We have seen a sock craze grip the knitting world at the moment and rightly so. The amazing team at Laine have compiled together a beautiful selection of sock knitting patterns by some of the most talented knitting designers out there. Couple this with Laine’s talent for sumptuous photography and a thoughtful eye for design, they have produced one of the most gorgeous knitting books of recent times. One that will provide you with hours of enjoyment flicking through its pages and many more hours of pleasurable knitting. That book is 52 Weeks of Socks.

Inside we have patterns by Heidi Alander, Fiona Alice, Gina Baglia, Ainur Berkimbayeva, Katrine Birkenwasser, Karen Borrel, Sachiko Burgin, Diana Clinch, Verena Cohrs, Valentina Consalvi, Rachel Coopey, Nele Druyts, Marion Em, Lindsey Fowler, Fabienne Gassmann, Lucinda Guy, Dawn Henderson, Anja Heumann, Tiina Huhtaniemi, Caitlin Hunter, Mieka John, Amanda Jones, Joséphine & the seeds, Pauliina Karru, Isabell Kraemer, Tatiana Kulikova, Joji Locatelli, Erika López, Andrea Mowry, Paula Pereira, Rosa Pomar, Elena Potemkina, Amelia Putri, Emily Joy Rickard, Mona Schmidt, Nataliya Sinelshchikova, Marceline Smith, Minna Sorvala, Helen Stewart, Charlotte Stone, Becky Sørensen, Niina Tanskanen, Natalia Vasilieva, Kristine Vejar, Kajsa Vuorela and Mariya Zyaparova. Yes that’s 46 designers providing 52 designs! A whole year of sock knitting (though I think I would struggle at a pair a week!).

All this talk of socks has started me thinking of sock yarn and at Knit With Attitude we have everything from the hand dyed to the monochrome. Merinos, BFL’s, Nylon blends and even plastic free. With this blog post I have gathered together all our sock friendly yarns.

First up we have Socks Yeah 4ply and Socks Yeah DK. One of my favourite go to sock yarns. A great palette of colours and the 50g skeins are perfect for adding contrast details to toes and heels. A sturdy merino and nylon blend, this yarn has been developed by sock knitting star Rachel Coopey. Who has three patterns in the book: Kaisla, Kanerva and Lempi knit in her yarn. A favourite of mine by her is Kanerva (seen below), it showcases the yarns great definition.

If its hand dyed you are looking for then look no further than Hedgehog Fibres. Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock has been a firm favourite in the shop and a great all round yarn, but especially if you like those hand dyed speckles on your toes. Twist sock is a 4ply/Fingering weight high twist Blue Faced Leicester and Nylon blend. Its strong twist gives this yarn a sturdy feel which is great for structure and the hand dyed colours look just as good in simple stocking stitch. Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock is used in Lumme by Heidi Alander. A simple sock with a pleasing lace cuff that is echoed at the toe.

More from the hand dyed corner is Garnsurr Søkke Merino. Søkke Merino will be sadly missed from Knit With Attitude as they have now ceased production. But we still have some left, so there is still time to enjoy its softness and stunning colours on your feet. Søkke Merino is a merino, nylon blend with a close, even twist. It’s soft, smooth and has the most accomplished colour range of any of the hand dyes in the shop.

If you are looking for a plastic free alternative to nylon then why not try Hey Mama Wolf’s Sock Yarn #04 or Sock Yarn #04 Minis. Jule Kebelmann of Hey Mama Wolf is a natural dying genius. Conjoining a rainbow of colours from nature. What is more is her sock yarn is strengthened with ramie. A member of the nestle family ramie has a long fibre length so acts like nylon but with none of the plastic. Sock Yarn #04 is a sturdy Merino, Corriedale and Ramie blend, a crisp feel and great definition a perfect for a sock with cables or complicated pattern work.

A good strong super wash merino yarn with a high twist, making it idea for socks is Vivacious 4ply and Vivacious DK. With a great range of jewel like tones. These yarns are hand dyed giving you tonal solids with slight to moderate variegation. 100% super wash merino makes this yarn easy to care for and the softness of merino is a fibre your feet will thank you for.

Last on my list but by no means the least is The Fibre Co Cumbria. This is a surprise for me, but when I saw Erika by Anja Heumann was knit in it, it made me think. Cumbria is super soft but still good for socks due to the mohair blend. Mohair has a long fibre length and is for its lightness is surprisingly strong. Ravelry showed me with a whole host of sock projects done in Cumbria. Well there you go. Cumbria is a merino, masham and mohair blend and is the perfect amount of luxury for your feet. I love the look of these Erika socks.

So no there is no excuse to take up sock knitting!