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Always a sock on the needles

That’s my motto. I always have a pair of socks on the needles at my house. Oh did I tell you that I knit them 2 at a time on one circular needle? Well I do. I learned to do this many years ago. I prefer this for so many reasons. First, I hate DPN’s. I have a hard time managing stitches on them and typically lose stitches off the back side of the needles. Secondly, I never have to worry about the second sock syndrome. I will always have a matching or someone matching pair of socks. They will be the same length and the same width. The gauge will be the same for both socks.

This is the pair on my needles right now. Truth be told, I haven’t knit on these for a month or so, since I’m focusing all my knitting time to my Shifty sweater. These socks are made with our Chinook Sock Base which is a blend of superwash merino, cashmere and nylon. And they are so soft and great. Because there’s nylon in there, they should were well too.

Want to learn how to knit socks 2 at a time? I have a class for that. Click here to find out about it. I have EARLY BIRD pricing on that until Sunday at midnight. The class is totally self study. There are 4 parts from cast on to bind off. And you have access for 60 days which should be plenty of time to knit your socks. You just need a skein of yarn (or a sock blank), a stitch marker and a circular needle of 32-40″ in length. I prefer to use size 1 US needles for fingering weight yarn. But pick the needles that work with the yarn you are using.

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sock blank with class included

Have you always wanted to learn how to knit socks 2 at a time (2AAT)? It is my preferred way to knit socks. Why? Because they will be the same size. Row for row. I don’t really need to count. I do measure them, but I don’t have to count to make sure there are the same number of rows. I like this way because there isn’t any second sock syndrome. When you are done with one sock you are done with both.

And what about sock blanks? How do they work? Well these are knitted rectangles that contain the same amount of yarn as our usual fingering weight yarns… approximately 400 yards. They are knit double, so they are perfect for 2AAT socks. The yarn doesn’t get as tangled as when working with 2 balls of yarn.

I’m going to do a series of classes to teach you how to knit socks 2AAT from a sock blank. These classes are free with purchase of a sock blank. There will be 4 classes: casting on and getting started, how to turn the heels, how to pick up the gusset and how to finish your socks. Classes will start July 25th. They are self study, so you can access them when it is convenient for you. Click here to get a sock blank and access to the class.

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even I take classes

I do. I love to learn new things. And I’ve really wanted to learn about the brioche stitch from an expert in person. And so I took a 2 color Brioche in the round a while ago. And then I was able to make the time to go to the next step: 2 color Brioche knit flat with increases and decreases.

This is a challenge for me. I don’t really like to read patterns. I like to see how something is done and model my movements after the teacher. But here you have to read the pattern. The increases are not that hard…but the decreases have many “moves” in them. And I didn’t get them right the first time. So I got help with that. And then I got it wrong a second time and I couldn’t fix it myself. So what did I do? I ripped it out and started over. I gave myself the admonition to READ the directions slowly and carefully. And I did that row correctly….mostly.

I have to READ the directions slowly and carefully for the next few rows and I hope to develop the moves to make this an easy pattern.

I love the yarn I chose for this project. This is my synergy yarn. It is spun after the dye process, so it has a tweedy, marled look. It is Merino so it is super, super soft. You can find all the Synergy colors I have here.

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what do you want to learn?

The new year is upon us. For me that means that I’ve been using this last couple of weeks as a time of reflection about last year and what I want my life to be in the new year. It is a time to think about what new ideas and creations I want to bring into my life. And it means that I usually also decide about what I want to learn this year.

My reading/study list for next year….not pictured is Fibershed by Rebecca Burgess since I have the Kindle book

As some of you know, I’ve taken some time off from teaching here. And now, I am ready to dive back into offering more classes on a more consistent basis. Most of these classes will be taught by myself, however we will also have some guest instructors as well. To be the first to find out what classes are scheduled and to get access to early booking, sign up for our email list here.

Examples of what you can make during my Dye your Socks classes Jan 20th or Feb 8th

So I’m asking you, what do you want to learn? Leave a comment so that I can add your ideas to the list.