Happy Scrappy Socks

 

Scrappy Socks

Whoa!  It’s been a long time since I posted any completed projects here on my blog.  Let’s get caught up! Here is my most recent project. 

I have wanted to make Scrappy Socks for the longest time.  I have been making socks for years and I always have leftover bits of yarn.  Why, I even have leftover bits of yarn when I make Men’s US Size 14 socks for my husband.  The problem with making socks with leftover bits of yarn is that you have to come up with a good way to join new yarn and you don’t want to have a gazillion loose ends to weave in when you are done knitting the socks.  

I recently joined a Facebook group called “Strictly Sock Knitting” and I got a few pointers from folks in that group. I also noticed some folks on Instagram making lots of scrappy socks and I asked questions about yarn joins and weaving in loose ends.  Just recently I heard of a “new to me” yarn join.  It’s called Cate’s Clasp Weft Join. I watched a video and I was convinced this was just the technique I needed.  I think the video suggests you need not weave in the loose ends because the join is so strong.  I fretted about that a bit and ended up weaving in my loose ends. Truth be told... it did not take a million years to weave in the loose ends and it was not totally awful.  I think the inside of my socks look pretty darn tidy.  I am pleased I took the time to work in the loose ends; I will feel more confident about washing them in the washing machine.  Another thing I feel to compelled to point out is that, while my socks do look really colorful, I did not change yarns as many times as you might think. A lot of my yarns were very colorful, self-striping yarn so sometimes it appears I switched yarns when really it was just color changes in the yarn itself.  Looking at the photos of my socks just now, I would estimate that each sock contains 13 different yarns.  

I definitely see many Happy Scrappy Socks in my future. I have a tub of leftover bits.  I think Happy Scrappy Mittens would also be a fun project.

For my socks, I used 2.25 mm double pointed needles.

I used a long tail cast on at the cuff and the toes were grafted shut with the Kitchener Stitch.

My socks have 64 stitches per round and I used the Fish Lips Kiss Heel (pattern available on Ravelry for $1.00... totally worth it; it’s my favorite heel and I have it memorized).

Here is a link to the YouTube video showing how to join yarn using Cate’s Clasp Weft Join.  

Video link:  https://youtu.be/bsLUpFAxudI