Happy New Year, friends! I hope the holidays and the new year have treated you well. I wanted to take a moment today and share the pair of socks that I cast on for my Christmas Eve cast on in 2022. My yarn and pattern decision was up in the air right up until my yarn was delivered on Christmas Eve. I had, on a whim, ordered a DK sock set from Dandelion and Dogwood and a fingering sock set from A Homespun House. My sock set from A Homespun House was delivered on Christmas Eve, so I quickly skeined it up and cast on a vanilla sock.
I decided to do just a vanilla sock set, because the days leading up to Christmas Eve/Christmas were a little hectic. We were without power both on the 23rd and the 24th. On the 24th, I was cooked a Christmas Eve lunch for our family. The power outage pushed everything back a bit, so the day was hectic. A vanilla sock was just what I wanted.
If you’ve been following this blog at all (since I don’t have many posts), you might recognize this colorway. It is the Whobilation colorway with a bright pink mini skein for the accent color. I have previously made a pair of vanilla socks with this colorway! However, it looks like Molly has updated the recipe, because I love the colors even more. When I am done, I will post a comparison picture of the two pairs of socks. The other difference is that this sock set has gold stellina, which is very appropriate for the Christmas season!
My vanilla sock recipe is as follows:
Cast on 56 stitches flat using the tubular cast on method. Knit/purl one row. Knit/purl the next row, but rearrange the stitches so they are 2×2 rib. Knit/purl one more row.
Split the stitches in half and connect the round using the magic loop method.
Knit 17 more rows for the cuff.
Switch to the main color and knit 60 rows plain.
Knit the eye of partridge heel flap. Do the heel turn.
Cast on gusset stitches.
Knit new stitches through the back loop to eliminate any gaps.
Decrease the gusset stitches every other row until I’m back at 56 stitches.
Knit until the foot is 7.5 inches long, from the heel.
Change to the contrast yarn and start toe decreases.
Decrease 4, knit 2 rows x3.
Decrease 4, knit 1 row x3.
Decrease 4 every row until the stitch count is 8 (or close to 8).
Kitchener stitch the toe.
I have finished one sock, and I’m almost done with the second! I can’t say enough good things about this A Homespun House sock yarn. It is incredibly soft and feels so good to knit up.
Do you cast on a sock or a project on Christmas Eve?
