Brown&Braided

Item: Brown and braided soft socks
Yarn: Alpaca yarn,mixed with Merino and Nylon for a more durable yarn
Grams: 106 g

A pair of so-called "nightie socks", a soft pretty pair of socks, very suitable for wearing in bed on a cold Norwegian winter night.

They are knitted in a very soft and warm Alpaca yarn, with a 40% Alpaca, 40% Merino, 20% Nylon blend. The yarn is named "Sterk" ("Strong"), from Du Store Alpakka, a Norwegian yarn company specialising in Alpaca yarns.

The sock begins with a picot edging, an alternative to the more traditional ribbing. The picot edging is not as flexible as ribbing, but is very pretty. The sock continues with what can best be described as a kind of "fake" cabling in the front and the back of the sock, with simple k1 p1 ribbing between them. The "fake" cabling creates the appearance of an aran-like cable without requiring a cable needle, a knitting notion frequently used in aran knitting. However, I did find that the "fake" cabling created an annoying bump for each twist. This is okey for the leg of the sock, but if you intend to wear the sock in a shoe, it can probably be a bit annoying when placed on the actual foot of the sock, creating unnecessary friction.

I found the pattern in the book 2-at-a-time socks, but I must admit that I didn't knit them 2 at a time. I have not yet had the time to study this technique, but it is definitely on my list of knitting to do. This idea of knitting both socks simultaneously seems simply fantastic, as it is one of the most boring things in the world to finish knitting a sock only to realise that you need to knit the other sock until the project can be considered completed. A very common issue, I am certain.