Chain Reaction Socks – WIP

I figured it was time for an update on the Metropolis socks I posted about a little while ago! The socks are finished but I don’t have proper photos or the pattern written up just yet, but I do have some WIP photos and info to share.

When I wrote my previous post, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do exactly. I had finished up to the toe and was trying to decide what sort of stitch pattern I wanted to use. There was one I mentioned that I’d worked with previously on a design that I never did end up releasing, which was a chain stitch that I really liked and hated not being able to use in the end. I decided I’d do a little swatch to see how it actually worked out in Metropolis. The previously abandoned project was made using a much thicker yarn, so I wasn’t sure if it would look as good or work properly in fingering weight.

I was delighted when my wee swatch revealed that the stitch worked perfectly with the yarn! I was off to the races then, it was just a matter of working out the stitch count and making it work within the sock pattern. The pattern I’d worked with it before was knitted flat so it just required a wee rejigging to make it work in the round.

Hey! If you are reading this and thinking “But Tammy, I don’t know how to knit socks!” – don’t worry! Carmen, from New Leaf Designs, has put together a great beginner tutorial for knitting toe up socks! This tutorial follows almost the exact same formula as the base I use for my sock patterns, so if you learn to knit socks by following her tutorial, you will learn all of the basics to be able to knit these socks without a problem! Click here to check out Carmen’s Toe Up Sock Tutorial

Before I continue, can I just take a minute to discuss this colourway? I am using Marseille (8122) and oh my word, I have had a heck of a time trying to capture the colour properly in photos. This blueish, but a little bit green, light turquoise but not quite turquoise but not properly blue colour is my nemesis! Haha I love it, it’s a beautiful colour but it’s so difficult to get right in a photo! I really should have put together a collage of unedited photos to show the array of different colours I captured, depending on the positioning and lighting. I got everything from ice blue to forest green, I’m not lying! I did my best to try to get the colour as close as possible in the posts on these socks, with some photoshop tweaking, but oh my word, it’s been more of a challenge than actually knitting the socks!

I love this chain stitch so much, I think if you glance at it you’d think maybe it was a garter rib but I like how the use of the stitches creates this chain link look. These photos are quick, unblocked photos but it still shows it quite well, I think. It’s such an easy stitch and with only a few rows of stitch pattern in between lots of stockinette, it was a really relaxing project.

Another thing about knitting socks in a single colour? They are the best projects for knitting two at a time, which means no second sock syndrome!

I am always happy when I am able to smash out both socks at once. I always know they will be the same and when they’re done, they’re done!

Ok! Hopefully this gives you a bit more of an idea of what this pattern is all about and if it’s something you think you’ll want to make! If you already know the basics of knitting socks, this one will be a breeze. If you are just starting out with socks, it requires very easy stitches and allows you the space to just knit without too much difficulty surrounding the structural areas of the sock (like the heel etc). Meaning, when you are at those points you don’t have really any stitch pattern work to worry about.

I will be back very soon with some more finished photos and the pattern!

Where To Buy

UK and International buyers will find Metropolis at Woolwarehouse and Black Sheep Wools.
Those of you in the Netherlands can find all you need at Caro’s Atelier.

You can also ask your preferred Scheepjes retailer or find a shop near you!

This post contains affiliate links. This is a way for you to support Canadutch and me as a designer. It is no extra cost to you, but if you shop via one of these links, I get a small percentage of the sale!

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One comment

  1. Glad to see someone else who knits socks toe up and two at a time 😊 These look very nice, I must try next time when I go on a sock binge. Greetings from very snowy Ontario.

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