Knit Socks - Betsy Lee Mccarthy [0]
Knit Socks!
17 Classic Patterns for Cozy Feet
BETSY LEE McCARTHY
Photography by John Polak
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Gwen Steege and Kathy Brock
Art direction and book design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith
Photography by © John Polak Photography, except back cover photograph
by Kevin Kennefick and author photo by www.smilingwillow.com
Illustrations by Alison Kolesar
Indexed by Nancy D. Wood
© 2010 by Betsy Lee McCarthy
Previously published in hardcover in 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
Storey books are available for special premium and promotional uses and for customized editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
Printed in China by Toppan Leefung Printing Ltd.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCarthy, Betsy Lee, 1942–
Knit socks! : 15 cool patterns for toasty feet / Betsy Lee McCarthy.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-549-0 (pbk : alk. paper)
1. Knitting—Patterns. 2. Socks. I. Title.
TT825.M383 2004
746.43’20432—dc22
2004001522
Contents
Handmade Is Beautiful!
Starter Stockinette
Checkered Textures
Classy Slip-Up
Winter Garden
Little Guys
Low-Roll Sporty
Yoga Moves
Best Foot Forward
You've Got Rhythm (3 variations)
Off the Cuff
Lacy Days (3 variations)
Fireside Stripes
Diamonds & Cables (2 variations)
Straight-Laced
Peaks ‘n’ Valleys
Simple Ribs
Shadow Box
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
Handmade Is Beautiful!
I'm pleased to present new patterns and material in this revised edition of Knit Socks!, a step-by-step book I wrote six years ago to guide knitters gently through the process of knitting top-down socks. I had previously taught hundreds to knit socks at various classes, workshops, and kitchen tables, and the book enabled me to share my experience with thousands more. I'm pleased that Storey Publishing wanted to reissue this expanded edition as well. My heart sings when I hear about people who were helped by the first book, and this revised edition provides an opportunity to reach even more knitters.
My mother helped me to see special beauty in handmade items back when the word “homemade” implied that the item wasn't necessarily of good quality. My passion for knitting and teaching others to knit emerged from this awareness of beauty in the handmade. The more mechanized and computerized our world becomes, the more we yearn to create items of beauty from our own hearts and hands — items like hand-knit socks! Giving yourself time and permission to learn such activities is a wonderful, soul-nourishing gift, as well as a benefit to others who receive the special socks you knit.
I'm hoping this book will encourage you to try knitting socks and to see that with a little guidance, regardless of your skill level, making a sock is not only easy, but also great fun. The patterns range in knitting challenge from easy to intermediate and thus support gradual skill building. If you can comfortably cast-on, knit, purl, slip, increase, and decrease, you should be able to make most of the socks in this book. I've designed the patterns