Sophie’s Apple Picking Socks

When I gaze upon this yarn, I think of sunny days and rainbows and spring. When I both gaze upon and say the name of this yarn (“Apple Picking”) completely different images are evoked: autumn skies, going back to school, playgrounds and–not surprisingly–apples.

The yarn brand is Must Stash Yarn, a company out of Texas that dyes the most unique self-striping socks on the planet (as far as I know). For these socks I used their Must Match yarn, and the “Apple Picking” colorway suits Sophie splendidly. The soft gray, subtly speckled with a darker gray, is perfectly punctuated by bands of bright colors in an exquisite fade: dark gray, sky blue, sea green, pale pink, golden yellow, olive, hot pink, coral orange, sky blue and ending with more golden yellow, hot pink and dark gray. These are Sophie’s colors!

For the toes, heels and cuffs I used some leftover bits of Old Rusted Chair “Ridin’ Out the Storm,” a dark silvery gray colorway you will probably see me using in greater quantities very soon. (The first time I knit with “Ridin’ Out the Storm” was for my Underwing Mitts.)

Above is one of my new mini trundle bags from Madder Root. The gray of the bag matches the gray of the yarn, so naturally, it was the bag that was chosen to house these socks when they were in their infancy. These trundle bags (big and small) are my favorite bags!

I used no pattern for these socks. Rather, I worked from my own improvised vanilla sock design, which for the moment can only be found in my head. Working two-at-a-time and toe-up I cast on 8 stitches per needle (16 per sock) using Judy’s Magic Cast-on. I then increased four stitches regularly and then intermittently until I reached the circumference for which I was aiming. Like me, Sophie prefers a snug sock, so I knit them a little tight, even for her Size 5 shoe. I knit along in stockinette, delighting in each of those colorful bands, until about 3.5 inches shy of her heel edge where I began to increase for the gussets. After about 1.5 inches I turned for the heels and worked them using German short rows in a method that is akin to the Fish Lips Kiss Heels. After that, all that was left were the legs and cuffs, which I worked in 2×2 ribbing.

While Sophie’s socks surround her feet snugly there is still room for her to grow lengthwise. I am hoping Sophie will be sporting her apple picking socks for well over a year, maybe even two. Fingers crossed!

ABOUT AUTHOR Jamie Hoffman

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