Pattern Testing the Road Trip Socks
When I saw that Rachael of Maven Crafted was looking for pattern testers, and then saw the sock, it was the fastest I have applied for a test knit all year! One of the things I love about testing socks, is that I pretty much always have the yarn available. They are the best project when you have one skein or less of yarn. And for these ones, I had the perfect sock set from an Autumn & Indigo sock club just waiting for the pattern that would show off the yarn best! And with all the pictures you’re about to see, I think you’ll agree this was a great yarn & pattern combination.
I’ve been really into knitting cables lately, which is probably what really drew me to these socks. And even more specifically, I seem to have been drawn to traveling cables. Which of course contributes to the appropriate name of the Road Trip Socks. I’ve gotten used to knitting 2-stitch cables held in back without a cable needle, but it’s iffy whether I can do front cables without a needle, so to reduce frustration I used a cable needle for the front cables, and did the back cables without a needle, both the traveling and non-traveling ones.
When knitting cables often our gauge gets a little tighter, which I think is reflected in the needle size recommended in the pattern of 2.5 mm. I typically make a 64 st (Medium) sock for myself, and most of the time use 2.25 mm needles, though have sometimes used 2.5 mm needles, with knitting cables, or with patterns that recommend it with Medium-sized socks that have fewer than 64 stitches.
I ended up using 2.75 mm needles, since when test knitting, it is extra important that you get gauge. When knitting socks outside of test knits, I completely ignore gauge now, just using the recommended needle size and being able to tell from the stitch count how that will probably work for me. Using the 2.75 mm needles did have an addition bonus in that I could use 9″ circulars, instead of dpns or circular dpns, which is good since I was getting a major laddering problem with all the purls in this pattern when I was using 2.5 mm needles.
Because the final sock felt a touch big when I finished, and I was technically done the test knit, I used 2.25 mm needles for my second sock. It did have a dramatic effect on the finished sock. The leg turned out a little shorter, and foot was a little tighter though definitely still fit. The cables do look nicer on the sock knit with the 2.75 mm needles too.
There are a few design features of this sock that I am a big fan of. The first is the heel. I’ve often mentioned when I talk about sock patterns how much I like heel flaps. I think this one is possibly the simplest of heel flaps, but I love the contrast of the textures with the garter heel. And the heel turn looks so cool too!
The second feature I love is where the traveling cables from the leg diverge into the different “paths” of the foot. It’s just so perfect for the name of Road Trip Socks!
And finally, both for the features I want to talk about, and in the knitting of the sock, the toe. I’ve done a few socks with purled toes (Portico Socks, November Morning Socks), but this one is slightly different – it’s half purled! Keeps the bottom of the foot a little more consistent.
I highly recommend this sock pattern as long as you’ve maybe knit a sock before, and have done some cables before! Rachael has the pattern available both on her website and Ravelry!
