Everyone should knit there own socks

In recent years I've had a passion for knitting my own socks but it hasn't always been so. My very first attempt at knitting socks was a disaster. Years ago I fell in love with a beautiful Rowan pattern for long socks in a deep purple colour, they looked gorgeous, they even had little ribbons to help keep them up. I brought the yarn and through myself into knitting them without an attempt at a tension square or really reading the pattern at all. I ended up with a sock big enough for Santa to stuff with toys - far to big for me and rather disgusted with the whole process I ignored sock knitting completely for a long time. 

Years passed and although I kept knitting and trying to improve the standard of my makes I did not attempt sock knitting again preferring to ignore anything that was knitted in the round. That is until my Father was diagnosed with dementia. As is common with dementia sufferers my Father became very picky over his clothes. He would only wear cardigans and not jumpers, always wore a cap or hat when he went out and would not wear commercially made socks at all. My poor Mum who is an excellent knitter but, like me, had not attempted sock knitting in years found an old pattern and tried to make him some. This was less than successful as the only yarn she could find was  normal 4ply which came know where near the required gauge and ended up swamping Dad's feet. So I took on the challenge of keeping my Dad in socks. I managed to find proper sock yarn and using another old pattern of Mum's I soon managed to knit a fairly reasonable pair of socks - not the greatest of fits but better. I was hooked and very determined to do better - my cast-on was to tight, the foot was to long and what was this 'Kitchener Stitch' you had to do on the toe? I searched around for books on sock knitting and by a lucky chance came across 'Getting Started Sock Knitting' by Ann Budd. What a wonderful book! More yarn was purchased and more socks where knitted and with every sock the finish got better and my enthusiasm for sock knitting increased. Dad was kept in a plentiful supply of hand knitted socks and Mum - who had all the care of looking after my Father - was saved the hassle of knitting them herself. 

At the top of the page are one of my latest pairs knitted for my Mum in a Bamboo sock yarn by Wendy which is sadly discontinued now. Below is a picture of my latest knits - made for my husband Anthony who is only a recent convert to hand knitted socks. They are knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Signature Yarn in a mock cable pattern designed by me.