Aunt Emma in the Garden with Stripes

Toe-up socks are my go-to project, that's become quite obvious.

Remember a few years ago when striped scarves in two colors/strands of Noro was a thing? Or socks? (Geez, apparently it's been over 10 years.) These socks are a re-hash of that thing.

Schoppel Wolle is quite well-known for their Zauberball self-striping sock yarn. Now they've come up with a sport-weight 100% merino version, Edition 3.0, that comes in cute 50 g balls in bright colors that look just like candy. And of course my LYS has to have them in stock.

The colors drew me in but the softness made me not to put them back once I've picked them up to fondle. But the thing is, the yarn is not nylon-reinforced. So technically not sock yarn. This didn't stop me from using it for socks, though, that's what reinforcing thread is for!

The two colorways I picked up are called Tante Emma ("Aunt Emma") and Gartentage ("Garden Days"). The yarn is two-ply with a loooong gradient running on both plies. But the gradient is not synchronized on the plies, making that barber-pole effect you usually get in handspun. This makes it very convenient to hide the reinforcing thread in. The stitches are two-colored already — what's another one?

The socks are plain vanilla toe-up socks, only this time knitted with 52 sts instead of my usual 64. For the stripes I decided to go a bit crazy: they're three-row stripes. Three! Not 2, not 4, not even 5 but a very odd and primal three. (Only knitters will understand.)

• On Ravelry: Aunt Emma in the Garden with Stripes

• Pattern: Vanilla toe-up socks with 52 sts, 3-row stripes, Widdershins Revisited heel, 2-by-2 rib on top

• Yarn: Schoppel Wolle Edition 3.0 in #2361 Tante Emma (138 m / 151 yd) and #2328 Gartentage (129 m / 141 yd) + 7 g of Regia reinforcing thread for balls and heels

• Needles: 3.0 mm

I really wish Schoppel Wolle would come up with a nylon-reinforced version of the yarn. (Call it Edition 4.0? Thank you.) The yarn is so soft, the colors fabulous, but playing with the reinforcing thread while striping the yarns was a little crazy-making. Also tangle-making. You get the picture.

Pin this post!

#knitting #socks #stripes #Schoppelwolle #merino #gradient #twoply #barberpole #toeup #WiddershinsRevisited