Sock Knitting Smarts

The world's most intriguing inventions may have started when one clever person wondered, "What would happen if I . . . ?" The new issue of Sockupied (our fifth!) is full of sock knitters who have pondered that very question.

Stefanie Bold asked what would happen if an asymmetrical cable twisted down the outside of the leg and disappeared, only to peek out inside the foot and run down to the toe. Her answer is the Emerging Cable Socks, a design with unexpected twists around every corner.

The Emerging Cable Socks by Stefanie bold take a winding path from cuff to toe.

What would happen if you worked a short-row heel and toe—but skipped the short-row part? Candace Eisner Strick tried it and discovered a new way of knitting socks (with a brand-new cast-on to go with it). Knit her Semaphore Socks and see for yourself what happens when you knit a completely reversible sock.

The Semaphore Socks by Candace Eisner Strick are designed for a man—but with four sizes, they're sure to please any foot.

After reading about the nearly forgotten technique of garter Jacquard, Franklin Habit experimented until he not only learned it but also adapted it to work in the round. His student Leslie Comstock tried pairing it with a gusset worked underfoot and created the Turkish-inspired Turnalar Socks.

With a pattern inspired by a Turkish folk design, the Turnalar Socks combine garter-stitch and stockinette-stitch Jacquard.

What would happen if you decreased more frequently on one side of the toe than the other? If you challenged yourself to design 24 original sock patterns inspired by indie hand-dyers? How about adopting the Community-Supported Agriculture model to sock knitting? What if a handknitted sock faced off against a store-bought sock in a heated political rivalry?

Find the answers to these questions and many more in the Fall 2012 issue of Sockupied, which is available now in the Knitting Daily store for Mac and PC and through the App Store for iPad.

Let your imagination run wild. What will you clever sock knitters think of next?

Happy knitting,