Gemma 
Welcome back to my Project Knitwear series, where I’m documenting my journey into the world of knitting my own clothes!
Growing up, I was never a huge fan of cartoons. I tended to split my TV time between the Food Network and Disney Channel (your girl was (read: is) a hardcore High School Musical fan) instead. Nevertheless, despite my usual lack of interest in cartoons, I did give Phineas & Ferb a go when it first came out and… I loved it. It’s a very nostalgic show for me: it’s… kind of ridiculous, but hugely comforting, funny and also the songs are outrageously catchy, even now.
When the pandemic hit, everyone was in lockdown and my health was at an all-time low, Disney+ launched. I remember being so excited to have all of my favourite films and shows at my fingertips, but, surprisingly, I was most excited to be able to rewatch Phineas & Ferb and relive the comforting, low-pressure entertainment of my childhood. I watched the whole series from start to end, getting in an episode or two every day while I ate breakfast.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Phineas & Ferb saw such a huge resurgence over the past 5 years that Disney actually revived the show for a further 2 seasons: the first of which was released on Disney+ today (which, obviously, I have already watched: I’ll share my spoiler-free thoughts at the end of the post!).
I was so excited by the news of the revival that I made these Perry the Platypus-inspired socks. Perry is my absolute favourite character from the show (I mean, he’s everyone’s, right?) and I had this random idea for a pair of socks that were subtly, but also not-so-subtly, Perry. So I made them and I love them.
A little note here: Today’s instalment is… slightly different to the usual Project Knitwear posts, because this project was (semi) self-drafted. I’m not confident enough at writing clothing knitting patterns/grading sizes yet, so I’m not sharing this project as a pattern per se, but you will find a detailed tutorial in this post (with plenty of info on how to convert your favourite sock pattern into these Perry Socks), so you can make your own if you fancy!
Table of Contents
The Yarn
When I was choosing the yarn for this project, the most important consideration for me was the colour. Perry the Platypus has such an iconic colour palette and I really wanted these socks to be immediately recognisable as Perry-inspired socks, so the colours were really important.
In the end, I used a combination of Fyberspates CoopKnits Socks Yeah! and Yarnsmiths Merino Sock for this project. In the Fyberspates yarn, I used the shades Topaz (113) and Citrine (118). In the Yarnsmiths yarn, I used the shade Rich Brown (2K079). I would have used the Fyberspates for the ‘hat’ part of the socks too, but the range just didn’t include a brown shade similar enough to Perry’s fedora, so I opted to use the Yarnsmiths instead. I used less than one skein of each shade.
If you remember, about 8 months ago, when I was preparing to make my Pumpkin Strange Brew Sweater, I shared my final colour choices at the end of this post and mentioned that I’d realised I could use the Yarnsmiths shade, that I just happened to have left over from a super secret special project, for the main body of the jumper. 8 months later, I can finally share that this was that project! Finding the perfect shade for Perry‘s little hat led to me finding the perfect shade of brown yarn for my magnum opus from last year: isn’t that such a fun, full-circle moment?
Fyberspates CoopKnits Socks Yeah!: Mini Review
Ohhhhh, I love this yarn. I’d never used it before this project and while I did, 100% choose it because it had the perfect, Perry-esque shades, I’m so glad that I did! It was a dream to knit with, the colours were perfect (a really nice mix of flat colour/a slight mottle, for depth!) and it worked super well for the (very minimal) colourwork in this pattern. It’s soft, but not too soft: it still feels pretty hard-wearing, which is important for a sock yarn!
As a bonus, I didn’t get any colour rubbing off on my fingers when I knitted with this yarn (even with the teal shade, which has been a colour I’ve had problems with before, in other yarns (see my Gnomewarming post)), which is a huge win!
I do wish that there was a slightly bigger range of shades: particularly in the brown department, because I would have loved to use this yarn for every part of this sock design!
Price-wise, I’d consider this a mid-range yarn: it’s not as cheap as the Yarnsmiths or, for example, DROPS, but it’s not crazy expensive either: I definitely think it’s worth the price, anyway!
Yarnsmiths Merino Sock: Mini Review
At the time, this was my first time using Yarnsmiths Merino Sock (even if, now, I’ve actually made a whole colourwork jumper in it!). I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn— it’s very smooth and soft, and the colour is super even and rich (plus, Rich Brown was the perfect shade for Perry‘s hat!).
The shade range of this yarn is super comprehensive: I can definitely see myself coming back to this yarn for a multitude of projects, particularly when I have a specific colour in mind.
My only qualm with this yarn was that it fluffed up a lot when, for lack of better words, I messed around with it? If you knit it plainly (as I did for the ruffle on this sock and for the whole of my Pumpkin Strange Brew Sweater), it’s absolutely fine: smooth and even with defined stitches. However, when I used it to make the folded cuff at the top of these socks, there was something about the folding and knitting-together process that it just didn’t like and it did fluff up quite significantly at that point. I can’t explain it and, honestly, it doesn’t even look that bad now, but it was something I definitely noticed as I was making these socks, so it is something to keep in mind!
Price-wise, this yarn is slightly more expensive per ball than the Fyberspates yarn, BUT the ball is twice as large (100g vs 50g), so it does actually work out cheaper (and I think it’s very reasonably priced!). I also purchased this yarn while it was on sale to celebrate its release, so I actually got it an even more reasonable price, which was an extra bonus!
Tutorial: Making a Perry Sock
As I mentioned, this post is not a set pattern for these Perry Socks, because, to be honest, the world of pattern-grading still seems like a completely foreign concept to me at the moment! Maybe, one day, as I learn more and gain confidence in my pattern-writing abilities, this could be something that I can share with you, but, for now, I thought I’d just give you the basic details on how I made my socks and share some tips on how to convert your favourite sock pattern into these Perry Socks.
Overall, the Perry Socks are made up of the following features:
- Folded stockinette cuff
- Stockinette short leg
- Ruffle
- Shadow-wrap heel (or heel of your choice)
- Stockinette foot
- Rounded toe (or toe of your choice)
The folded cuff + ruffle are worked in brown yarn, to mimic Perry‘s secret agent hat. The main body of the sock (leg and foot) is worked in teal yarn, to mimic Perry‘s, well, body. The heel and the toe are worked in orange yarn, to mimic Perry’s tail and bill, respectively.
For reference, I made these socks for myself and I’m a UK size 6. I have quite narrow (and very flat) feet, so I tend to make socks on a slightly smaller needle than patterns suggest, to help them ‘hug’ my feet and stay on. For this project, I used a 2.25mm needle and cast on 64 sts. I used the Magic Loop method throughout, but you could also use short circulars (just be aware that the stitch count will increase significantly when you add the ruffle, so you might want to use longer needles for that stage).
Folded Stockinette Cuff
I’ve made this type of cuff on socks before (see my 1989 (Taylor’s Version) Socks) and I really love how it looks (and how well it stays up on my feet!). It’s super easy to do, you just follow these steps:
- Start with a provisional cast-on.
I use a crochet provisional cast-on, but you can use whatever provisional cast-on you’re comfortable with. As I mentioned, for my narrow, UK size 6 feet, I used a 2.25mm needle (and a 2.5mm crochet hook, because it was what I had to hand) and cast on 64 sts. You can adjust this as needed for your size.
- Join to work in the round.
I used the magic loop method for these socks, but you can use small circulars instead, if you prefer.
- Knit 28 rounds.
You can increase/decrease the number of rounds to increase/decrease the length of the cuff (i.e., the depth of Perry‘s fedora). It’s a very flexible method: just remember that the finished cuff will be half the height of this knitted section (because you’ll be folding it in half)!
- Pick up the stitches from the provisional cast-on on a separate needle.
You should use the same size needle as you’ve been working with for this, so for me, that’s a 2.25mm needle. Make sure to count the stitches after you’ve picked them up: you should have the same number as your cast-on/the stitches you’ve been working with (so, in my case, 64).
- Fold the cuff in half.
You might need to perform a little needle gymnastics for this, but you just need to fold the cuff wrong sides together, so that the two sets of needles are sat alongside each other.
- Knit the stitches from both needles together.
One-by-one, knit the working stitches and the stitches from the cast-on together.
To do this, hold the needles with the stitches on parallel to each other, then insert your working needle knitwise into the first stitch on the front needle, then knitwise again into the first stitch on the back needle and knitting the two stitches together. Repeat this all the way around, until you have a folded cuff.
Stockinette Leg
After you’ve worked the folded hem, you can work the leg. These are short socks, so there’s not too much knitting in the leg, but I did make mine longer than I usually would for short socks, because the ruffle takes up a little bit of space (and you don’t want the ruffle getting in the way of your shoes, either!).
To work the leg:
- Knit 1 round in the same brown shade as the cuff.
This extra round helps to make sure that the transition between the ruffle and the cuff is super seamless, without any of the teal shade poking through into the hat.
- Change to the teal yarn.
We’re into the body of the sock now, so it’s time to use the body colour.
- Knit 24 rounds with the teal yarn.
As I mentioned, this is more rounds than I would usually work for a short sock, but it’s important to allow space for the ruffle.
Ruffle
The ruffle is added to the sock just below the cuff, once the leg has been knitted (though you could also add it later, once you’ve finished the whole sock, if you prefer). The ruffle is formed with a series of simple, frequent increases.
To make the ruffle:
- Pick up and knit every stitch from the joining row of the cuff.
That is, the row where you knitted the working stitches together with the stitches from the provisional cast-on. Pick up one stitch in every stitch, so that you have the same number of stitches as your cast-on (so, in my case, 64).
- Work increases to create the ruffle.
The ruffle is made through an alternating sequence of increase rows and plain knit rows. I used a left leaning increase (LLI), because I find it the easiest/neatest increase for this project, but you can use M1L/M1R if you prefer (just make sure to use the same increase each time, and don’t use an increase that ‘uses up’ a working stitch (e.g. kfb), as this will throw off the stitch count).
The distribution of these increases will change based on your stitch count, but this was mine:
Round 1: k all.
Round 2: *k4, LLI* to end.
Round 3: k all.
Round 4: *k5, LLI* to end.
Round 5: k all.
Round 6: *k6, LLI* to end.
Round 7: k all.
Round 8: *k7, LLI* to end.
Round 9-10: k all.
Round 11: *k1, LLI* around.
Essentially, you’ll want to have doubled your starting stitch count by the end of Round 8, and then doubled that new figure by the end of Round 11.
So, for my 64 stitch socks, I worked 16 increases every increase round (so I had 128 stitches after Round 8 and 256 stitches after Round 11), but if you start with a different stitch count, you will need to adjust this.
- Cast off
I used this crochet cast off for the ruffle, because I wanted a super neat edge, but you can use your favourite, bind-off: just make sure to pick one that looks pretty!
Heel
I love a Shadow Wrap Heel: I find them super easy to knit, super neat in appearance and, as seems to be my main criteria with socks, they seem to stay on my feet very well. However, you can use whatever heel pattern you prefer/are used to for this: just make sure to work the heel in orange yarn, as the heel is supposed to mimic Perry‘s orange tail.
If you do want to try the Shadow Wrap Heel, I like to follow this tutorial by EarthtonesGirl on YouTube, which is incredibly clear and easy to follow along with (plus, the tutorial contains clear instructions on how to adapt the method to your specific stitch count!).
Stockinette Foot
After you’ve worked the heel, it’s time to knit the foot. Just like the leg, this part of the sock represents Perry‘s body, so you should switch back to the Teal yarn at this stage and use it for the whole foot, right up until you reach the toe.
The foot is super simple: it’s just worked in rounds in plain, one-colour stockinette, until you reach your desired length. For me and my size 6 feet, this was 71 rounds, but this will obviously change based on the length of your foot. I find a sock ruler very helpful for measuring this: just knit until you’re about 5 cm/2 inches away from your foot length (to leave room for the toe!).
Toe
All that’s left to do now is work the toe! You can use your favourite toe method for this, but I am a big fan of a rounded toe (instructions below). Just make sure to use the orange yarn again, as the toe represents Perry‘s bill!
Rounded Toe: Tutorial
Before you start, make sure your stitches are distributed evenly across your two needles.
Rounds 1-4: K all.
Round 5: *K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, K2tog, K1* twice.
Rounds 6-8: K all.
Round 9: *K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, K2tog, K1* twice.
Rounds 10-11: K all.
Round 12: *K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, K2tog, K1* twice.
Round 13: K all.
Round 14: *K1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches on needle, K2tog, K1* twice.
Repeat Round 14 until you have roughly 1/3 of your starting stitch count remaining, spread over the two needles (for example, my starting stitch count was 64. On each needle, therefore, I had 32 stitches. 32 doesn’t divide super evenly by 3, so I split it into 10, 12 and 10. The 10 stitches on either side will be decreased, the 12 stitches in the centre will remain as the centre of the heel. To get to that stage, I’ll work Round 14 a total of 7 times, which will leave me with 12 stitches on each needle, in the centre of the heel, and 24 stitches total).
Once you’ve done that, you just need to graft the remaining stitches together to finish off the toe. I find this tutorial from Tin Can Knits super helpful for this.
After that, you can weave in all the ends and give the socks a gentle block (I’d recommend using a colour catcher when doing this, just to make sure the bright colours don’t bleed into each other and ruin all of your hard work!).
Final Thoughts
This was a super long post (I swear, I’ve been desperately trying to waffle less on here recently, but, alas, I’m a waffle-er at heart!), but I hope it’s been helpful if you’re planning to make your own Perry Socks, interesting if you’re a fellow knitter, or even just entertaining if you’re neither of the above!
Phineas & Ferb means a lot to me, in the way that only fond memories from your childhood can, so these socks feel like a little piece of nostalgia that pair my inner child’s joy with my adult self’s knitting ability, which feels weirdly magical and very wholesome.
I’m super happy with how these socks turned out: this was definitely a project where I had a flash of inspiration, in the form of a hazy, sock-y image, and just committed to making that image a reality (and it is always one of my favourite experiences when that goes to plan!). They’re exactly how I imagined them and I love that, in shoes, they seem fairly casual and unobtrusive, but, then you take off your shoes and it’s like: Bam! Perry! I guess that’s like the opposite of that meme-able gag from the show, where Doofenshmirtz only recognises Perry when he’s in his hat: here, there’s only the hat to recognise at first.
ALSOOOOO, I promised I’d share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on the new series!
As nostalgic as it was to return to the show, I was a little underwhelmed by the new episodes: they just felt a little bit chaotic (and, dare I say, too over the top/vaguely unhinged?) for me. Some of the changes in voice actors really threw me: I know it’s unavoidable when there’s such a large a gap between seasons, but it was still a bit jarring. Also, I was a little disappointed that none of the songs stuck with me that much: maybe they’ll grow on me over time?
However, there were two specific episodes that I really enjoyed: Agent T (for Teen) and No Slumber Party. Agent T (for Teen) felt like a really good, new addition to the show and overall plot: it felt exciting and different to the other episodes, but in a really good way that still felt true to the essence of the show. No Slumber Party felt like a real return to the best of the previous seasons: nothing too crazy or out there, but very iconically Phineas & Ferb: I really enjoyed it.
Gemma
xxx
