Socks, Sandwiches & Scandinavia

1st pair of socks! great starting point pattern here

Being a shoe designer, I naturally have a keen interest in socks.  And tights.  And stockings.  I am Tabio's Number 1 Fan.  But I have always been slightly put off by the idea of hand knitted socks.  And I've never understood why so many millions of knitters become so obsessed with knitting socks.  Why socks more than anything else?  Why not mittens?  Or hot-water-bottle covers?  Willy-warmers even?  It's always seemed like it would be so tedious to knit two identical things on such tiny needles, and in that "self-striping" yarn, which, if I'm honest, to me looks naff and messy.  However.  Regardless of this snobbery I seem to have against knitted socks, I've kind of always wanted to give it a go...

As soon as I cast on for my first pair, it all began to make sense.  Socks... of course... Small and satisfying to make... Can be worn all year round... Can be elaborated with infinite combinations of cables and fairisle designs...Very high on the list of most thoughtful gifts... And actually I'm finding it to be a very humbling experience as I think about all the women who would knit socks for their family year in year out, keeping them warm throughout harsh winters.

For now, I'm sticking to chunky socks.  And I'm getting quite a clear 70s Scandinavian vibe too.  Crisp Norwegian summers in floaty, floral dresses, chunky off-white socks and wooden clog-esque sandals (like these Swedish Hasbeens I'm coveting right now); pulling on a pair of oversized nautical cabled socks as it starts getting chilly on the Fjord; cosy log cabin evenings warming fairisled feet by the fire.

detail of my 2nd pair of socks, this time an improvised cabled design. 

getting inspired by this wonderful book.

inspiration for 3rd pair of socks

This is just the beginning.  I feel like I'm onto a new obsession-within-an-obsession here.  More socks to make, more patterns to come.  But one thing is for sure: no self-striping sock yarn in colours like "olive" or "mustard" for me!

A quick word about Sandwiches
I don't bake bread as often as I would like, but today I had a major craving.  Without realising the connection with my Scandinavian Socks, I made a loaf of Rye Bread from this recipe from The Guardian online (the only changes I made were halving the quantities to make a smaller loaf, and using wholemeal as opposed to white flour).  Now I'm wishing I had some salt beef... But left-over roast chicken, mayonnaise and sliced tomatoes will do nicely.

sneaky little fingers