Broken Seed Stitch Socks

Let me just start by saying that these are the best, most wearable socks I have made yet. I actually finished the first pair quite a while ago but writing this post has been on the back burner since I've been busy with a new-ish job and lots of Christmas knitting. January's almost over and I'm still finishing up the second pair of these socks as a (very late) Christmas present for my aunt.

The broken seed stitch pattern makes these socks go a little slower than the stockinette socks I've been making recently, but it's gorgeous. It looks like little scales! For the finished pair, I used Paton's Kroy Socks in Blue Stripe Ragg and Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Serenity Sock in soft white. I picked up metal size 1 needles from Joann and used them for the first time on this project. They're longer than my bamboo size needles and I prefer the feel of them. I used my regular number of stitches (64) and the socks turned out perfectly snug.

The second pair uses the same white yarn and the same Paton's Kroy Socks yarn in another colorway- Cascade Colors. The color variation in the yarn gets super muted in this pattern due to being mixed with the white, but the socks still look pretty.

In the first pair of socks, I had issues with getting the two colors of yarn in the right place to pick up after the heel. I had to cut the yarn and reattach it when I got back around to the right spot. Because this pattern is more of a "recipe" than a pattern, it doesn't go into detail about where to change colors.

For the second pair, I tried out the method from the Rose City Rollers where you knit the heel flap and heel like normal but pick up an extra stitch on each side when starting the gusset and start the gusset decreases half a round later than usual. This means you begin your round at the start of the instep instead of the middle of the heel. It's hard to describe over text, but it worked for me and I recommend taking a look at the gusset and gusset decreases section of the Rose City Rollers pattern to help with the Broken Seed Stitch socks if you're having issues.

The only other change I would make if I knit these again is to do a stretchier cast on. I used the long tail method for both of these pairs and it makes it a little hard to pull on your foot.

Rose City Rollers, Round 2

I liked knitting the Rose City Rollers pattern so much that I knit another pair while on a rockhounding road trip with my mom to Utah last month. They make a perfect travel project since they're so small and packable.

I used Patons Kroy Socks FX yarn in Clover Colors, a nice fall blend of greens and oranges. It has a standard mix of 75% washable wool and 25% nylon but is thicker than other sock yarns I've used. As a result, the socks lean towards slipper-like and will be nice to wear around the house in the winter.

I thought I might be able to get away with one skein, but that was not the case. I got about one and a third socks done before I ran out of yarn.

The color of each skein varies quite a bit but I picked the closest match at Jo-Ann's and the second sock is only a little brighter than the first. I made these ones for myself, but future variations might be making an appearance at Christmas.

Rose City Rollers

After knitting my sister's socks, I had most of a skein left of the pretty Premier Yarns Grand Canyon. I was browsing Ravelry for an ankle sock pattern and the Rose City Rollers by Mara Catherine Bryner stood out. The pattern suggests size 1 needles, but size 2 needles worked fine with the medium size. I really like how the pattern was written and the explanations for non-standard things like starting the round from the side instead of the middle of the sole were clear and well thought out.

I didn't have extra yarn to start the yarn at the same point in the pattern, but by some miracle it worked out and the stripes line up almost perfectly!

At least until the toe on the second sock, where I ran out of yarn and had to finish with a little leftover gray Zitron Trekking yarn.

The roll top is fun and way more aesthetically pleasing than ribbing but still provides enough material to keep the socks from sliding down. These socks are quick to knit up and work perfectly with my hightops and ankle boots and would also look good exposed.

I think one skein of Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock yarn would be the perfect amount for a pair of Rose City Rollers. I'll definitely be making more in the future, but as soon as I get more sock yarn I want to knit the gorgeous Seed Stitch Socks by handepande on Ravelry.