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I’ve knitted well over 100 pairs of socks, but not that many have been colorwork creations. And, honestly, there is a reason for that… because they rarely turn out the way I want them to. So, I decided it was finally time to learn how to knit colorwork socks once and for all.
Luckily, last year I had the good fortune of meeting KnittyMelissa – a knitting instructor and pattern designer with loads of expertise in colorwork. She graciously gifted me her sock pattern Winterfell to practice some new skills and even agreed to do a little Q&A for the blog!
Meet Winterfell: My Colorwork Challenge
Without further ado, let me show off my awesome GOT-inspired socks, Winterfell:
I knitted these using Knit Picks Stroll in Forest Heather and Dove Heather and I love the high contrast – it really makes the colorwork pop. This pattern caught my eye because it featured two totally new techniques I wanted to learn: the picot cuff and the Latvian Braid. Both were way easier than they looked and I love that I’ve added these skills to my knitting toolbox. The Winterfell Pattern includes links to videos that walk you through both techniques, which was a godsend!
Pro Tip #1: Managing Stretch in Colorwork Socks
So, let’s dive into my first question for Melissa:
What is the single most important tip you would offer to someone knitting their first pair of stranded colorwork socks? Are there common mistakes beginners tend to make, and how can they avoid them?
In my experience, lack of stretch is the biggest factor for someone new to knitting stranded colorwork socks. The floats end up restricting the fabric from stretching. There’s nothing more disheartening than finishing the leg of a stranded sock and having it not go over the heel. In my patterns, I offer several tips for increasing stretch and maximizing float length, from going up a needle size to stretching out the stitches on the right needle to the most important one – knitting the socks inside out.
She totally nailed it… the lack of stretchiness issue is one of the reasons why I don’t knit a lot of colorwork socks. I’m definitely going to try knitting my next pair inside out! I’m already giddy at the thought of trying something that feels like such an “insider” trick. Like, people who knit socks inside out definitely know what’s what, right?
p.s. Here’s what my socks look like on the inside:
Pro Tip #2: When Catching Floats, Less is More
It turns out that my second biggest issue with colorwork socks is kind of related to the first: I obsessively catch floats, but I don’t like how they make the fabric look bumpy. Melissa’s answer to this question sort of blew my mind. (Spoiler alert, she only catches floats if it’s 7+ stitches. I always thought you should never go more than five!)
How often do you recommend catching floats in stranded colorwork socks? Do you have tips for managing floats to keep them neat? I often find mine poke out a bit where I catch them, or they sometimes cause the fabric to pucker.
I personally only catch floats when they are seven stitches or longer. For example, with a 7-st float, I’ll work 3 sts, catch the float on stitch 4, then work the remaining 3 sts. I minimize catching floats because I find that not only can they inhibit stretch, but they often show through on the right side. I always say that it’s okay if the floats are a little loose on the wrong side. If they are all taut and straight, the socks aren’t going to stretch much. I’ve recently learned how to include Ladder Back Jacquard (LBJ) in projects that have significant instances of long floats.
Letting my floats be long is definitely something I’m going to have to get used to, but I love that I’ve now officially gotten permission to do it from a colorwork expert: it takes the weight off. Also, I’ll definitely be googling LBJ after I finish writing this post!
Pro Tip #3: Quality Patterns Make All the Difference
My next question for Melissa was something I love to ask designers, which is just to find out how they got started. But Melissa’s answer also delved into one of my favorite knitting topics, which is the idea of pattern quality. I mean, anyone can call themselves a pattern designer, but making sure your patterns are well formatted with clear and standardized instructions and that have been tech edited and/or test knitted makes you a real professional. As a knitter, I deeply appreciate a quality pattern and I’m willing to pay for it. (On that note, KnittyMelissa has a mix of free and paid patterns, and they are all top quality. So there’s something for everyone.)
How did you get started designing knitting patterns? What advice would you give to someone who dreams of creating their own patterns but doesn’t know where to begin?
I got started designing when I couldn’t find a basic ribbed socks pattern with enough explanation for a beginner. There are a ton out there, but I wasn’t happy with the free ones and had purchased a couple of patterns that ended up not being well written or explained. So I wrote my own and posted it for free. After that, I was knitting so many sock patterns that I started getting some ideas of my own and decided to write them up. I figured if I sold a few patterns, it would help finance my yarn habit – LOL!
When designing a pattern, it’s important to make all of the instructions as clear as possible. You cannot assume that every knitter is going to have the same experience, skill, or ability to make the correct assumption about what was meant in the pattern. Using standard stitch naming, standard chart symbols and notations, etc. all help to make an easy-to-follow pattern. All of my patterns are test knit with multiple knitters for each size, plus I try to get less experienced knitters because they are more likely to read thoroughly and follow the instructions word for word.
What Are Mystery Socks (MOCKs)?
So, my final question is about how Winterfell is formatted. It is a set of four separate PDFs – one for each segment of the pattern. I asked her what that’s all about, and learned about a fun new way that knitters can build community!
The Winterfell pattern is formatted as a series of four “clues” because it was originally released as a Mystery Sock. Can you share more about what Mystery Socks are and where knitters can find similar projects if they’re interested?
Mystery Socks, or MOCKs, are where patterns are released in a series of clues (usually one per week), each one continuing the pattern from where the previous left off, and there are no photos present in the clues or the pattern page. Participants are knitting not knowing what the sock is going to look like, hence the “mystery.” Typically there is a group of knitters all working on the MOCK at once, which provides camaraderie and support throughout the knit-a-long (KAL) as well as a place to post spoiler photos of the in-progress socks.
There are groups on Ravelry that host Mystery Sock KALs on a regular basis. The first is the Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) group where I am a moderator and regular MOCK designer. The Solid Socks group also has regular MOCK knit-a-longs which they call MKALs. In addition to the live MOCK KALs, both groups provide lists and links to all of the previous MOCK designs going back over 15 years.
How cool is that? Has anyone reading this ever done an MKAL? It sounds like so much fun! Let me know in the comments if you are an MKAL-er. (Also let me know what you actually call yourselves, lol).
I will end this post with my project notes, as I always do, but first I want to give a huge thank you to KnittyMelissa for sharing these amazing tips with us! You can find all her patterns on Ravelry here and be sure to subscribe to her knitting YouTube channel too – it’s total gold!
yarn details
Knit Picks Stroll in Forest Heather and Dove Heather
Fingering Weight
75% Merino, 25% Nylon
Machine Wash & Dry (if you dare)
50 g/231 yd balls
project details
pattern: “Winterfell Socks” by KnittyMelissa (purchase the downloadable pattern on Ravelry)
size knit: CO 56, but there are lots of “choose your size” options along the way!
needles: two sets of US size 1.5 (2.5 mm) nickel-plated fixed circulars for the cuff, US size 2 (2.75 mm) wood 9” circular needles for the body of the sock, and US size 1.5 (2.5 mm) wood DPNs for the cuff and toe.
gauge: 7.5 stitches per inch on the leg
yarn used: 240 yards of Forest Heather (52 grams) – just over a ball, 106 yards of Dove Heather (23 grams) – about half a ball.
finished size: Top of the cuff to bottom of the heel flap – 9”, Leg Diameter: 3.5”, Back of heel to tip of toe: 9”
duration: May-Dec, 2024
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