Walk in woollyness

After experiencing the delicious comfort of alpaca hiking socks, I have a yen to knit some woolly socks, and indeed my stash contains rather a lot of 4-ply.

Enough for half a dozen pairs in jolly colour combinations, you'd think.

But an imp is driving the sock idea round and round in my head. I've looked up techniques and methods - magic loop or double-pointed needles? Start at the toe or start at the top? Knit both socks at once?

So it was off to the nearest wool shop - Knit With Attitude in Stoke Newington, which involves a stroll through two parks and along streets lined with vivid autumnal trees, all very pleasant.

Then came decisions - 4ply or DK? hand-dyed? solids? And the small matter of the price point... can't have them all ...

And whatever happened to my plan to "use what you have"??

Xmas is fast a-coming, and like my mother before me I get pleasure from making, rather than buying, gifts, be they ever so humble. Quite possibly the first of the socks will be stepped out in by feet other than mine.

Here's a basic pattern on double-pointed needles for various sizes of feet, knit from the top down. This pattern has a little ribbing at the sides ... or I might rib throughout. Step by step tutorial about the basics of sock knitting; others are available!