Three tips for speedy socks

A stripy sock in yarn from The Yarny Octopus

It’s no secret that I love knitting stripy socks. Give me a self stripe yarn and my book or a Netflix series and I’m definitely in my happy place. For socks such as this there is no rush, I’m happy just to proceed at my own pace and let the socks be finished when they are ready.

But, let’s face it time and birthdays wait for no man. So there are times when deadlines press and a pair of socks need to be done, with ends woven in and everything.

So here are my top 3 tips for speedier sock knitting:

1. Sharp tips. These needle tips are Hiya Hiya sharp interchangeables and I love ‘em, especially if there are any cables or twisted stitches to be knit.

2. Magic loop. Being able to scoot staright across 32 or 36 stitches in one swoop without having to stop and readjust definitely saves me time. Yes, there is a little cable wrangling at the midway point but I find I can get up quite a head of steam as I work my way across each needle tip.

3. Continental knitting. Keeping the yarn as close as possible to the left needle tip and wrapping it tight around my tensioning finger helps me to keep excess movement to a minimum. This keeps each movement efficient and reduces the potential for RSI.

What’s your best tip for speedy sock knitting? I know some people swear by DPNs for speed but for me I always seem to get in a tangle.

Feel Better socks

Most of my sock designs are written with magic loop in mind - such as these colourful, slightly cabled Feel Better Socks. Tap the button below to see the full range of sock patterns I have for sale.

KISS Shawl - a new pattern release

It's a beautiful sunny day, crisp and clear and the perfect day for a new pattern release.

The KISS shawl lives up to its acronym of Keep It Simple Stupid as it is super simple to knit. Starting and ending with just 2 stitches there's no complicated cast on nor do you have to bind off a billion stitches. The lace border is knit on as you go, so at the end  you can just bind off and wear it with pride.

It's perfect for the special skein of sock yarn that you have squirreled away somewhere and because it is knit side to side you can really maximise the yarn you have. Just weigh the yarn periodically and once you have used half you start the decreases. It really is that simple.

The sample here is knit in the fabulous Nether Alderley 4ply yarn from Yarns from the Plain - a beautiful yarn which drapes really well when knit at a relaxed gauge.

The body of the shawl is worked in stocking stitch which really shows off a hand dyed yarn. But if your yarn has speckles or pops of colour it would look equally fabulous with the body knit in garter stitch instead. Or you could knit two version - one of each and see which you prefer.

You can find the pattern here - and there is an early bird discount too (until midnight Feb 9th) - if you are a newsletter subscriber though do check your inboxes as you have something a little special.

Either way, there's no better way to celebrate the coming of spring (allegedly) than with a new shawl.