Schooner Socks

Who else is ready for spring? This skein of Baah Savannah fingering yarn in the colorway Queen of Roses has been calling to me to brighten these late winter days. Since the yarn is made from 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon, I expect it to be as strong as it is soft and cozy.

It took me a while to decide on the right project for this yarn. The color differences are so pronounced that I worried about either obvious pooling or impossible-to-see stitches.

After paging through the book “Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn” by Carol Sulcoski, I chose the Schooner Socks pattern by Charlene Schurch. The foot of the sock is basic stockinette stitch. The pattern on the leg incorporates a combination of increases, decreases and bobbles. The bobbles remind me of little flowers; I found myself humming about painting the roses red from “Alice in Wonderland.”

Since starting the socks, I’ve been noticing bobbles on designer knitwear. I’m going to savor this brief moment in time that my knitting taste coincides with a fashion trend!

The timing while working on these socks overlapped with chaperoning a school trip for one of my children. During the 10 hours of student practice time before the main event, I was able to knit about three-quarters of a sock. While I was knitting, I noticed two crocheters in other parts of the room. I ended up spending a good amount of time chatting with one of them while we worked on our projects.

In case you’re wondering, she was making the Josefina and Jeffery Elephant Pillow by Ira Rott for a friend’s child. It looked adorable.

Back to the socks, the pattern was easy to make. Yes, the bobbles took a little extra effort, but they weren’t difficult. According to the instructions, the top three-quarters of the leg should be knit in a needle size larger than the rest of the sock for a better fit between calf and ankle. I used my new knowledge from my last sock project, and knit with US-1 needles in 2.5 mm followed by 2.25 mm. My gauge was a little tighter than the pattern specifications; I followed the 9-inch (about 23 cm) size instructions, which is about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) larger than my foot measurement, and the socks fit perfectly.

Until the weather warms up and flowers begin to bloom in earnest, I’ll have my own bright rose garden with me whenever I wear these socks.

How do you use your projects to brighten dreary days?