Socks Again…Yarn Harlot’s Sock Recipe
My husband has been longing for another pair of hand knitted socks ever since I made him a pair, affectionately known as the Verona Socks since I started knitting them on the train from Venice to Verona on a trip that we took in 2006. Since I must be one of very few knitters on the planet who doesn’t like knitting socks, it took me a year to finish them.
When one of my UWS Knitting friends showed off her Hiya Hiya 9″ needles which meant that I could knit a sock without loosing track of four doublepoints, I decided to try again. I bought a pair of size 0 needles at Knitty City to go with the gorgeous blue, green and purple Art Yarn sock yarn last August. Then I waited for inspiration. As I noted earlier, socks are not among my favorite knitting projects.
Since I have been working on a lot of smaller projects, I decided that the time had come to start a pair of socks for Mr. Husband in hopes of having a birthday present for him before his birthday (which is the end of March).The pattern for socks made with the 9″ Hiya Hiya needles calls for more yarn than the two skeins of Art Yarns, which run a scant 191 yards each. So I dug into my stash where I had a skein of orange, light blue, brown and white sock yarn that Mr. Husband picked out in July 2008 on one of our Webs stops. Within less than 10 rows, I found that my hands cramped using these small needles.
Instead of abandoning the project, I changed to my yellow size 0 Pony double points which are flexible but not slippery. I also changed patterns since I wasn’t using the Hiya Hiya needles. Instead, I’m using the Yarn Harlot’s Sock Recipe which allows flexibility. I’ve measured my husband’s calf and swatched to ensure that this sock actually fits when I’m finished.
I had put off using this yarn since I didn’t like it (Note to self-Don’t buy yarn that you don’t absolutely love!) but I have found that I really enjoy watching the pattern evolve as I knit. I am using the Yarn Harlot’s Sock Recipe with just plain stocking knit to let the pattern grow. Despite 4 tiny needles, I am able to knit it on the subway. The pattern attracts attention. With luck, it may be a sock before Mr. Husband’s birthday.
Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief
Lucky you with your long fingers! My little stumpy fingers fit the Hiya Hiya needles just fine.