I’m really trying in 2022 to keep track of all the various craft projects that I have in my stash and actually manage to finish. The first complete one of the year is something I actually started at the back end of 2021, but failed to finish in time for Christmas. I can’t exactly remember when I treated myself to this gorgeously festive Candy Cane 4-ply yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners, but it may well have been years ago.
It is years since I last knit any socks though and I was feeling a bit out of practice when I got my dpns out. I had previously got to the stage where I had one go to sock pattern that I know fitted my feet perfectly and I had an annotated paper copy in my knitting bag so that I could quickly knock up a pair without really having to think about it. In various house moves I’ve lost that pattern and I wish I could remember where it came from.
For these socks I was following the Candy Cane socks pattern that West Yorkshire Spinners released along with the yarn. It’s written by Winwick Mum who is a bit of a legend when it comes to sock knitting. I’m not sure I’ve followed any of her patterns before, but I’ve certainly seen her tutorials before and know how much everyone rates her.
I did have a couple of moments of confusion in this – especially when I started doing the heel flap backwards as I’d not quite understood the instructions – but overall I’m really pleased with how these turned out, especially after such a long gap since last knitting socks.
The only thing I think I need to improve on is tension on my dpns and not ending up with a ladder effect where you can see how the stitches were split across the needles. This had already improved by the second sock and I’m hoping that it will improve more in future pairs.
They might not have been finished by Christmas 2021, but I’m delighted to have finally got to grips with socks again. These definitely won’t be the only pair on my needles in 2022. And, in writing this blog post I’ve also realised that West Yorkshire Spinners also has a whole Christmas Collection of 4-ply yarn, with the Vintage Tinsel particularly nice. Maybe that can be a festive treat to myself at the end of the year if I manage to master my sock knitting this year.
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