Cold Weather Inspires Warm Socks

Pattern: Winging Worsted Weight Socks. 40 stitches around. k3, p1 ribbing in cuff and down instep.

Yarn: Patternworks Bretton in navy and Opal Cool Ocean 226

Needles: Pony Pearl dps #5

Gauge: 5 stitches/inch, 7 rows/inch

Last autumn while searching for the perfect worsted weight washable sock yarn (I found it - It's Jarbo Garn Raggi), I ordered a few skeins of Patternworks Bretton to try. The blend, 70% superwash wool, 5% alpaca, 25% nylon sounded perfect for making tough, warm, winter socks.

When the yarn arrived, it was nothing like I imagined.

It's a delicate feeling yarn, not tough. And it's a silky feeling yarn, not fuzzy warm. It was listed in their catalog as worsted weight, but if someone handed me an unmarked ball I would call it sport weight and I think they should too. The socks shown in the Patternworks catalog knit with Bretton are knit on #3 needles. I don't think I could knit worsted weight yarn on #3 needles.

Fast forward to Saturday. I finished Frode and it has two sleeves! There will be pictures sometime this week after it is washed and blocked.

The Saturday weather was cold and almost frightening and I decided to knit myself another pair of worsted weight socks before picking up the Peerie Brocade sleeves.



I grabbed the Bretton and a leftover wad of Opal Cool Ocean 226, and used them together to get a worsted weight gauge and a very pretty dark blue tweedy looking pair of snuggly warm socks. For me.

They're so nice, I might even use this yarn combination again for heavy socks. It could be a fun way to use up my leftover balls of Sock yarn.


The official temperature at the Kalamazoo airport last night - not the windchill, but the actual temperature - was 15 below zero (F).

The little dogs can only stand to have their feet on the ground for a few minutes at a time. We've been taking them out one by one on a leash.

The leash keeps them in the shoveled area, which helps keep the snow out of their paws and maybe gives them an extra minute or two before their feet freeze.

Going out individually, they don't waste their outdoor minutes trying to play with each other instead of doing their business before they can't stand up anymore.

It's supposed to warm up to 20 degrees (F) by Friday. It's going to feel like a heat wave.