Sock Series Part 2~ Jesse

 

Happy Sunday to you! Here we are at the end of another week and lucky us we get to be inspired by another one of my sock knitting heroes! Thank you all for the love you showed Staci last week. It was wonderful to hear that she inspired you as much as she inspired me.

This week Jesse is going to share with you her sock knitting experience. Jesse has been a long time friend and an overall wonderful knitter and person...enjoy!

 

Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

How long have you been knitting socks?​

 

I have been knitting socks since 2011. My first pair took six months to finish, and I was not hooked. By the time I was on the third pair, however, I was obsessed! Socks were the reason why I wanted to knit in the first place. It took me one year of learning the basics of knitting before I felt comfortable with socks.

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

 

What is your favorite method...top down or toe up and why?

 

My favorite method to knit socks is cuff down and one at a time, with a heel flap and gusset. These fit me the best so I mainly stick to this method. For the most part, I like sock knitting that is mindless. So, knitting cuff down means I can start the heel flap whenever I like, and since I know how many rows to knit the foot, I only have to count them. There’s minimal measurement fuss.

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

 

What it is about sock knitting that appeals to you?

 

There are so many reasons why sock knitting appeals to me. As far as projects goes, socks are incredibly portable. I always have a sock in my purse and pull it out whenever I have to wait. When we travel I bring a sock to work on, and so then afterward, I think of that trip when I wear those socks. I love that sock yarn comes in every color imaginable, it stripes and patterns, and it glitters. I don't wear a lot of wild colors or prints in my daily wardrobe, except for my socks!

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

 

Favorite tip or technique you would like to share?

 

My favorite tip for knitting socks two at a time on one circular needle is to safety pin the socks together. It keeps them together and makes knitting easier. If I’m standing and knitting, and the sock is long and heavy, I sometimes roll it up so it doesn’t swing. It’s a little easier on my elbows and wrists. I also like having a progress keeper that I move when I pick up my knitting; it visually shows me how much I’ve knit during that period and it can be motivating.

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

 

Favorite patterns?

 

It’s no secret that I love Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder! I’ve knit at least six pairs and I use her modified Eye of Partridge heel in just about every other pair I knit. The sock has everything I love: it’s easy to memorize, has amazing texture, fits wonderfully, and just about any yarn looks beautiful in the stitch pattern. Also…Harry Potter !

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Jesse

 

 

Questions from readers~

 

What do you feel is the best type of heel for self-striping? Have you ever knit self-striping in a gusset and if so did you do anything different to help the colors stay in sequence?

 

I have become very unfussy about self-striping yarn and heels. I don’t mind knitting self-striping with a gusset, because to me, the fit of the sock outweighs the appearance. I also don’t mind if the stripes line up or not! That said, I have used both afterthought heels and Fish Lips Kiss Heels with self-striping yarn and it does look really nice when everything lines up.

 

One new sock knitter has a problem with their heels lining up. Any thoughts?

 

This is one reason why I stopped minding if heels line up. Even if you ensure you start at the same stripe sequence for both socks, gauge could be just a smidgen off and the heels won’t line up perfectly. Sometimes I got lucky and without much planning, ended up with two matching socks. I think using a contrast yarn for the heel helps, because you can always cut out extra yarn if the sequence gets off.

 

 

Thank you so much, Jesse for sharing your wonderful thoughts, tips and photos with us.

You can find Jesse on Instagram, Ravelry and via her podcast, The Hungry Cat.

 

Stayed tuned for next weeks sock star...Mina!

 

Have the best day today!

XO,

Andi

 

Comments

[Caffeine Girl]

I am really enjoying these interviews, especially since I always have socks OTN. Like Jesse, I love cuff down and don't worry about matching. It is so interesting is see other people's thoughts on socks.

[Andrea @ This Knitted Life]

More sock goodness! Whoo hoo! I spent yesterday knitting a dock by the river almost all day ( heaven). Dad kept Reed so I was kid free.

[Kim]

I am luving the sock series. I look forward to Sunday mornings with my coffee & your site. I always enjoy visiting here. Top down is also my favorite sock, my goal is to get a sock drawer full like you have.

[Monica]

Love Jesse's relax approach as to whether stripes match or not. I have been avoiding self striping because of matching fuss but after reading this post, I am ready to knit a non matching pair :-)

[Tracey]

So many wonderful sock knitters in the world and I am thrilled that you are taking the time to introduce me to a few I had never met.
Much love!!!

[Stefanie]

I am not anal about matching socks. I have always felt it was expecting twins or same gender siblings to have the same personality. I roll my eyes at those in which it is a must for matching spot for spot. And LOVE Jesse!

[Jane]

The best thing about knitters is that we respect each other's preferences and understand we all knit differently for our own reasons. That said, I too prefer cuff down, traditional heel flap and gusset because it fits my foot. I like Jesse's relaxed approach to sock knitting. Hooray for knitters!

[Maryse]

I love Sunday mornings too. I come around 9 cause I know that at that time, your post is usually out! Great posts on socks. I wish I could let go of having matching socks!!!

[kathy b]

Im sending this to my pal Teresa who is trying with socks again!

[Kat]

I totally agree with Jesse's relaxed take on stripe matching! I have a couple of pairs of perfectly matched socks that lined up by chance, but for the most part, I couldn't care less about figuring out where the stripe sequence is starting!

[Julie]

I'm loving the socks series. Thanks, Andi!

[Tahnee]

Once again so much sock inspiration, I'm really loving this series. Surprisingly enough I've never knit Hermione's everyday socks, even though it seems to be an all time fave for many sock knitters.

[karen]

I am a cuff down one at a time sock knitter with heel flap and gusset too :) lovely interview!

[Shirlee]

I join the others in saying how much I am enjoying this series : ) I wish I could have a relaxed approach to knitting stripes but my OCD desire for two matchy-matchy socks is a curse, no doubt about it! I try my best but as Jesse has noted, sometimes despite the fact that they start out exactly the same, wee differences in your gauge or in the dye process can make things go a bit wonky. More than a bit sometimes. This is why I love speckled & solid colored socks more so than stripes, but of course I have oodles of self striping yarn! And I'm also a cuff down, one at a time on dpns, heel flap & gusset sock knitter : )

[Julie]

such a great interview! I'm loving all these tips, it's really helpful especially to someone who isn't as experienced with socks, like me.

[Jeannine]

Such lovely socks, the colors, the advice, and all the photos, even the kitty:) So wonderful! Thank you so much Andi and Staci, for sharing.

[Fuego Azul]

These posts are making me want to knit socks!! I keep using all of my sock yarn for shawls, lol.

[Danielle]

Loving this series!

[Angela]

Beautiful socks Andi!! It is always a pleasure to see your work.