Secret Tip for Knitting with Knit Picks Hawthorne!

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I purchased this gorgeous skein of Knit Picks Hawthorne Tonal to make a pair of socks for my pal Jess.  I saw this deep green color in the Knit Picks catalog and it reminded me of her gorgeous plant collection – I knew I had to make her some socks out of it!

I had been coveting verybusymonkey’s Irish Moss Socks pattern and started knitting that, but I just wasn’t feeling it so I unraveled the project.  Then I decided to make a pair of Monkey Socks, but that wasn’t feeling right either… that’s when I realized that it wasn’t the pattern choice that was the problem: it was the gauge! I usually knit socks with Knit Picks Stroll and my go-to needle size is a US 1.5 (2.5mm), but I decided to see what happened if I went down to a size 1 (2.25mm) and that made all the difference.  Suddenly the Monkeys looked gorgeous!

A dyer friend of mine pointed out that my gauge was probably off because the Hawthorn yarn is a little thicker – it has fewer wraps per inch (WPI) than Stroll and other lighter fingering weight yarns that I usually work with. I never gauge swatch socks (who does? lol), so I didn’t realize how much larger my stitches were.  So, if you aren’t getting the results you want when working with Hawthorne, try going down a needle size.  I think you’ll be pleased!

Of course, I didn’t have the foresight to take a before and after photo of the gauge difference, so you’ll just have to trust me, but here is the after photo… plant-themed, of course!

yarn details

Knit Picks Hawthorne Tonal Hand Painted in Springfield
Fingering Weight
80% Fine Superwash Highland Wool, 20% Polyamide (Nylon)
Machine Wash Gentle/Tumble Dry Low
$13.99 per 100g /357 yd skein
Purchased in November 2020

project details

pattern: “Monkey Socks” by Cookie A (free to download from Interweave’s website)
size knit: Medium (CO 64 stitches)
needles: US size 1 (2.25 mm), nickel-plated fixed circular needles
gauge: 17 stitches x 25 rows over 2” in stockinette (blocked)
yarn used: 322 yards (93 grams) (almost the whole skein)
finished size: Back of heel to tip of toe – 10.25”; Top of cuff to bottom of heel flap: 9”
duration: September 4 – November 24, 2021