Husband Hyaks

Christmas gift knitting is in full swing here. I'm not planning a whole lot - just a few quick projects. The first thing off the needles doesn't totally count as a Christmas gift, since it's hard to keep things a secret when the recipient sits just a couple of feet away from you when you knit in the evenings. Nevertheless, I'm counting these as a gift done. Jake's first pair of handknit socks!

I used the Hyak sock pattern for these, and they turned out just perfectly. I made a few minor modifications to the size medium so they would fit him the way he likes. I used a size 4 needle for the whole sock, instead of just for the ribbing & heel, and added 3 inches in length, because he likes his socks tight & tall. I also added a few rows to the heel flap since he's a man and has larger feet.

The yarn is minimally processed and perfect for a pair of cozy winter socks. It came from a local farm (the same farm that produced the yarn I used in my purbeck shawl!), and to say I love it is an understatement. The colors are just gorgeous, the price is wonderful, it smells like sheep, and the oils that come out while knitting with it soften my hands up. I wish they had an online shop so that the world could experience this lovely wool, but at the same time I enjoy having an endless supply of this yarn at my fingertips just a short drive away.

If I hadn't added the extra length, I could have easily gotten another pair (for myself) out of the two skeins I purchased, but as it stands, I'm running a bit low on the grey. I'm planning on making myself a pair with the purple as the main color, and am headed out to the farm next weekend where I'll grab another skein of the grey to ensure that I have enough for the accents. My dad has also requested a pair, so I'll use the grey for his as well. I've never knitted anything for my dad, so I'm pretty excited to make these for him for Christmas.

Start to finish, these took about a week. The second sock was done in about two days over Thanksgiving, so I don't think I'll have any trouble busting out another pair before Christmas is here. 

Happy Knitting!