Sock Heaven

I’ve been wearing cycling socks almost exclusively since about 2003. Many organized rides offer commemorative socks, booths at rides typically offer irregular socks at discount prices, and some bike shops have great bargain bins full of discontinued cycling socks.

Cycling socks come in all sorts of unusual colors and patterns, they feature undeniable character, and they keep the feet warm in winter and cool in summer. Because they wick moisture, they dry quickly when you have to wash them in a nearby river or in a bucket of dishwater after 14 dusty miles of youth pioneer trekking, and you can wear them again the next day.

So I didn’t need to make a pair of socks. I didn’t need another pair of socks, period!

But the colors of self-striping sock yarn are just so darned addictive. Sock-knitting is one of THE big things these days. Plus, it didn’t hurt that the most-sought-after imported sock yarn was on sale for 40% off...

I like to be different, though. So after rifling through scores of books of patterns, knitting magazines and websites, I decided my socks could not be knitted. They had to be crocheted. Just because.

I’d never made a pair of socks before, but I grew up making up my own patterns for knitted and crocheted booties because I couldn’t afford patterns way back then, when yarn was 47 cents a skein. I’ve also made my fair share plus a little more of bear legs, which are nothing more than miniature socks stuffed and sewed shut. Nevertheless, I thought crocheting a pair of socks for my own feet would be a fun challenge.

And fun it was! I finished the first sock in just four days of commute time. The second sock was finished a week later. And they fit!

My handmade socks are almost too pretty to wear. And they are 100% unique, even though I used a widely published pattern.

The yarn colorway I used included brown, and I decided I didn’t want brown in my socks. So I cut it off and wound it into tiny balls. Brown goes great on bears, so I could use up the undesirable sock color making stuffed animals, if there was enough. There was!!!

I also decided after finishing the top part of the first sock that I didn’t like the crocheted cuff in the pattern picture or the feel of it as I began the stitching. So unraveled the cuff and pulled out my double-pointed knitting needles. I knitted an improvised ribbed cuff on my crocheted lace socks. I think they look great.

I loved working with this yarn. I loved watching the color slip through my fingers. I kept hoping I would have enough left over to make a snowflake. A colorful snowflake?!? You bet! In fact, there might just be a rainbow-hued blizzard in Colorado this weekend!

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