Phibersmith Yoga Socks - short version
Starting the new month on a positive note: I've just released a 2-pattern set on Ravelry for yoga socks. This is Phibersmith Designs first new release of 2015, and first item I've created independently for sale in almost 4 years. It's a little thing in the big, knitty scheme, but a pretty big deal for me; sort of a reverse moon-walk situation (Armstrong, not Jackson, although I admit there may have been dancing when I posted the PDF to Ravelry).
The pattern came about because of a conversation with my friend Kayella, who manages the Be Yoga and Wellness studio in Burlington. Kayella knew I was trying to start things up again and asked if there were any yoga-related knits I'd be interested in selling through the studio. Together we settled on yoga socks. They're more activity-specific than leg warmers, and the short ones are a small enough amount of knitting that churning out a few pairs for sale wouldn't make me start to hate my craft (as all knitters who dream of making their hobby into a cottage industry realize quickly, selling finished items is just never going to pay the bills). We also decided I should make up kits for the craftier yogis to whip up their own. And so the patterns were born.
Phibersmith Yoga Socks - long version
Both patterns, long and short versions, are included with the Ravelry download. I spent a lot of time thinking about how they should be constructed, looked at a lot of other examples, and finally settled on the top-down, heel-flap construction, which actually (and kind of surprisingly) set these socks apart from what's out there. The result, I think, is a yoga sock that's going to fit really nicely. You can't really beat heel-flap for its good heel-hugging action, and these definitely deliver.
Other great things about these socks:
- They're made in DK weight, so they're a super quick knit (the short version uses a single 50g ball of superwash merino).
- Because they don't have a heel or toe, there's no short-row shaping, and the only decreasing is in the gusset.
- For beginning sock knitters, if the proposition of heel & toe has been holding you back, these socks solve that problem pretty niftily..
I hope people enjoy the patterns. So far the response has been really great, and I hear the Be studio was excited to receive them also. Hopefully some projects will start popping up on Ravelry soon. I'm excited to see what other people do with the patterns. While I'm still knitting them for the studio (the pre-made socks racket is a temporary endeavour) I'll also be taking custom orders. If you're interested, see the contact page!
Happy knitting!
