Tuesday 11 August 2020

Seed Head socks: buy now and donate to a great cause!

Last month, I unveiled my Seed Head socks,* and have been delighted by their reception! Thank you for every like, favourite and purchase! If you haven't purchased yet, but were planning on doing so, until August 14th, I'll be donating £2 from each sale to the Flower Power Fund, which uses yarny loveliness to raise money for Marie Curie UK, a charity that supports people living with a terminal illness. At the time of writing, sales of my sock pattern have raised just over £200!



The Seed Head socks feature dip stitches that create shapes reminiscent of the seed heads that we see growing in the fields and hedgerows in the UK. The socks incorporate plenty of these dip stitches to create seed heads that sit on either side of a central, cabled stem. The dip stitches have the added advantage of being a lot of fun to knit, and once you have knitted a couple, they get much quicker to work! In case you are unfamiliar with dip stitches, I have included a photo tutorial at the end of the pattern to help you.


The Seed Head socks are knitted from the toe up and I’ve given two options for knitting the heel:
  • A gusset and heel flap construction, shaped with short rows, with a slipped-stitch pattern on the heel flap for reinforcement. The gusset length is affected by your row/round gauge, so a table of gauge-dependent lengths is included to help you achieve the perfect fit.
  • A short row heel.


The pattern includes instructions to knit either fully matching-socks, or mirrored, fraternal socks, and the instructions for the Seed Head pattern are given in both chart and written formats. The pattern is needle-neutral, and the socks can be knitted using DPNs, short circulars, or long circulars using the magic loop technique.

The sample was knitted in Tempo 4ply by Eden Cottage Yarns, who very kindly provided yarn support for the design. The colourway used is Hibiscus, but Eden Cottage Yarns make many beautiful semi-solids that allow any design to sparkle.

From July 15th to August 14th 2020, £2 from each pattern sold will be donated to the Flower Power Fund. You can buy the pattern from my Ravelry* and PayHip stores. The pattern is also available on LoveCrafts.**

Want to see what the Flower Power Fund has planned for the rest of the year? Why not follow them on Instagram?



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Here's everything you need to know about the pattern. If you want to add the pattern to your Ravelry queue or favourites, you can do so via the pattern page* - remember, the more people that buy the pattern, the more we'll raise for the Flower Power Fund!
 
Sizes
A (B, C, D, E, F)

Finished sock foot circumferences: 14 (16.5, 19, 22, 24.5, 27) cm [5.5 (6.5, 7.5, 8.75, 9.75, 10.75) in] designed to fit with 2.5 cm (1 in) negative ease. These are the sizes of the finished socks; for the best fit, choose a size that is approximately 2.5 cm (1 in) smaller than your foot circumference.

The stitch counts for the patterned panel are modified so that the cabled panels are the same width as the stocking stitch sole, this results in the socks fitting the same as a regular stocking stitch socks with a stitch count of 46 (54, 62, 70, 78, 86) sts.

Tension
32 sts x 44 rnds = 10 cm (4 in) in stocking stitch
23 sts = 6.3 cm (2.5 in) in SMALL Flower panel
23 sts = 7.4 cm (2.875 in) in LARGE Flower panel

All st patterns are worked in the rnd on 2.5 mm (US 1.5) needles, or size needed to obtain correct gauge.

Notes are included to adapt the pattern to your rnd gauge.

Yarn
170 (240, 310, 400, 500, 610) m [190 (270, 340, 440, 550, 670) yds] of a dedicated 4 ply sock yarn.

Note that these numbers are for guidance only as the lengths of both the legs and the feet are variable to fit. The short row heel version will use less yarn than the heel flap and gusset version. See pattern notes for further guidance on yarn choice.

Needles
  • 2.5 mm DPNs
  • or a 2.5 mm circular needle at least 80 cm (32 in) in length
  • or a 2.5 mm 20 cm (9 in) circular needle

Notions
  • Stitch markers x 4 (you may wish to use 2 extra markers when you are working the Seed Head sts)
  • 2.5 mm crochet hook, optional
  • Tapestry needle
Pattern notes
The instructions are for the smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses: A (B, C, D, E, F).

If you have a limited quantity of yarn and you want to ensure you do not run out of yarn for the second sock, first wind the skein into two balls of equal mass, and stop knitting your first sock when your first ball is about to run out.

The socks shown are knitted in Eden Cottage Yarns Tempo 4 ply [4 ply; 100 m (436 yds) per 100 g skein; 75% merino wool, 25% nylon] in the colourway Hibiscus and size D for a UK women’s size 9.5 foot [foot length 27.25 cm (10.75 in)]. The sample socks used 360 m (394 yds) of yarn. Yarn support was provided by Eden Cottage Yarns; you can find all their yarns on their website: https://www.edencottageyarns.co.uk/

I would recommend using a dedicated sock yarn for these socks, either a wool/nylon blend or a high-twist wool yarn.

I have included instructions for both a heel flap and gusset and a short row heel. It is totally up to you which you choose to do, but I find that if you have a high instep, a heel flap and gusset provides a better fit as there is more space in the heel.

Links to the following resources are given at the end of the pattern:
  • Dip stitches
  • Judy's Magic cast-on
  • Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off
  • Wrap and turn
  • Choosing what size socks to knit
This pattern was tech edited by Jo Torr.

*Ravelry link. May affect people with photosensitivity.
**Affiliate link.

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