knitted :: handspun toe-up knee-high arch-shaped socks, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Handspun Toe-Up Arch-Shaped Knee-High Socks
Say that five times fast!

Last month, I participated in a “Combo Spinalong” on Ravelry. The idea was to combine different colorways into one yarn through plying. At least one of the fibers had to be either Hello Yarn, Spunky Eclectic, or Southern Cross Fibre. I’m a lucky girl, in that I have plenty of each of those fibers to choose from. But choosing is hard! This was my first time combining fibers and I was daunted – I am always so impressed with the color genius of these indie dyers that I was hesitant to mess up with my own combinations. But I bit the bullet.

I spun up 4 oz. of Hello Yarn Superwash Merino in “Curiosities”:

And plied it with 4 oz. of FLUFF Superwash Merino in “Argyle”:

The result was 422 yards of light worsted 2-ply “Argyle Curiosities”:

Which I totally loved.

I’ve been wanting to make a pair of handspun kneesocks forever, and this yarn seemed to be begging to become that. And who am I to resist the pleadings of a pretty little yarn like that? A week or so later, I had very happy feet:

pattern: David’s Toe-Up Sock Cookbook
yarn: 320ish yards of light worsted 2-ply
needles: size 2
dates: March 18-March 26

The result is the best-fitting pair of socks I’ve ever made. I can’t rave about David’s sock cookbook enough. It is infinitely customizable, and so easy to adjust because you can try on as you go.

I threw in some arch shaping for my high narrow arches, and I am thrilled with how the arches came out. These are the first handknit socks I’ve made that don’t have excess fabric under the arch.

I’ve written up my full details about how I shaped the arches on my Ravelry project page here .

I also added some calf shaping:

After expanding out for the calves, I decreased a little before starting the ribbed cuff. I used the excellent stretchy bind-off David recommends in the cookbook.

I’m pretty much in mad love with these, y’all. And it has stayed cold enough here (grumble grumble) that I’ve certainly had opportunity to wear them. I see more of these in my future. Lots more.