Finished project – Swirls and Stripes socks

Do you remember a few months ago I had no socks on the needles, so started playing with mini-gradient sets based on leftovers in my sock stash instead? These socks are the end result!

ETA: pattern is now live on Ravelry!

I had ambitions to create some lacy or patterned (not colourwork) striped socks using a gradient set, and that’s where I started with these, but when I started doodling patterns I couldn’t get spirals and swirls out of my head – and those proved to be easier to create via colourwork rather than anything else. So I slimmed down the gradient to just three (red, orange and gold) and paired them with a contrast grey to run from top to toe (or toe to top).

I deliberately went for stripes over the gusset to make it an easy section to knit (and, selfishly, to write the pattern for!) – and that plain grey section after the stripes makes these socks very easy indeed to alter according to your desired foot length.

I did do a bit of knitting and re-knitting with this pattern, but not all that much – in the end these guys almost designed themselves. It was a really satisfying way to use up some existing stash yarn – I’m basically incapable of throwing any leftovers from socks away unless there’s barely a gram or two left, so working these out was very pleasing.

The pattern is launching THIS FRIDAY (whoop whoop!) – watch my designs page on Ravelry to see when it pops up and, as ever, it’ll have a 20% launch discount for the first week. It’s live now, it’s live now! Check it out!

My brilliant gang of test knitters worked their versions of Swirls and Stripes in some amazing sets of colours, which create entirely different vibes – have a look at some of their lovely work.

Swirls and Stripes Socks – Test Knit by Kingdomofwench

Swirls and Stripes by Eternalknitter

Swirls and Stripes Socks by fed1r

Swirls testknit by Graebel

I love all of them and especially like how the last pair shows how playing with the colour positioning and changing multi-colour into simpler shades can totally alter the whole feel of a knit.

• Pattern: Swirls and Stripes socks, by me, now live!
• Yarn: Travelknitter BFL Supersock in London Skies (grey) and Firecracker (red), Travelknitter Pure Merino Sock in Jaipur (yellow), and Uncommon Thread Tough Sock in… a shade of orange where I have lost the label (leftovers from last year’s Fyre Festival socks)
• Needles and gauge: 9 stitches and 11 rows per inch (36st/48 rows = 4 inches/10cm) over stocking stitch using 2.25mm needles