Real Socks for the Real World
Heavy Duty Socks for Men and Women
Designed by Ronda Jemtegaard
Hand knitted wool socks warm enough for hunting in the woods, working on the farm, and padding around on wood floors in winter, yet soft, sturdy, and smooth-fitting inside boots.
My simple, well-fitting patterns are now available. Here are photos of a variety of color combinations as well as knitting tips for creating socks to perfectly fit you or your loved ones.
Reinforced heel
Reinforced toe
Double strand knitting
Turning the heel
Choosing yarn
Choosing colors
Knitting on the go
Knitting at home
Making mistakes?
Why knit socks at all? And why knit double stranded socks?
Once you have learned how to knit and purl and cast on, knitting is an easy activity that can be done on autopilot, allowing you to be productive while having a conversation, listening to TV, radio or audio books, on long or short trips on the bus or in the car (as a passenger... no knitting while driving!), in waiting rooms, etc. Most people like to keep their hands busy while at leisure.
Why socks? Socks are small and knit up fairly quickly, so you don't get bogged down carrying around a large project or spending a long time on one project.
Why double stranded socks? Sure, you can knit single stranded socks and there are plenty of patterns out there for that. I started out with just such a pattern, but discovered that I was spending quite a bit of time making thin socks that I could easily buy in a store. If I'm going to spend any of my precious hours on this earth knitting, it's going to be on something that my family needs that we can't easily purchase. Consequently, I buy our regular socks at the store, and I make our thick, warm, STURDY socks.
Every person who gets a pair of my socks treasures them. Why? Because they are warm, soft, washable, durable, fit far better than any socks we can buy, and because the recipient knows that I have spent not just money on them, but also my consideration on colors, and not least, my time.
The recommended yarn for a pair of my socks costs about $40 and I put about 20,000 stitches into a pair of these socks. No, these are not every day socks; they are special, for keeping my loved ones' feet warm when they are out in the elements. My loved ones are worth it, and I've spent my spare time on something truly valuable and appreciated. Because these socks are made to last for years, the cost-per-wear becomes quite reasonable. If soft, warm and sturdy socks are needed in your household, do the math, consider how you spend your spare time, and decide if knitting Real Socks is for you.
Copyright 2004 by Ronda Jemtegaard
One way to keep balls of yarn from rolling across the room! This Real Sock-in-progress has 2 strands of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; 1 of Lakeview multi and 1 of nearly solid Pond Blue.
Two men's Real Socks, both using the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Pioneer multi. Nearly solid Cedar was added to the Pioneer in the size 10 sock above, and wool/bamboo Trekking yarn in brown was added to the Pioneer in the size 9 sock below.
While I was excited about the wool/bamboo yarn, we have found that wool/bamboo sock yarn shrinks just a bit and isn't quite as warm as the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn.
More Real Socks using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn: nearly solid Pond Blue has been double stranded with Lakeview multi in the women's sock-in-progress. The men's size 10 sock was knitted with Icehouse multi and alternated with nearly solid Pine and nearly solid Pond Blue to create subtle stripes.
A close-up of the smooth-fitting, seam-free toes in Real Socks. These men's socks were knitted with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; one strand of Pioneer multi and one strand of nearly solid Cedar.
These women's Real Socks were unplanned and a pleasant surprise. I was given some Mountain Northern Lights yarn in a multi that I would not likely have chosen. I paired this Northern Lights multi with some yarn I had on hand; a steel blue shade of the wool/bamboo Trekking yarn. Unfortunately, both yarns shrank despite careful laundering.
Changing from 6 needles back to 5 needles after turning and reinforcing the heel. Above: the last of the heel reinforcements have been put in and there are still 6 working needles; 5 on the sock and one to knit with. Right: close-up of above photo. Instep needles are divided between Needles 2 & 3, Needle 4 has side gusset stitches, the 5th needle has the heel stitches, and Needle 1 has the other gusset.
Left:
After finishing the heel reinforcements, needles are rearranged. The 5th needle (heel) has been divided between the 2 gusset needles (Needles 1 & 4). One of those 2 extra needles can now be put away. Decreasing will continue per pattern instructions.
Below: Side view of same sock at same point, with 4 needles on the sock and 1 to knit with.
Left: 3 needles hold the instep while the heel flap is knitted with 2 needles. This ladies' sock is being knitted by a friend who knits more loosely than I do, creating a very attractive tweedy look rather than a "swirl," using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; one strand of Mixed Berries multi and one strand of nearly solid Berry.
Two socks in progress:
The sock at far left has 3 needles holding the instep while the heel flap is being knitted with 2 needles. This ladies' sock is being knitted by a friend who knits more loosely than I do, creating a lovely tweedy look rather than a "swirl" with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; one strand of Mixed Berries multi and one strand of nearly solid Berry.
The red sock is part way down the leg, and is being knitted with 2 strands of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; one strand of Red Rover multi and one strand of nearly solid Cranberry. The color in this photo is not accurate; it appears orangey red on my monitor, when in fact the Red Rover and Cranberry sock yarns lean toward pinkish red, whereas these colors are much deeper hues in the other Lorna's Laces yarns.
Purchasing the Real Socks Pattern
$10.00 - Includes shipping to anywhere in the USA and Canada.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where to find Lorna's Laces yarn?
I believe in patronizing local shops (Buy Local!) whenever I can, but if my local shops don't carry what I need, then I do shop elsewhere. Lorna's Laces should be able to advise you where you can find their yarns locally. If not, I buy mine from Angelika's Yarn Store, where the prices are fair and the shipping is fast. This shop also carries the 6" bamboo double pointed knitting needles you see in the photos above, and a very handy Project Pouch Zippered Bag that I'm never without!
