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New Pattern: Crew Socks

Sport Socks – Tube Socks – Tennis Socks

Designing the Crew Socks pattern started as an obsession with the kind of socks you buy in a 3-pack. To me they are extremely nostalgic and very now at the same time. How could I not be completely into it :) It took me a little while to translate such a machinemade thing into something that could be handknitted without loosing the feel of the original inspiration. What I ended up with is an elevated version that is both fun to knit and wear.

I have reduced the price on the pattern by 20% right now because next week I kick off my first ever knit a long! It will run mainly on my instagram and in the ravelry group and I am so excited about it! Hopefully some of you are as well :) There will be prices, tutorials for every step of the pattern and hopefully a nice sense of community. You can find the pattern in the shop HERE or by clicking the image below to get started now.

I thought I would try a new thing and write a run-down of the features in the pattern. All knitting patterns are a series of choices based on both construction and aesthetics. So I thought I would let you in on the choices I’ve made for this pattern and why I’ve used the different techniques. In other words all the nerdy stuff :)
This is a perfect pattern to use as a jumping off point for experimentation. So I’ve also gathered a bunch of my inspiration and made a few suggestions for fun modifications as well!

Pattern Features

The folded edge is fundamental

The crew socks have a folded edge, which in all honesty is probably the most fiddly part of this pattern. Especially if you’re not into provisional cast-ons. I am telling you that it is well worth it though! What you get is a cuff that is both extremely stretchy and sooo neat and pretty. I actually think provisional cast-ons get a bad rep. They are so much quicker than regular cast-ons and there is no tail that ends up too short. I dont know how many times I have had to start over because of that. So if you haven’t done a provisional cast-on before, get ready to level up your knitting significantly!

Both thin and thick

When I was thinking of making a sport socks pattern, the first thing I thought of is how the foot is always thicker than the cuff. For some reason this feature is part of what makes them so nostalgic to me. Is that weird? It just reminds me of hanging out in locker rooms after soccer practice, H2O sandals with socks in them and discovering boys and their fascinating boy things. No matter the reason I of course wanted to incorporate this feature into the pattern. The thicker foot also means that once you knit the relatively quick cuff they step into a new gear. Knitting a foot on 4 mm (US 6) needles is so satisfyingly fast!

Short row heel

The most significant feature of any sock is the heel. It changes both the look and how the sock fits on the foot completely. Machinemade sport socks are worked with a modified short row heel that is pretty hard to translate to handknits. Instead of a single line of short rows it is split into two half way with each tong worked as a seperate short row. I researched the method quite a lot, but ultimately decided that although it is fun (if you are a nerd) it is not really worth the trouble. Instead I decided to go with a German short row heel as it is almost identical to the one used on machineknit socks. It doesnt hurt that it is the fastest and easiest to knit as well.

Softly rounded toe

My favorite kind of toe forever and always is a rounded one! I found this out when I was writing the pattern for the Simple House Slippers. During that time I developed a toe that was knit more like the top of a mitten. Which is to say it is VERY short and round. I found that it looked better on both my small toes and my partners freakishly long ones ha! Since then my eyes were opened to the wonders of a rounded toe. So even when I follow other patterns I always make sure to change this part. Feet are just not angular.
The Crew Socks have a subtly rounded toe, which is very easy to knit. I hope that it is one of those techniques that can move into the repertoire of whoever knits them. Ok that really is enough talk about toes!

Suggested mods and some inspo

Modding the pattern to fit you

As in all of my patterns the Crew Socks are written with descriptions on how to modify the socks. That way you can be sure that they fit you or the person you are knitting for (aren’t you nice!). I always do this because as much as it sucks, sizing a pattern is done by estimating an average size. Although socks are a lot more forgiving fit-wise than sweaters not everybody fits an average size. So I try to adress this in the patterns that I make. The Crew socks come with a size chart that makes it really easy to cross check which size to knit and how to modify the lenght etc.

The Classic

Changing the size is the most basic of mods, but there are of course a whole slew of modifications that can be done for fun and to fit your style. My testknitters tried out a few different things like using handdyed, speckled yarn and knitting the cuff and toe a seperate color. If you decide to do the latter just remember that this wont work for the heel. That is because short row heels are worked across the front as well, which will create a stripe. However you could quite easily make an all over striped sock!

You could also go the classic route which is what I am going to do for my next pair. Two stripes at the top of the cuff is where it is at :) I actually debated if I should include two stripes in the pattern, but I really like the idea of keeping them as a canvas for experimentation instead of locking them in as a striped sock. Especially since they work so well in the vanilla version. Instead I am working on a video tutorial on how to add stripes. I will post it here and on my instagram during the knit a long this coming month. So follow me there if you want a heads up on the tutorial or if you want to join!

Below I have collected a bunch of inspiration to help you get ideas for your own pair of Crew Socks. You can also check out what other knitters have made on Ravelry here or by subscribing to the hashtag #tokcrewsocks on instagram.

Happy Knitting!
Simone

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New Pattern: Crew Socks

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