Five things to knit with sock yarn

Lovely sock yarn by Vice

I am not a {good} sock knitter. Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept of knitting my own socks and making crazy, brightly colored socks to wear throughout the winter and I know that Bebe {my crazy sock lover} would go GaGa over some wildly striped knee high socks but I just don’t have it in me to get past the heel on most of the pairs that I’ve tried knitting.

That doesn’t stop me from loving sock yarn though. Oh my needles, there is something delicious about sock yarn that makes me want to pick it up, cuddle it close to me and smell it {I like to smell yarn. And paper. Don’t judge me}.

As any good knitter knows, we really don’t need a reason to buy yarn but when you can find a reason to justify the yarn purchase, it’s a good day (and easier to explain to the husband).

I’ve gathered quite the sock yarn stash and outside of worrying that I don’t ever have enough I have a short list of things that I love to make with sock yarn. Here’s my short and often referred to list:

On the needles: The Triangle. (Ella Rae cozy soft prints)

Shawls – call them what you will; shawls or wraps – I love them because even if you don’t have sock yarn, you can make them with worsted weight, chunky, DK or whatever you have on hand and you don’t have to worry too much about gauge {unless it’s lace with some kind of intricate pattern}.

Infinity scarves – I love the wrap look of the infinity scarves but sometimes the scarves in stores aren’t long enough, are too wide, too short, too scratchy. Ugh. It is so simple to knit a scarf with sock yarn and then join the ends. If you know how to knit a scarf, every scarf you make from here on out can be an infinity scarf.

Hand bags – This is all encompassing so I’m just calling it handbags but honestly, you can make a clutch, market bag, purse, tote bag. Handbags are awesome. That is all.

Amigurumi stuffies – {Pronounced ah-mee-goo-roo-mee} – all those adorable knitted bunnies, kitties, owls, bears {oh my!}. I just got into this kind of knitting and variegated sock yarn is wonderful for knitting cuddly little stuffed animals and objects for the kids and even the pets {oh heck, they’re adorable to knit for yourself too!}. Plus, the stuffies make great gifts and memorable handmade items to pass down.

Alaskan yarn company hand painted sock yarn in Northern Lights

Accessories – File this under everything else. I’ve made iPod cases, cell phone cases, belts, arm warmers, caps, cowls. Most patterns can be adapted for sock yarn so long as you can figure out how much yarn you need and your gauge.

MountainTop Vail in parchment (part of Classic Elite Yarn co)

This really isn’t a complete list but it was a search for tunics {don’t ask me why I wanted to knit a tunic} that started my journey down the sock yarn rabbit hole. You can knit just about anything with sock yarn. If you look at many of the sweaters in stores, they are made with fingering weight or dk, or sport weight yarn {all considered “thin” or “lightweight” yarns}.

As of late I’ve been drawn to non dyed natural fibers or hand painted sock yarns. On the right is a great example of a natural fiber yarn. It’s a dye free natural baby alpaca mix. {I love baby alpaca for its softness}. Dye free means that the fiber comes from the animal in its natural state and spun into yarn.

There are groups on Ravelry and a number of books dedicated to knitting other things than socks with sock yarn, so don’t let the notion of being confined to socks stop you from playing with and loving sock yarn!