Yesterday when I was writing about travel knitting projects, I said that I usually pack a sock or a pair of socks because they don’t take up a lot of space in terms of the yarn you need, and they take a relatively long time to knit for their size because of the small yarn and needles used.
But if you want a project you can knit while on vacation and still also use while you’re on vacation, short socks are the way to go.
These Sneaker Socks by Stefanie Bold are the perfect little socks to wear all summer long. The designer describes them as “ballerina socks,” meaning that the cuff on the front is a little deeper than the one on the back. What this has to do with dancing I don’t know, but it’s lovely for the rest of us as well.
As much as this is a small project, there’s a lot of techniques packed into it, including a doubled cuff and increases above the back of the heel, a special heel flap that doesn’t require picking up stitches after, provisional cast on and short rows, among other things.
The pattern is written to be needle neutral, so you can use your favorite sock knitting technique (though some of the stitches shift partway through, so be aware of that when you get going).
These are great socks to wear with shoes if you don’t like your socks to show. Or because they are little socks that won’t make your feet too hot, they’re prefect to wear around the house if you don’t like wearing shoes but still want to keep your feet covered or get cold feet even in summer (raises hand).
The pattern has three size options available and uses sock yarn. You can use a solid color, color block the sections or use up all your odd balls for some funky summer socks.
The free pattern is available on Ravelry.
[Photo: Stefanie Bold.]