Pattern Testing the Portico Socks
I had 2 decisions to make when it came to these socks:
- Do I have time in my schedule to test these socks? – which ended up being followed by:
- What yarn should I make these in?
It was the pretty pointed details around the cuff that made me apply to test the Portico socks, though the detail on either side of the top of the foot is also gorgeous! The ankle reminds me of gothic architecture, which I kinda love.
I really like the colourway that Nicole (Henry and Jane Handmade) used for her original sample of these socks, it seemed like a really good amount of speckle. As usual I went through my whole stash, and gradually narrowed it down to a few yarns. I finally landed on Barnacle by Molly Klein Designs/Sweet Tea Yarn because I adore the base colour and really love the teal speckles. Plus the yellow, mustard-y speckles seemed appropriate heading into fall since the minty colour is so summery to me.
For some reason I decided this test was the perfect time to try 9″ circular needles for socks, since a friend had lent me some. This brings me to the best advice I can possibly give you for making these socks: use needles that have excellent points. When you are twisting stitches, increasing and decreasing, needles that are too blunt will make your life miserable. And when on a short cord it gets even more difficult!
UPDATE: I found out the needles I used for the first sock were a little bit longer than 9″! No wonder they gave me trouble. For the 2nd sock I used 9″ circulars again but from ChiaoGoo, and they made the whole process WAY easier.
While I followed the repeat pattern exactly, you can make the sock longer or shorter to fit your preferences. My other recommendation is to print out the pattern. I find this makes it easier to follow the stitch pattern to make those pretty points. And I recently read a report that research has found you have better reading comprehension when you read something on paper versus on a screen.
So in summary of the Portico socks:
- Pretty point detail below the cuff
- Beautiful texture down the front of the foot
- Choose needles with good points
