My Fairy Maiden Socks
My Fairy Maiden Socks
An intricate cable-knitted sock project.
I’m using the merino silk Rosehip Island yarn in a new sock project. The Fairy Maiden sock pattern is by Olivia Villarreal (@thishandmadelife). I loved the look of the cables. Such a pretty sock design!
Fairy Maiden Socks is free at Olivia’s Ravelry store. I’m grateful for designers who offer free patterns. It’s extremely generous of them.
Olivia is a prolific sock designer. All her patterns are delightful. You can see her sock patterns in her Etsy Store.
I checked with Hanna at Rosehip Island whether she had made socks with this yarn. She had, but said it’s not as elastic as other yarn.
I struggled to get this project underway. Using Chiaogoo circulars with the magic loop technique was my chosen method to knit these socks.
I lost count of the number of times I ripped back! Doing cables without a cable needle is difficult! I also kept splitting the yarn as I bumbled along.
Because of the attempts and ripping out, the yarn became fuzzy. I didn’t have other yarn to practice on. It took a long time to find my rhythm with the chart pattern. I eventually got to the gusset!
I’d worked similar cable stitches without a cable needle in my Smaug Socks project but with this I knitted my stitches when doing the left and right 1×1 cable.
I’m confident the second sock won’t have any hassles. Fingers crossed. After the gusset decreases I finished the rest of the sock without too much bother.
I’ll continue update this post with my progress! It’s been challenging but a fascinating way to expand my skills on my knitting journey.
Fortunately the second sock went smoothly and I finished it in less time.
I tried something different when knitting the foot on the second sock. I left the stitches on the needles in the same arrangement as I used for the gusset .
This was somehow easier to knit. It wasn’t until I reached the toe section that I arranged all the instep stitches on one needle and the bottom of the foot stitches on the other needle.
The toe was closed with Kitchener stitch. I feel more confident with doing this technique. I still use a video tutorial from Purl Soho to get me started. I’ve now managed to memorize the steps.
I’ve worn these socks with joy in my heart and a spring in my step! They feel beautiful on my skin and are so soft.
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