It's a Sockstravaganza!

Pair-A-Normal Socks

For our sock-obsessed fans, October is also known as Socktober, a time to welcome fall and celebrate all things sock-related! 

We've seen a lot of great new sock patterns for fall, such as Rohn Strong's Horatio Socks from The Heritage Collection (perfect for beginners!), Hunter Hammerson's Phaeodaria socks from the first issue of The Sock Report, or the Pair-a-Normal colorwork socks from Knitty Deep Fall. There's so much sock-knitting inspiration this fall! 

If you're new to sock-making, it might seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and a few good resources to turn to when you get stuck, you'll be happily making socks in no time flat! We've rounded up a few helpful articles and videos below to get you started. We're also giving away one pair of Knitter's Pride Sock Blockers to a lucky reader - see below for details! 

YouTube provides thousands of free tutorial videos. Our friends at Jimmy Beans Wool not only share informative product reviews on their YouTube channel, they also have several videos demonstrating knitting and crochet techniques. This tutorial demonstrating the German Twisted Cast-On method is great for starting your top-down socks! 

For visual learners who prefer a little more guidance, point your browsers to Craftsy.com. Craftsy has several video classes you can enroll in for a one-time fee, giving you lifetime access to in-depth video instruction. As an added bonus, you can ask questions for the instructor or fellow classmates to answer as you view each lesson. Donna Druchanas' Knit Original Toe-Up Socks, and Knit Original Cuff-Down Socks classes will have you knitting socks like a pro, no matter which method you prefer! 

Knitter' Pride Sock Blockers

Another great resource is Knitty.com, which has lots of fantastic articles on technique. Toe-up sock enthusiasts will find the Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off photo tutorial to be particularly handy; there's nothing worse than knitting a beautiful pair of socks you can't get on your feed because the bound-off cuff is too tight! 

Finally, you can always turn to the blogosphere for sage advice and photo tutorials. Do you prefer knitting socks with DPN needles, but don't know how to avoid unsightly stitch 'ladders'? Kirsten Hipsky, the Design Manager at Webs, shared a few of her best tips for preventing ladders earlier this year on the Webs Yarn Store blog; Cookie A shared a fantastic photo tutorial on her blog earlier this summer demonstrating an easy way to repair holes in well-loved socks. If you have sock questions, there are most likely answers waiting for you out in the blogosphere!

Enter our Blog Giveaway!
How do you like to make your socks? Top-down or toe-up? Magic loop or on DPNs? One-at-a-time or two-at-a-time?  Leave a comment on this post to share your favorite sock-knitting method(s). You'll be eligible to win a pair of Knitter's Pride Sock Blockers so that your finished socks will look their best! We'll randomly select one lucky winner on Friday, October 26th. Good luck! 

Winner + Tunisian Crochet Spotlight

Giveaway Winners

So many shawl knitters have entered our contest! We received such great comments that we've decided to not only give away a pattern holder to one of our blog readers, but also a shawl pin to a second lucky reader! 


Random.org has selected comment #43 by Lindr as the winner of the pattern holder and comment #1 by Sarah to win the shawl pin! Our prize coordinator will contact you shortly to arrange delivery of your prizes. Congratulations and thanks for reading! 

What's Hot: Tunisian Crochet

Knitters and crocheters alike are sure to be intrigued by Tunisian crochet, a technique that creates a woven effect in the finished fabric. Tunisian crochet uses a long hook similar to a knitting needle (shown below), allowing the crafter to work each row in two "passes": the forward pass, which works the loops onto the hook, followed by the reverse pass, which works the loops back off of the hook. 

Aluminum Single-Ended Gray Tunisian Crochet Hook from Knitter's Pride

Dreamz Interchangeable Tunisian Crochet Set

We've created our line of Tunisian crochet hooks for maximum glide and ease of use.  Our Dreamz interchangeable hooks feature resilient, flexible cords that won't kink or twist.  Each cord is easy to connect with a smooth join to ensure stitch flow, and the Dreamz Tunisian crochet set includes eight of the most useful hook sizes, all easily identified by the color-coded polished wood sourced from Vermont. 

We had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Hansen of Stitch Diva Studios at TNNA this past June. Jennifer has pioneered Tunisian Crochet, offering a series of free tutorials here on the Stich Diva website. Recently, Jennifer filmed a video course for Craftsy.com, Tunisian Crochet: Revolutions on Color and Style, demonstrating each aspect of the technique, step-by-step as you watch from the comfort of your own home. 


Once you have the right tools and learn the basics, there's no end to the possibilities of what you can make with this exciting technique!  From Jennifer's colorful multi-garment featured in her Craftsy class (shown below) to any number of interesting and unique patterns you'll find on both Ravelry and Craftsy, create your own revolution in color and style with Knitter's Pride Tunisian crochet hooks! 

Tunisian Crochet Multi-Garment by Jennifer Hansen