first sock. That hurts. But we learn from our mistakes, right? The spot where you cut the yarn is the same as you would work an afterthought heel with waste yarn. In the video above you see how it works.

Stripey socks - hand dyed

The yarn itself is just gorgeous: those vibrant colours combined with the softness is great. It is hand-dyed yarn. And they do a very good job. The different colour sections are balanced as you see in the picture above.

Stripey socks - cuff

Started at the toes and worked the foot and the leg as one tube, I got bored by the time by plain stockinette. Before I started with the ribbing I tried the basket weave pattern, alternated by the colour change. And the ribbing is worked as I did with the Lattice Top.

Overall I really like these socks. The comment of my boyfriend doesn’t dismiss my love to the stripes: “These socks look like Pippi Longstocking socks!” After I told him, that I have another self-striping skein of Stray Cat Socks and it might be something for him, he was more than happy – and regret his comment :-)

Which sock technique would you like to learn? Or which one you haven’t tried so far? And is there a specific heel you prefer?

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