Tulip Fields Socks: Finished

Let's continue celebrating Socktoberfest by looking at my most favourite socks:

It's getting to be that time of year when the light is short and my work days are long, so these are all the pictures I managed to get of these socks!

These socks had a most unusual construction which I discussed before. I made them a little different than the pattern in that I started at the top of the leg with a provisional cast on so I could pick up the stitches later and do ribbing at the end and use up every bit of yarn. (Or, in case I ran out of ran, I could work a cuff in a contrasting or complementary colour.)

I also worked the stripes with intarsia across half the sock. I.e. after the heel, I went down the sole making the three stripes, and then did a short row toe and went up the top of the foot and front of the leg with three more stripes, attaching it to the first half as I went. I really enjoyed doing it this way and plan to make my own like that, once I choose the yarn and get to it.

My own? Yes, these socks are a gift so even though I love them so much, I will not be keeping them!

Project Stats
Started: 12 Jul '14
Finished: 23 Aug '14
Pattern: Stripe Tease by General Hogbuffer
Materials: Katia Darling, 2 skeins in colour 208 (€9.90)

My Most Favourite Socks!

Yes, I am serious. I don't think these socks are going to have much competition for quite a while. They're not even done and I love love love them!

I started with the super soft sock yarn I purchased in Amsterdam and applied it to the pattern "Stripe Tease". As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew it was perfect for the yarn and for my mood.

The pattern starts with a thin stripe you knit from the cuff down to the ankle (pink on the left). Then you knit up the side to start a second stripe right next to it (green to purple). Then you knit up the side to start a third stripe (you can see the needle going up the side ready to be knit).

Once you have the back of the leg knit, you make your way down the heel...

...and then down the sole.

So you have half a sock--the back half. Very fun! I can't tell you how much silly enjoyment I got out of trying on the sock at this stage.

The pattern then has you knit three separate stripes for the front of the sock and then add the toe at the very end. But when I got to the end of the sole on my socks, I realized I could do a short row toe and then knit up the top/front. And that's what I did.

One other change I made to the socks was to not work all the stripes separately, but to do them in intarsia. I'm working the three strands at once (two from one ball and one from the other). Some people would hate it, but I prefer it.

And why are these my favourite socks? They feel divine on my feet, for one thing. And I am enchanted with the way they are constructed. And I love the colours. And they remind me of my trip to the Netherlands. Even though we weren't there at the right time for tulips, the stripes of these colours remind me of pictures of the long, thin bands of colour in the tulip fields.

The "bad news"? I'm giving these away! But I can't wait to start my own pair as soon as these are done!