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holiday gift idea: sweater sleeve socks

sweater sleeve socks

Ever since I started knitting socks, I’ve wanted to knit a pair for everyone in my family. There’s something about giving a gift of warmth, especially when it’s handmade, that I really like. I just don’t have time to make it happen, so I started to think of alternatives.

One day I was looking through Linen, Wool, Cotton and saw a pattern for socks using angora wool and I got an idea. I’ve got plenty of wool sweaters in my stash. Why not make a pair of socks out of that?

These are basically a tube with one rounded end. I didn’t felt the wool, but used my serger to enclose the raw edges. The cuff has a casing for elastic to help them stay up. The button is just for decoration.

I see more of these in my future. I’ll be looking for superwash or wool blend sweaters so they can be machine washed. I’m also thinking about stripes, fair isle and cables. The possibilities are endless!

alternatives: If you don’t have a serger, you could felt the sweaters first so the edges don’t unravel or try the zig zag stitch on your machine. Felted socks may be too thick to wear with shoes, but would make great slipper socks for lounging around.

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sewing for socks

hand knit socks

I recently refashioned a messenger bag for my friend Carrie. She asked if she could pay me in sock yarn. I laughed and told her I had too much sock yarn, but she was welcome to knit a pair for me out of my stash. I was surprised when she said yes. Of course, she’s a much faster and more dedicated sock knitter than I am.

hand knit socks

They are one of the best fitting pair of handmade socks I have ever worn, and this has got to be one of the best craft for craft deals ever. I’ll be posting about the messenger bag refashion this week.

stash: Socks that Rock Bella Coola from the 2007 sock club. Pattern is Carrie’s own design. (ravelry link)

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my creative space

wendy johnson toe up diagonal sock

Is it any surprise that knitting is in my creative space today? I finally cast on the sock that was on my to-do list. When I took it to knitting group tonight, I think everyone was shocked that I didn’t bring a crochet project. I was shocked that most of them had brought crochet projects.

While we’re still on the subject of knitting, let me tell you a little gauge story. A few weeks ago when I had a lot on my mind and life was kind of crazy, I did a gauge swatch for this sock. I got the proper amount of stitches and then abandoned the sock until I was on retreat. Last weekend was so relaxed and peaceful. Can you guess what happened when I cast on? Yep. The sock was huge! I had to go down a needle size and eliminate four stitches. (I refused to go down to a size 0 needle.) Just an example of how our mood and emotions can affect our craft.

progress report: In case you are following along, I’m almost finished that to-do list of mine. The two linen skirts have been hemmed and the drawstring has been converted to an elastic waistband so they hang more evenly. I also took pictures for some etsy listings. Just need to find the time to get them listed. Maybe Friday?

pattern notes: Yarn is Sockittome by Cherry Tree Hill Yarn. Pattern is Diagonal Lace Socks by Wendy Johnson from Socks from the Toe Up. You can download the pattern for free, but make sure to check the errata on ravelry before you start knitting.

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my creative space

my creative space

I would have loved to post this earlier, but I misplaced my camera cord. Yes, it’s been one of those days. I’ve been hustling and bustling to get gifts in the mail. I don’t know why June seems to be a last minute month. I start planning early, I really do. I think part of it is because I really want these gifts to be special, and it takes a lot of searching for that perfect thing to make.

Now that everything is packaged up and at the post office, I am going to work on something just for me: my monkey socks that have been in the UFO pile for almost a year. Yikes!

You can find more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo’s blog.