In 2020, a lot of things changed. The biggest thing that changed about me is that I became a sock knitter.

I didn’t hate knitting socks before covid, but I saw no point. I didn’t quite understand how to pick up stitches along a heel properly, so every pair I made seemed too weak to stand up to any kind of real wear. Plus, I was a big mitten knitter, and that seemed more useful (and more fun, because everyone could see them).

Just before quarantine started, though, I ordered a copy of Laine’s 52 Weeks of Socks, thinking I’d get some kind of stitch pattern inspiration (or maybe just have a really nice coffee table book). And in the early days of quarantine, I thought I might try it out so I’d have some cozy home socks.

My first pair was Tributary, and they were toe-up and enormous. I remember knitting them back in March (April? can’t remember) while watching Portrait of a Lady on Fire. (Do you ever look at a piece of knitting and remember exactly what you watched or listened to or did while you were knitting it? I always do.)

After that, I tried another pair, thinking I just needed to find the needle/stitch count combo that fit my own knitting tension and preferred fit. I tried Dear Björn and after the first one, I was unenthused. It fit better, but it was too tight and I didn’t want to make the other one, so I frogged it. (I knit this one while watching old episodes of Dance Moms, in case you were wondering.)

Finally, FINALLY, I found a better combination: Stone. I knit these on US 1.5 (2.5mm) needles and they had 63 stitches per round. (Thanks, Cheer, for getting me through this pair!)

Then, I discovered Helen Stewart’s Handmade Sock Society and got hooked. As I’ve written before, her patterns are really good for those trying to figure out their preferred sock style, because you can choose from a variety of sizes and she keeps a lot of things constant: each size always has the same stitch counts and each heel and toe are the same, but it’s really easy to sub in a different style.

In 2020, I’m proud to say that I’ve knit my way through (almost) all of Season 2! (I’m almost halfway through my second Cornish Cream Tea sock, and then I’ll be done.) I’ve learned a lot through this, but mainly that it’s important to size down to a proper sock gauge (really tight) so that they don’t get baggy. I switched to a US 1 (2.25mm) needle after the first three pairs and this has been life changing.

Here are some photos of each of my HSS Season 2 socks:

I like knitting socks so much that I subscribed to the Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Sock Squad for 2021. This is dangerous, because I already have a lot of sock yarn. My New Year’s Resolution is to massively knit down my stash, but within that I’m resolving to knit two pairs of socks each month, so that the de-stash includes sock yarn. I’m going to try and knit each pair (or almost each pair) with contrasting heels and toes, too, for two reasons: I have a lot of mini skeins AND each pair of socks leaves me with approximately 1-2 mini skeins’ worth of yarn. I might even have to do a few pairs of entirely scrappy socks!

If you have sock pattern recommendations, I’ll take them, although I do have a pretty extensive list already. One of the things I plan to blog about in 2021 is my sock knitting. I might even start vlogging about it! I have a lot to say about socks.