Robin Socks

Project recap

• Ravelry: PurringYarn’s Festive Robin Socks
• Time spent: 53 hours
• Yarn:
  • MC (White): Loveyarn 回归线 知足 (茶白)
  • CC1 (Red): Loveyarn 回归线 知足 (圣诞红)
  • CC2 (Brown): Colourmart unknown wool (Brown)
  • CC3 (Green): Loveyarn 回归线 知足 (圣诞绿)
  • CC4 (Multi): West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply Self Striping or Patterning (941 Robin)
  • Duplicate stitch: black wool from stash
• Needle: US 1/2.25mm, US 0/2.0mm
• Duration: [2025-12-30 Tue]-[2026-01-27 Tue]
• Pattern: A Whimsical Christmas sock set by Stone Knits

Yarn planning

I bought the WYS holiday edition of self-striping yarn a while ago and decided to knit a pair of festival theme socks since then. I got most CC yarn during my trip back home. Though they are cheap, I found the quality isn’t consistent. For example, the thickness of red colour is almost close to sport/DK. I’m quite disappointed because it defeated my purpose of buying the colours from the same brand to avoid inconsistent thickness. Bummer.

Yarn consistency issue and sock surgery

Due to inconsistency of the red yarn, I found myself having gauge issue on the colourwork where the red yarn is used. I used the same size needle all the way, but the colourwork part is still significantly bigger than the rest of the sock. This not only looks weird but also affects fitting - my ankle looks buckled.

In my second sock, I learned the lesson and used a smaller needle (US 0) in the colourwork, which gives me a more pleasant result. This makes me determined to knit the first sock again to solve the buckled angle. Below is a comparison of my second sock and first sock.

Here comes the fun part: instead of frogging the entire first sock, I did a sock surgery. Because it’s only the part of colourwork that I need to re-work, I cut the first sock open at the row where colourwork ends, then once I re-knitted the cuff and colourwork, I sew the new colourwork to the remaining of the first sock using kitchener stitch. This way I don’t need to re-knit the entire sock. Pretty smart, eh? :)

Make the surgery sock as mug cozy

Another surprise! After I cut open the first sock, I did not unravel the buckled colourwork portion - it still looks nice and I want to re-purpose it into something else. A friend of mine suggested hair scrunchies, but I found the structure won’t work with what I have for now. Then my inspiration came and I made it into mug cozy. It looks adorable!! Now the waste has turned into a cutie. I love it so much 🥰🥰🥰.

Modifications

CO 64 sts and set up Ladder Back Jacquard as follows:

• In row 8, add a LBJ for brown yarn after the 3rd st using backwards loop, add a LBJ for red after the 10th st
• In the following rounds of colourwork, purl the LBJ sts
• In row 16, close the LBJ for red using k2tog
• In row 18, close the LBJ for brown

Project timeline

• [2025-12-30 Tue] – Cast on.
• [2026-01-12 Mon] - Finish the first sock. Not quite happy with buckled ankle.
• [2026-01-20 Tue] - Finish the colourwork of the second sock. Planning to frog the first sock.
• [2026-01-22 Thu] - Socks surgery. Cut the first sock and combine the colourwork of the second sock to the first.
• [2026-01-23 Fri] - Cast on the 2nd sock.
• [2026-01-26 Mon] - Bind off and block.