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I like to think of myself as a pretty adventurous—and well-rounded—knitter. There isn’t much that I shy away from…except for socks.
You see, I once tried to be a sock knitter. I got sucked in by all those self-patterning yarns, and I fell in love with all those funky hand-knit socks that other knitters wore. But then I tried it for myself, and I discovered that I suffer from the dreaded Second-Sock Syndrome. After finishing that first sock, I just couldn’t motivate myself to start over and do the same thing all over again. So when I saw Melissa Morgan-Oakes’s new book, 2-At-A-Time Socks, I felt…hopeful.
In 2-At-A-Time Socks, Morgan-Oakes teaches a simple technique for knitting both socks at the same time on just one 40” circular needle. It may sound complicated, but she takes her time explaining it—so it all makes perfect sense. Taking around 20 pages, she goes into great detail, explaining each step in both words and pictures. To cut down on even more of the confusion, she works the sample socks in two different colors, so you’ll have no problem telling the difference.
Following her detailed tutorial—complete with all kinds of helpful hints to make everything even easier—Morgan-Oakes also offers 15 or so sock patterns (though, just for the record, you can use her two-at-a-time technique for regular sock patterns, too). They come in all sizes and styles: for men, women, and children…from basic ribs to cables, fair isle, and lace…in fingering, DK, and worsted weight. Each pattern is presented in the clearest, most straightforward way possible—broken into sections and explained one step at a time. And since the spiral-bound book lies perfectly flat, you can follow the directions and knit at the same time—and you’ll never lose your page.
So if you’ve shied away from socks because they just seemed too complicated (or because you hate working on double-pointed needles)—or if you’ve found yourself looking for one-legged friends to bestow your single socks upon—give 2-At-A-Time Socks a try. The process isn’t nearly as intimidating as it may seem, and Morgan-Oakes explains it all in great detail. And, best of all, once you’re done, you’re done. No more battling Second-Sock Syndrome.
Despite my years of hand-knit sock anxiety, 2-At-A-Time Socks actually inspired me to run right out and buy new needles and sock yarn. Whether I’ll actually finish a whole pair of socks is yet to be seen, but I have a feeling that I’ll soon be wearing my very first pair of hand-knit socks—and I’ll have Melissa Morgan-Oakes to thank for it.
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