Hi Honey...

... I'm home!

honey socktails by yours truly (hot toddy version)

I know, I know - honey isn't the first ingredient that springs to mind when you're mixing cocktails of an evening, but you'd be surprised at its versatility: if you mix vodka, simple honey syrup, cranberry juice, a splash of lemon juice and a cherry garnish, for example, then you've got a Honeybee Cosmo!  Or perhaps some white rum, honey and cream for a Bee's Kiss...  Fancy something non-alcoholic? You can make a Great Grapes by combining grape juice, honey, lemon juice and soda water.  Going back to the booze, we can't forget the quintessential Winter comforter - the Hot Toddy: whisky, hot water, honey and lemon - simple but effective!

But come, young grasshopper, the journey towards Honey Socktail enlightenment begins at the honeybee toe:

toe of honeybee-ness

...through a honeycomb foot:

comb of footiness... wait...

... past a leg-full of honey-making bees:

honey-made leg-fullingness  of... no... 

... to the honey cuff, ready for full apian* appreciation!

cuff of completion

Final understanding is attained via an afterthought heel. And as I don't have any alveolar** appellations left for that, here's where the hosiery badinage ends!

Try not to look so happy.

afterthought heeliness

Or you can just click on this link and buy the pattern for yourselves.  5 steps to Socktual Enlightenment for only $3.50, £2.20, €2.60...***

Seriously!  Click here!



Or click HERE for the Ravelry pattern page

hot toddy socks
gjestal silja sock yarn
hand-dyed with beetroot by
itisalwaysraining

great grapes socks
frog hair fibres
superwash merino
in amethyst

Many thanks to my Intrepid Test-knitters™ dizzybea, dyddgu, zaftigwendy, zuzusunshine, knitaddicted, TeleonicaRobsMom and LtdEdition for their invaluable help with this pattern.


* apian - pertaining to bees
** alveolar - of, or like a honeycomb
*** it's interesting to see how the rates of exchange have fluctuated over the last few pattern posts! 

Let's Twist Again...

...just like we did last Summer...

twist of curaçao and twist of grenadine

Introducing A Twist of Citrus Socks - homage in sock form to the unsung star of the cocktail firmament: – the twist (or slice) of citrus!  You’d like a slice of lemon in your G&T? Or would you prefer a garnish of orange in your Blue Lagoon?  No, I know – you’d really like a twist of lime in your mint Mojito! 

peasant heel ftw

This is an easy-to-memorise, slightly cabled, slightly scalloped sock, knit from the toe up, with a peasant heel and a ribbed cuff.  Or, if you like, a bit of feather and fan with a twist!  And it's FREE! (Here's the link to the Ravelry page, for further info!)

download now

The Twist of Grenadine Socks, on the left, above, was knit using Noro Kureyon Sock in colourway 240, and the Twist of Curaçao Socks used Knit Picks Felici in Marine Life.  The pattern works really well with self-striping yarn, slow colour-change yarn like the Noro, and solid and semi-solid.  Variegated yarn turns out like this:

... which could be worse, I know, (hey, nice toe!) but if I'm going to spend time, even if it's only seconds every 8 rounds, on making a cool cable, then I'd rather like to see the thing!  Still, the King Cole ZigZag in Aqua is rather a nice yarn to work with, so it was interesting to see what happened with it.  Not the happiest of marriage between pattern and yarn, 'tis true, but it's not enough to sue for socktual divorce, either.  And because they're such a quick knit, I have no compunction in finishing the pair and wearing them with pride, anyway!