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Sockupied Fall 2015: Electrostatic Lines Knee Socks

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve got a bunch of patterns that have come out in the last four weeks.  If you’ve been paying attention to my design page on Ravelry (you know you can follow the page on Ravelry, right?), my published patterns page jumped from 35 patterns to 45 – a full ten (TEN!) patterns released this last week.  It’s also part of the reason I was sooo busy the beginning of this year.  Today I want to take the time to highlight Electrostatic Lines, featured in Sockupied’s Fall 2015 issue.  Electrostatic Lines is a pair of stranded knit knee socks with a fun twist to make the calf fit you perfectly!

I’ve loved designing for Sockupied.  They’re one of the smaller magazines out of Interweave, but I love the focus on quality patterns, and the editor’s commitment to bringing really great sock articles forward.

Sockupied Fall 2015

Credit: Interweave/Harper Point Photography

In this issue, Electrostatic Lines are on the cover (my fourth pair on a Sockupied Cover!) – and I think these are one of my favorite pairs of socks I’ve ever designed.

Credit: Interweave/Harper Point Photography

I was working on these socks nearly a year ago today.  I knew these were going to be a particularly difficult pair of socks – not only did I have to finish them and Karner Butterfly in about 4 weeks, but knee socks are a haul.  When you get past the heel, you’re barely halfway done.  But I loved sitting on the front porch of our house in the mornings and afternoons and just steadily churning through the rows.  I love how there’s a bit of interest at the toe, the mini-gusset followed by the short row heel, and then the fun joy of working stranded knitting up the leg.  Knee socks are a commitment – but they’re worth it.

Steadily working up the leg

This was one of my first projects using ChiaoGoo’s Red Lace Needles, and I was in the process of falling in love, leaving my Addi’s in the dust.

Trying socks on as you go – toe up all the way!

There are so many things I’m proud of in this pattern.  I love that you can try these socks on as you go, to make sure that the calf fits just as it should.  The stranded knitting for the leg is written in such a way that increases can be added or subtracted as needed, so the pattern will fit perfectly for your calf.

And quite simply, I fell in love with this color combination: nearly a perfect, yet counter-intuitive combo for fall.  Hedgehog Fiber’s Rusty Nail and Graphite work lovely together.  They just seam to glow, especially in the sunlight.

You can check out more details about my sample pair of Electrostatic Lines on Ravelry, which includes the time information for this particular pair of socks.

Rusty Nail seems to glow

Electrostatic Lines is available from Sockupied, along with a bunch of other quality patterns.  Buy your copy here!

5 Questions for Kate Atherley, and Continuing Contest

As I mentioned yesterday, this is the week of 5’s: 5 Interviews with 5 Designers, each asked 5 questions!  This is in honor of Sockupied Spring 2015 – to highlight the Designers, Patterns and Yarns involved in getting this issue together.

Today we’re talking with Kate Atherley, author of Pattern Writing for Knit Designers, tech-editor for Knitty, and sock-sizing expert.  She’s so good at socks, she’s got a new book coming out this year, Custom Socks Knit to Fit Your Feet.  I worked with Kate when I had my Octopodes socks in Knitty, and I can tell you she’s detail-oriented, meticulous, and knows her stuff.  Kate was taught to knit as a child by her grandmother, Hilda Lowe.  Family legend says that Hilda used to earn a penny turning the heel of socks for knitters in her neighborhood.  I can only imagine that Kate has come by her love of socks naturally!

Kate’s socks in Sockupied Spring 2015 are the lovely Washington State Knee Socks, knit in Lorna’s Laces Sportmate, which I’ll talk about in a bit.  But let me just give you peek:

Washington State Knee Socks by Kate Atherley lime green Sportmate
© Sockupied/Harper Point

But enough background, let’s get to the questions:

If you were to describe your socks as an animal, what would it be? Why?
Kate: Socks are like a beloved Labrador Retriever: they go anywhere with you, they keep you warm, and they’re all about love. Giving someone a pair of handknit socks shows a lot of love!

You’ve published over 209 designs, including 69 pairs of socks (33% of your designs have to do with feet!). What draws you back to socks? 
Kate: I love the portability of socks, and I love the mathematical nature of sock design. It’s all about proportions and formulas and thinking about it makes me very happy. I also have very cold feet – I suffer from a neurological issue called Raynaud’s Phenomenon, wherein my extremities get very very cold. Hand knit socks help with that a lot, on a practical level. I do tend to prefer working top-down: it’s easier to design that way. I figure the patterning first on the leg, and then sort out how to divide it for the foot. And I like the Dutch/band heel, as the math is easiest for that.

All the designers were working on our socks during the Summer of 2014.  What else were you working on or thinking of as you created your pattern?
Kate: I’d actually just finished submitted the final samples and patterns for my upcoming Custom-Fit Socks book – being published by Interweave this summer. I’d said that I needed a break from sock knitting – and yet the first design submission I sent into a publication was for a pair of socks. And knee socks, at that. Sometimes I wonder about my sanity!

Did you run into any problems or challenges when you were working on designing the socks or writing the pattern?  What did you do to overcome it or problem solve it?
Kate: Because I’d just finished up the book, sock knitting and sock designing and sock pattern writing were at top of mind. I think the problem might have been in trying to do anything else…

What are 3-5 things you are loving lately?
Kate: I was given an Aeropress coffee maker as a gift this past Christmas, and it’s changed my life. It makes absolutely fantastic coffee. I love coffee dearly, and it makes a damn fine cup of coffee.

Music is an important part of my life and my workday, and I adore the new Decemberists’ album.

Speaking of sock knitting, I recently got my hands on some Little Gidding Farm Suri Alpaca sock yarn, and it is absolutely wonderful stuff. So warm, and the colors are amazing. Love it.

As I mentioned before, Kate Atherley’s socks in Sockupied are titled Washington State Knee Socks, Sportmate.  Knee socks are great transeasonal socks – perfect to wear under pants or boots on cold days, or to wear out for everyone to see with a cute skirt!

Washington State Knee Socks by Kate Atherley
© Sockupied/Harper Point

knit in Lorna’s Laces

Because the socks are knit with Sportmate, they are not the marathon that knee socks can sometimes be!  Kate has an article in Sockupied explaining how to customize the fit of knee socks legs.

Today’s blog post is sponsored by Lorna’s Laces, who contributed 2 skeins of Sportmate for the drawing.  Kate Atherley has also donated a copy of her book, Knit Accessories.

To enter the contest, use the Rafflecopter widget below!  You can enter the contest multiple times by doing different things – so have fun with it.  We will have three winners to the drawing, be sure to scroll through and see all the great prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway