The Ovis Socks by saskie&co are a super popular design in the knitting sphere: they feature a simple, sheep-inspired colourwork pattern that runs across both socks, despite the colours being inverted to make a ‘mismatched’ pair. I’ve wanted to make them for a while, but they’re knitted with a fingering weight yarn held together with a mohair yarn and I don’t love the feel of mohair (in general, really, but particularly on my feet!). Luckily, my mum loves a cosy, fluffy sock (and a sheep motif, she is a knitter after all), so I figured she would be the perfect person to make these socks for!

Full disclosure: these socks took me a while to finish, not because the knitting itself requires a lot of time/effort (they’re actually pretty quick to work up!), but because I ran into so many problems with gauge/fit/trying to knit them without my mum knowing. I started them in early summer and I finished them… in the New Year. Poor Mum had to open a single sock on Christmas Day (and the ends weren’t even sewn in…)!

In this post, as always with my 'Making a...' series, I'll be chatting about my experience making this pattern, as well as detailing any changes/adaptations I made. If you want to make your own Ovis Socks, you can purchase the pattern from saskie&co on Ravelry here!

Table of Contents

• The Pattern
• The Yarn
• The Knitting Process
  • Cast-On
  • Colourwork
  • Afterthought Heel
  • Toe
  • Blocking
• Final Thoughts

The Pattern

The pattern for the Ovis Socks is super clear & concise, without being too brief (I’ve talked before about how I like to be spoon-fed when it comes to knitting patterns!). Each section has a little subheading (e.g. ‘TOE’ or ‘AFTERTHOUGHT HEEL’), which makes it super easy to navigate your way through the instructions— it’s a small thing, but it made a big difference for me!

My favourite thing about this pattern is the design: I think the colourwork pattern is simple, but so effective and I really like the whole mismatched vibe. Not only does switching the colours balance out your yarn usage of each colour (yay for saving money!), but I also just think it’s a really fun, unusual feature. I think saskie&co does this for all of their sock patterns, which I love!

In terms of the construction itself, the socks are knitted cuff-down with an afterthought heel. This was my first time knitting an afterthought heel and I actually quite enjoyed it! The socks are pretty short on the leg: if I made them again, I’d be tempted to make them slightly longer so that they can be worn comfortably with hiking boots (I just feel like they’re hiking socks?!). Luckily, that would be super easy to do with this pattern: you’d just knit more repeats of the colourwork chart!

My only real issue with the pattern was the recommended needle size. The pattern instructs you to use 2.25mm needles, which seems pretty small for what is essentially a DK weight sock (especially one with colourwork!). For the first sock I made, I used the suggested needles for the ribbed cuff, toe and heel, then used a 2.5mm needle for the colourwork (because I just couldn’t bring myself to use a 2.25mm needle for that too). I made the whole sock (at great cost to my fingers, which, let me tell you, were SORE from fighting the yarn) and… it didn’t fit on my mum’s foot. Admittedly, this may have been my fault (the main problem area was the stripe of 3-colour stranded colourwork, so maybe my floats were too tight?), but the fabric was so stiff that it was a) no fun at all to make and b) just didn’t give me the right vibe for a sock (socks are supposed to be soft and cosy, right?!).

Ultimately, I decided to switch to using 3.00mm needles for the whole of the next sock (cuff, heel, toe, leg AND foot) and it was much better: the socks fit perfectly and my fingers were (slightly) less sore. I don’t have a particularly tight tension typically, so I don’t think that was the problem here, but no matter, it worked out! Naturally, because mohair is a menace to frog, I opted to just make a third sock instead of trying to rip back the first one, so, if anyone can think of a use for a lone, almost unwearable, but very beautiful Ovis Sock, let me know!

The Yarn

I decided to make things a little easier for myself by using the same main yarn as the one used in the pattern: Istex Einband (in the shades Almond Heather (9076) and Light Ash Heather (1026)). I get most of my wool from Wool Warehouse, but they don’t stock this particular brand, so I bought it from LindeHobby instead.

This was my first time using Icelandic wool and I have to say, it was a pretty different experience! Usually, I knit socks in wool/nylon blend yarns, so they’re soft and stretchy, but still hardwearing. This yarn is not at all stretchy and not overly soft (I did find it a little hard on my hands!), but it made a really great pair of socks that I know will last for a long time (plus, the mohair softens up the fabric, so it works out). I do like how natural this yarn feels though and I really love the two neutral shades used in the pattern.

The mohair yarn suggested by the pattern (Ritual Dyes Fae) was a bit out of my price range, so I opted to use a cheaper mohair that I knew pretty well already: DROPS Kid Silk. My mum had actually used this particular yarn for mohair socks before and really liked it, so I figured it was a safe bet. It’s very soft and it has a pretty extensive shade range, so I was easily able to find shades that matched the Einband ones (Off White (01) and Toffee (51)). It does tangle pretty easily, but I think that’s a bit of a classic feature of mohair yarns, so I won’t hold it against it.

I made the 5th size and bought two balls of each colour in each yarn (which, in hindsight, was a ridiculous amount of yarn? If only I could explain the actions of past Gemma but, alas, I have no idea what was going through my head…). After making 3 socks (2 with the brown shade as the main colour, 1 with the grey shade as the main colour), I had approximately 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 balls of each leftover. Yes, I know, I know: mistakes were made. The required yardage listed for both shades/yarns in the pattern was 251m and the Istex yarn comes in 50g/250m balls, while the DROPS yarn comes in 25g/210m balls. I guess I must have been very worried about running out? Whatever the case, I am writing this realising I have all of this leftover yarn and will, inevitably, have to make another pair of hard-on-the-fingers socks. Sigh. Maybe I’ll try one of saskie&co’s other sock patterns? Or maybe even… the Ovis Mitts?! I do have some dreams of an Ovis Gnome too… urgh, someone restrain me!

The Knitting Process

This pair of socks posed a lot of new challenges for me: it was my first time making socks with no-stretch yarn, making mohair socks, working an afterthought heel, making a DK weight sock AND making mismatched socks! When I think about that, it’s no surprise that I encountered a few issues throughout the process: that’s a lot of first times for one pair of socks!

Cast-On

The pattern calls for using ‘your choice of stretchy cast-on method’, so I opted to use the German Twisted Cast On, because I’d been using it a lot for my various gnomes at this point. However, I have been finding that it hasn’t been working up super neatly for me recently (can you see the slightly uneven edge on the grey sock?), so I wonder if Alternating Cable might have been a slightly better fit here?

Colourwork

I’ve been working on my colourwork technique over the past year (previously, my technique was, quite literally, dropping and picking up the yarns as needed, which wreaked havoc on my tension!) and have started using a two-handed approach, which I first saw on this Instagram video, by @engineeringloops. I’ve been loving this method! It works so well for two colours, but I haven’t found a way to make it work with three colours, so, whenever there are three-colour sections (like the sheep in this design), I revert back to my drop-and-pick-up method of old.

The main colourwork pattern that repeats throughout the leg and foot of the sock is super simple and easy to remember, which makes the knitting process that bit quicker. I love the subtle, rustic effect the design gives the socks.

The sheep that sit along the top of the sock are a little more complicated, because they contain a third colour. I was so careful with my floats, making sure they weren’t too tight, but I think just having that extra yarn in there really tightens up this section, which definitely affects the fit of the socks. I can see why some knitters opted to duplicate stitch on the heads/legs of the sheep, but it just felt like too much of an extra step at the time! Luckily, on the larger needle size the socks actually go over my mum’s heel, so all’s well that ends well!

Afterthought Heel

As I mentioned, this was my first time working an afterthought heel and it was so much simpler than I expected! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m a convert (I am loyal to my beloved Shadow Wrap Heel!), but I can see that there is a time and a place for an afterthought one (that time and place being a sock featuring intense colourwork!).

It’s a little bit of a drag to have to go back and work the heel after finishing the toe, and it does feel pretty odd essentially knitting a… second toe? I did also have to look up a separate tutorial for picking up the stitches for the heel (apparently, the rule is you always go into the right leg of the stitch, in case you’re wondering too!), but, once I knew that, I was absolutely fine!

Toe

The toe shaping in the pattern is really easy to work, but the finished result is ever so slightly too pointy for my taste: it’s not bad by any means, but I am a big fan of a more rounded toe, so I think I’ll stick to my usual method with future socks.

Blocking

Once I’d made both of the (correctly sized) socks, I wet-blocked them and left them to dry on sock forms (which make the process so much simpler!) to really even out the colourwork and make the knitting (and, by extension, the socks) look super neat! I definitely felt this was necessary, especially with my slightly looser gauge on the 3.00mm needles, which looked a little less neat than the smaller gauge had (but also, you know, actually fit and felt like a sock!). Once blocked though, both sock sizes looked just as neat as each other, so I’m happy.

Final Thoughts

I’m so happy with these Ovis Socks: I’d definitely make them again… for the finished product, not necessarily for the process. If I’m being honest, the yarn hurt my fingers (rip) and the 3-colour section was a bit of a sticking point for me, but I love the design and I really enjoyed learning the new heel technique.

My biggest problem that I ran into with this project was definitely the gauge (and it’s subsequent effect on the fit of the socks). If I did make them again, I do think I would use the 3.00mm needles again: it does make the finished socks ever so slightly less neat, but the fabric is much better (and more sock-suitable!) and it didn’t destroy my fingers in the same way that using the 2.50mm needles did!).

Also, most importantly, my mum (who now finally has her finished Christmas socks!) loves them, which is all that really matters in the end!

If you're interested...

You can buy the Ovis Socks pattern on Ravelry here.

You can find my Ovis Socks project page on Ravelry here.

Gemma

xxx

Table of Contents

• The Pattern
• The Yarn
  • Cascade Heritage: Mini Review
• The Knitting Process
  • Cuff + Picot Edge
  • Colourwork
  • Short Row Heel
  • Foot
  • Toe
  • Weaving in the Ends
• New Techniques
• Final Thoughts

The Pattern

The Itty Bitty Berry Socks are worked cuff-down and in the round. Stranded colourwork with three shades of yarn is used to create the super cute, repeating strawberry pattern. The folded cuff features a picot edging in a contrast colour and the socks are ankle-length, so they are perfect for spring and summer! The pattern also includes a Short Row Heel and a Wedge Toe (the latter of which is finished off by grafting the remaining stitches together).

The pattern is written with the Magic Loop method in mind, but I opted to use short circular needles instead. This was my first time using short circulars for socks and I found them so helpful for the colourwork: my colourwork often gets a little untidy at each side of the sock when using Magic Loop, but using the short circular needles really eliminated that problem (and made the whole process absolutely fly by, which is an added bonus!). I’d definitely use this method again.

The pattern also includes a section on ‘Knitting Colourwork Tips’, which basically talks about carrying the floats (specifically for sock-knitting), yarn dominance and weaving in the ends. This was really helpful and I would definitely recommend reading through it before you get started if you make these socks. However, I didn’t use the ‘Weavin Stephen’ method mentioned for weaving in the ends and opted to just weave them in with a needle later on, because I think this gives a more secure finish.

I’m a UK Size 6 and I have pretty narrow feet. I made a Size 2 in this pattern. I did add an extra 1-strawberry repeat (an additional set of rounds 1-10) to the foot of my socks (so, in total, I had 6 rows of strawberries on the feet), just to get the right length for my feet. The fit isn’t perfect: the socks themselves are actually quite thick (an unfortunate side effect of 3-colour colourwork!) and they just don’t fit my foot quite as snugly as I would have liked, especially for a short, summer pair of socks. I think the smaller size would be too small though, so I wonder if a different yarn (perhaps a slightly more hardwearing/stretchy, or even just a thinner one) might help?

The Yarn

I used Cascade Heritage yarn for these socks, in the following shades: Strawberry Cream (5648), Red (5607) and Sage (5635). I opted for a paler pink background shade than the one in the pattern, simply because I like the contrast of the colours.

Cascade Heritage is a 4-ply, 75% wool/25% nylon yarn that comes in 100g skeins. I used it with the recommended needle size from the pattern (2.25mm). For my socks, I used the following amount of each shade:

• Strawberry Cream: 43g
• Red: 13g
• Sage: 5g

Cascade Heritage: Mini Review

This was my first time using Cascade Heritage and I really loved knitting with it! It’s super soft and comes in a huge range of different colours, so I think it’s a really good option for colourwork projects. It doesn’t feel like it’s the most hardwearing sock yarn— it’s a little too soft (bordering on silky, in a fluffy kind of way) for that, and it doesn’t have quite the same level of stretchiness as other 75:25 wool/nylon blends, but it feels very comfortable against the skin and shows the colourwork pattern well.

After blocking, I did find that the yarn fluffed up quite significantly: it’s not a huge problem, but it definitely has a different feel post-blocking to when you’re knitting with it, which is a shame. I also found that blocking it didn’t even out my colourwork as much as I expected, which was also a shame (this could absolutely be because of the neatness of my colourwork, but I did feel my floats were pretty even?)!

The yarn comes in 100g skeins and is priced at £8.99 a ball, which feels like quite a reasonable price point.

Overall, I would absolutely use this yarn again, but the post-blocking fluff-up is definitely a drawback for me.

The Knitting Process

I really enjoyed the process of making these socks: I do like knitting stranded colourwork and this was such a simple, repetitive chart that I felt like I could really get to grips with the process and find a colourwork method that works well for me (which I did— more on that in a second!). I did make a few, slight changes to the pattern here/there, so I’ll be sure to highlight those here as I go through the process.

Cuff + Picot Edge

The cuff is folded over in the pattern (which is one of my favourite things to do with sock cuffs, because I find it really helps the socks to stay on my feet!) and features a picot edge worked in a contrast colour.

I opted to use a crochet provisional cast-on for the cuff and knit the folded cuff edges together (as opposed to whip-stitching them together, as suggested by the pattern). I prefer to knit my folded cuffs together because a) I find it less labour-intensive and b) I think it gives a stretchier finish, which is particularly helpful for a sock!

This was my first time working a picot edge and I really enjoyed it! I think it’s quite magical how such a simple method turns into such a fancy looking edge. I also love how a contrast colour is used for the picot— I think it really adds an extra something-something to the socks.

Colourwork

As I mentioned, the colourwork chart for these socks is really great: there are artfully placed seed stitches that mean you don’t have to worry too much about your floats and the strawberries themselves are so simple that the pattern becomes quite easy to memorise.

Because of the relative straightforwardness of the chart, I decided to test my colourwork limits a little and see if I could find a more efficient method for knitting stranded colourwork. In the past, I’ve always worked colourwork very slowly, dropping each yarn strand and picking up the new one as needed throughout, but I saw this video on Instagram recently and decided to give the two-handed method a go! I loved this method: it made the process go so quickly and made it super easy for me to keep an even tension and keep the floats the right length (not too long, not too short!). Overall, I will definitely be using this method for 2-colour colourwork in the future! I did, however, find that I couldn’t use it so easily on the rounds where there were three colours in play, so, for those rounds, I just reverted back to my tried-and-true, drop-and-switch method. Not the most efficient, but it worked!

Typically, for colourwork in the round, it’s recommended that you knit the project ‘inside out’, so that the floats have a slightly longer path to travel around the edge of the work, rather than along the inside. I usually do do this, but I just couldn’t make it work for this project: the small diameter and short length just meant it kept turning back right side out! Luckily though, my new colourwork method seemed to work perfectly for getting the right length floats on its own, so, in the end, I just gave up with the knitting inside out and the socks are perfect, so I’m happy!

Short Row Heel

If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I’m a die-hard fan of the Shadow Wrap Heel, but I decided to follow the pattern this time around and give the Short Row Heel a go.

Honestly, it was… fine? I do think the heel is neat (bar some slight gaps at each corner, but I often get that (and a potential solution to this is highlighted at the beginning of the pattern!), but I’m not sure that it has overtaken the Shadow Wrap Heel for me. I just found the process a little more involved (and the instructions a little more overwhelming!), plus I don’t find it ‘hugs’ my actual heel quite as well, so I’m still very much a Shadow Wrap Heel girl.

Foot

The foot is knitted in exactly the same way as the leg: in the round, following the colourwork chart. As I mentioned, I did add an extra row of strawberries, just to get the right length for my feet (so I ended up with 6 rows of strawberries total on the foot: one more than the pattern calls for, while I did the same, 3 rows called for by the pattern on the leg). This was a super easy adjustment to make: the pattern gives clear instructions for how to adapt the length of both the foot and the leg, so you can easily customise these socks to fit your feet.

Toe

The toe is worked (I believe) as a Wedge Toe: one of the most common toes in the world of sock-knitting. I like it and it was very straightforward, but I think do still prefer the Rounded Toe that I tend to use (full details in this post), which features a slightly different distribution of decreases, in terms of look and fit.

This project also gave me another opportunity to practise my grafting: I’m definitely getting better!

Weaving in the Ends

As I mentioned, I opted to weave in all my ends with a sewing needle at the end of the knitting process, instead of using the ‘Weavin Stephen’ method suggested in the pattern. This is because I’m not entirely convinced by the structural intergrity of that method (surely the ends will just come out? No?).

Look, there were quite a few ends to weave in: 4 for each row of strawberries (2 red, 2 green), but it’s just one of those things. I’m really happy with how neat my finished socks look (and it is super easy to hide the ends in amongst all of the floats!), so I can’t complain!

New Techniques

There were some new techniques to me in this pattern, as well as some opportunities to practise techniques I’ve previously met (as always, previously encountered techniques are marked with an *):

• Provisional cast-on*
• Picot edge
• Folded cuff*
• Stranded colourwork* (but new, two-handed method used for this!).
• Short row heel
• Wedge toe
• Grafting*

Final Thoughts

Overall, even though the fit isn’t perfect, I am in love with these socks: I think they’re SO cute, so fun & summer-y, and I really enjoyed the process of knitting them. I know colourwork isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely for me: I really love a colourwork project, and this particular one just flew off my needles.

I really like the contrast picot edge: a picot edge is definitely something I can see myself incorporating into more of my knitted ankle socks in the future (it’s just so fancy and pretty!), but I think that the use of a contrast colour for it here really adds to the effect and makes it pop, particularly when paired with the colourwork elements throughout the rest of the sock!

If I made these socks again, I’d be tempted to use my beloved Shadow Wrap Heel instead of the Short Row Heel, and a Rounded Toe instead of the Wedge Toe, just because I prefer knitting/wearing both of those and I think it might help with the general fit. I’d also be tempted to use a different yarn, to see if that would help too.

If you're interested...

You can purchase the Itty Bitty Berry Socks pattern by Stone Knits on Ravelry here.

You can find the Ravelry project page for my Itty Bitty Berry Socks here.

Gemma

xxx

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
  • Fyberspates CoopKnits Socks Yeah!: Mini Review
  • Yarnsmiths Merino Sock: Mini Review
• Tutorial: Making a Perry Sock
  • Folded Stockinette Cuff
  • Stockinette Leg
  • Ruffle
  • Heel
• Stockinette Foot
  • Toe
    • Rounded Toe: Tutorial
• Final Thoughts

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

Table of Contents

• The Pattern
• The Yarn
• The Knitting Process
• New Techniques
• Final Thoughts

The Pattern

Okay, full disclosure. I didn’t use an official pattern for these socks. My mum is constantly making socks, so she has them (including ones that specifically fit me!) down to a fine art. I just follow her instructions and feel at peace, knowing I won’t spend ages making a pair of socks that don’t fit me. Speaking of- I have this weird problem with knitted socks where they just… never stay up? My mum (my HERO) has worked out a couple of methods for helping with this over the years and, for short socks like these in particular, the folded hem technique has been life-changing. It takes a little extra work, but it looks so neat and works so well! I’m obsessed with it.

Essentially then, I used the following (very vague) pattern for these socks:

• Cast-on 64 sts (using a provisional cast on).
• Knit 28 rows for the hem.
• Pick up the cast-on stitches on a separate needle, then fold the hem and knit the live stitches together all the way around to create the folded hem.
• Knit 12 rows before the heel.
• Knit the heel (I followed EarthtonesGirl’s Shadow Wrap Short Row Heel method this time and LOVED it- I’ll definitely be using this method again!).
• Knit 71 rows for the foot (to give a 7 1/2″ foot before the toe).
• Knit the toe (I followed my mum’s instructions for a rounded toe- essentially you knit 4 plain rows, work 1 decrease row, knit 3 rows, work 1 decrease row, knit 2 rows, work 1 decrease row, knit 1 row, then work decrease rows every row until you have 12 stitches remaining on each needle. For the decrease rows: K1, SSK, knit to the last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1 on the first needle, then repeat for the second needle).
• Kitchener the remaining toe stitches together & darn in all the ends.

And that’s it! Obviously, this pattern is very specific to my foot size and shape, and is pretty vague- I’m writing it here more for my own reference than for anyone else to follow exactly!

The Yarn

For Christmas last year, my mum surprised me with this amazing yarn from TinyHumanKnits. The yarn is inspired by the jumper worn by Taylor Swift in some of the cover art photos for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) so, obviously, it’s right up my alley!

The yarn came with a mini skein in a complimentary sandy shade, which I used for the heel and the toe. I also used it for the inside of the folded hem, just for a bit of extra fanciness. To do that, I worked the first 14 rows of the hem with the mini skein, then switched to the main yarn and worked the remaining 14 rows, before finishing off the folded hem and continuing on in the main yarn.

Full disclosure: I totally meant to knit these socks on 2.25mm needles (as in, up until I had finished the first sock and just happened to check my needle size, I really thought I had been working on 2.25mm needles…), because I find that knitting them on smaller needles helps them to stay up a little more. Alas, I had accidentally picked up a 2.5mm needle, so these socks are slightly bigger on me than I intended, but still perfectly wearable!

The Knitting Process

I actually found these socks really enjoyable to knit! I’ve never made socks using self-striping yarn before, so it was a fun experience (and it definitely made them more interesting to knit). There was no crazy colourwork with this pattern, like there was with my last pair of socks, so they were really straightforward to work up- perfect for making while watching something on TV (a choice selection of some of the things I watched while making these: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (I very much enjoyed all the classical references, but wasn’t so into the extended car chase scenes), Groundhog Day (I’ve never seen this before, and there are definitely parts that are a bit… morally dated now, but Andie MacDowell is amazing) and Date Night (I think Steve Carrell is a global treasure)).

The folded hem definitely took a little bit longer than a regular ribbed hem, but I love the effect it gives. It just looks so neat! Honestly, the only slightly annoying bit is picking up the stitches from the provisional cast on, and even that isn’t too bad.

As I mentioned, I LOVE this new heel method- you might remember from my last post that I had some issues with the heels of my last socks, but this method completely eradicated those problems. It looks a bit weird here, but when the sock is on it looks so neat and seamless, with NO holes which is a definite improvement from my last attempt. I’m pretty sure I’m a shadow wrap heel convert.

The rounded toe was also a win for me- it was super simple to make, but I think it looks really nice as well. I still haven’t quite mastered the art of kitchener-ing, and still have to look up the instructions for it every time I need to do it, but I’m hoping that, with a little bit more practice, it will get easier!

One thing I did struggle with slightly was matching the stripes of the socks- mainly because I did not think ahead and just started knitting (a foolish approach, evidently). Apparently (and honestly, it makes a lot of sense!), it’s easiest if you wind through to the start of a new colour, so you can do the same with the second sock and automatically end up with an identical pair. I did not do this, which was a rookie error and led me to delay making the second sock, because the idea of trying to match the pattern by eye was filling me with dread. Also, there are very fine stripes of black in the yarn and I, of course, ended up with a single stripe of black at the base of each heel (and on my second sock, pictured above, it doesn’t even GO ALL THE WAY AROUND 🙁 …). Overall, that little black stripe on the heel isn’t really the vibe and, if I had thought about it more, I probably would have wound through that bit before starting knitting again after the heel. On the bright side, that little bit sits under my foot anyway, so I never really have to see it.

New Techniques

I tried a few new sock-related techniques with this project and I feel like they really paid off! Here are the techniques I tried out/practised with this project (as always, previously encountered techniques are marked with an *):

• Provisional cast-on*
• Folded hem
• Shadow Wrap Short Row Heel
• Rounded toe
• Kitchener stitch*

Final Thoughts

I really love these socks! Sure, there’s a few things I would do slightly differently (using the right-sized needle, for one), but I feel like I’ve already improved from my last pair of socks, so I’m really happy with my progress. I think this pattern will definitely become a go-to for me- making ankle socks feels much less daunting than making regular ones and they’re so useful for wearing with trainers in the summertime.

I also really like this yarn- it’s such a perfect match for the jumper, which I have loved ever since the art for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was released. 1989 isn’t my favourite Taylor album, but this yarn really encapsulates the beachy vibes of the cover, which I do like, so it’s perfect for me. The yarn itself is really soft and smooth- I really enjoyed knitting with it!

Overall, I’m super happy with this project! It may only be my fourth post in this Project Knitwear series, but I think I’m really getting into the swing of knitting my own clothes/accessories. Hopefully, with more practice, I’ll get more confident (and less dependent on my mum to tell me how to fix my mistakes and knit toes and successfully work kitchener stitch…)!

If you're interested... 

You can find the project page on Ravelry for my 1989 (Taylor's Version) Socks here.

Gemma

xxx

It’s been 3 months since my last instalment of my Project Knitwear series, so I figured it was high time for an update. Full disclosure: I have actually finished the shorts to match my Flutterbutt Shirt from the last post, but, to be perfectly honest, I can’t fathom the thought of trying them on to take a photo in this chilly weather. I think I’ll keep that one until the weather starts getting a little warmer again! Anyway, I thought it would be nice to have a festive edition of Project Knitwear, so here we are.

This time, I’m tackling socks.

Table of Contents

• The Pattern
• The Yarn
• The Knitting Process
• New Techniques
• Final Thoughts

The Pattern

I really wanted to make festive socks with a colourwork component for this project. After some searching on Ravelry (you can find my Ravelry account here), I settled on these Snowy Nights Socks by This Handmade Life. I thought that the colourwork design was so pretty and elegant (as far as socks go), and I knew I would get lots of wear out of them. I also thought it would be a good idea to go with short socks, because of what happened last time I made socks… Many years ago, I set out to make my first ever pair of socks. I made the first sock quite happily, but the horrifying realisation that I had to do the whole process all over again nearly broke me. I figured if the socks are shorter and take me less time, I might not be quite so heartbroken over having to do it twice? Maybe?

The pattern has 2 sizes: medium and large (is that normal for sock patterns? I have no idea! Surely feet come in more than 2 sizes?!). I made the medium socks for myself (I have UK size 6 feet) and knitted 48 rows for the foot (before the colourwork). Speaking of colourwork- the pattern also comes with two different charts, but I couldn’t find a picture of the socks made with the second chart at all, so I just went with the one I recognised from the photos. In the yarn listing, it does reference a ‘sample with chart 2’, but I can’t see it anywhere? Weird.

The Yarn

The suggested yarn given in the pattern is Sandnes Garn Sisu in the shades 5962 and 1001. I’d love to try this someday, but it was easier for me to get a hold of some Drops Fabel Uni Colour. I used the shades Blue (107) and Off White (100). I enjoyed the yarn, but I haven’t used a lot of sock yarns in my time so I didn’t really have anything to compare it to!

The pattern doesn’t tell you how much yarn you need, which I thought was a bit strange. I weighed the yarn before and after (something I always forget to do, but am trying to get into the habit of) and I ended up using about 23g of the main colour (blue) and 4g of the contrast colour (white) per sock. That meant that I could have gotten away with 1 ball of the blue wool for both socks (Drops Fabel comes in 50g balls), but I had purchased two- just in case. Does that mean I have to make another pair of socks…?

ALSO, I didn’t bother doing a gauge swatch, because the gauge was given for ribbing in the round, which I know is notoriously hard to measure. I just used the recommended needles (2.5mm) and hoped for the best- luckily, it turned out fine! I was thrilled, because, as you know, if you’ve read the past 2 posts in the series, I despise swatching.

The Knitting Process

Honestly, these socks were a lot more straightforward than I expected them to be! Admittedly, I would have gotten into a complete pickle with the heel if I didn’t have my mum to explain it to me (I had never heard of a wrapped stitch before??), but, luckily, I did have her, so I survived. I had been a bit apprehensive about the colourwork- I’ve done some colourwork before, but never in the round (and not particularly well) so I was a little nervous, but it wasn’t bad at all- it was even enjoyable! I did make sure that I knitted those sections from the inside, to make sure that the colourwork wasn’t too tight, but other than that I just followed the chart and hoped for the best.

The one big problem I had with these socks was the heel. My first sock was okay, but on my second sock, my wrapped stitches left quite large holes all along one side of the heel- specifically, the side of the knit rows. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what happened, because I didn’t do anything differently for the second sock and my tension is usually pretty even? I know there are lots of different heel constructions out there, so I think I might try out a different one, if I ever make socks again, and see if it suits me better.

New Techniques

There were quite a few sock-related techniques that were new for me with this project- I really feel like I’ve learned a lot (even if I’m not sure I would use some of them again…). Previously encountered techniques (that I actually remember doing before) are marked with an *:

• German twisted cast on
• Short row heel (using wrapped stitches)
• Toe shaping
• Grafting stitches (for the toe)
• Following a colourwork chart*
• Colourwork in the round

Final Thoughts

I’m really happy with how these socks turned out- they fit perfectly, the colourwork was much less of an ordeal than I thought it would be AND I didn’t even struggle with Second Sock Syndrome at all! Perhaps I am just a more patient knitter these days. Anyway, I’m really proud of my socks. Now I’ve taken all the pictures, I can start wearing them- just in time to appreciate their festive design!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the third instalment of Project Knitwear- I’m already starting to feel more confident when it comes to knitting things to wear! Now, what to make next…?

If you're interested... 

You can purchase the Snowy Nights Socks pattern here. 

You can find the project page on Ravelry for my Snowy Nights Socks here.

Can you believe we’re halfway through Blogmas At Home? Time really is flying, but it always does this time of year, right?

Gemma

xxx