Knit Book Review: Favorite Socks
25 Beautiful Sock Patterns for Men and Women From Interweave Press
Feb 18, 2008
Sock knitters are known for having insatiable appetites for new and interesting sock patterns and beautiful sock yarns. While you'll need to go to your local yarn store or online retailer to browse for sock yarns, you need go no further to find a wide variety of wonderful sock patterns. Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave (Interweave Press, 2006) is the perfect addition to any knitting library, providing an almost endless source of inspiration and projects for men's and women's socks.
Toe-up, Cuff Down and Replacable Soles
Ann Budd and Anne Merrow, editors of Favorite Socks, have done an excellent job choosing a wide variety of sock patterns. Nearly every technique used in sock knitting is represented here, such as knitting two socks at the same time on two circular needles, socks with afterthought heels and replacable soles, socks in worsted weight yarn as well as standard fingering weight sock yarn. There are socks with lace patterns, colour work, cables and other textured stitch patterns. There are socks inspired by Austrian textural patterns, such as Austrian Socks by Candace Eisner Strick, and heavy duty men's hiking socks inspired by Estonian colourwork patterns, such as the Eesti Trail Hiking Socks by Nancy Bush.
Beautiful Photographs and a Handy Coil Binding
Favorite Socks has been designed with the knitter in mind, with beautiful color photographs of each sock, clear instructions and charts, and a coil binding inside the hardcover book that helps it to lay flat on your lap while you knit. Seventeen of the patterns were favorite sock patterns from past issues of Interweave Knits, with six all-new patterns for those dedicated knitters who already have every issue of the magazine back to 1996. Favorite Socks truly has a sock pattern for everyone! At the back of the book is a handy reference that includes diagrams and instructions for sock-specific techniques, such as how to do a Provisional (Invisible) Cast-On or Kitchener Stitch.
If you've never knit socks before, you might want to check out some online resources to help you learn the basics of knitting socks before tackling some of the sock patterns in Favorite Socks, or take a class with your local knitting guild or yarn store. Every sock pattern in Favorite Socks has at least one feature that makes it unique and different from a standard cuff-down sock, so if you have never knit a sock before you may find the patterns here challenging. But for knitters who have completed at least one pair of socks already, Favorite Socks will inspire new levels of sock knitting.
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