Sunday Sockdown is going to be all about... wait for it... Socks! Socks are the reason I wanted to learn to knit in the first place. I remember becoming enraptured with all the pretty self patterning sock yarn a la Opal. It was love at first sight, but alas I didn't know how to knit and crocheted socks just didn't cut it. So I learned to knit and not long after I was churning out pair after pair of socks. My second pair of socks was a Cookie A pattern. And my favorite and most popular class to teach is Intro to Sock knitting.
Part of this year's plan is to knit 14 pairs of socks. So let's see what pair we are starting with.
One of my favorite knitting bloggers/teachers in Knit Purl Hunter. Her tutorials, both written and video, are excellent: clear, concise, and fun. Her knit-a-longs began a few years ago with the help of Skacel, when she designed and led the knit-a-longs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Trekking yarn (a favorite). She introduced new techniques and highlighted old favorites in a mystery knit-a-long format while utilizing a versatile and diverse line of sock yarn. I really enjoyed knitting those 6 pairs of socks, they were some of my favorite to knit and to wear.
This year she is starting with a new sock MKAL, Focus Pocus. They are knit cuff down 2 at a time using one of Skacel's newer sock yarns CoBaSi. CoBaSi is a wool free sock yarn, something that is rare in the world of yarn, but is much sought after. CoBaSi gets its name from its fiber make up: Cotton, Bamboo, and Silk. To be perfectly honest this is not my favorite yarn to knit with, but it is worth knitting with to see how the other side lives. I find the yarn to be a little splitty and not spun tightly enough, that said, it is a good alternative to wool yarns.
The first clue for Focus Pocus was released Thursday and well sadly, I haven't gotten very far on my socks. I have gotten cast on but have only gotten a few rows in. It's 2 at a time cuff down and that can be really fiddly in the beginning. I've already knit half a sock with the wrong skein of yarn. But I will keep at it. The next clue will be release on Thursday and I will have clue 1 finished by then. Again, this is a really great KAL for anyone who wants to learn some new sock tricks or just beef up already familiar techniques. Her pattern are fully supported with video tutorials or blog post explanations. And she responds really quickly to emails and is very friendly. You can also join the Ravelry group for the knit-a-long and find support there among your fellow knitters. So if you want to try something new for the new year, jump in and join us for Focus Pocus, its never to late to start.
And here's the sad little bit I have started:
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