Monica Knits

Heel Flap ViewSince I wear out the soles of my socks at the pads and heel bases, I decided to try Wayne Pfeffer's Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks, with minor changes. The self-striping, black based yarn twisted with yellow, blue, and rose yarns, is used for the cuff, body, instep and toes, and the contrasting black color for the heel and sole. Since I do not wear out the toes, I modified the pattern to knit the toes in the main, variegated yarn.                 Read more ...

Yarn
On-Line, Linie 3, Italy (main color)
Supersocke 100 (75% wool, 25% nylon). Highland color (843), 100 gm. Black base yarn twisted with yellow, blue, rose. Self-striping.

Knit Picks, Peru (contrast color)
Stroll (formerly Essential) (75% merino wool, 25% nylon). Black (solid color), 50 gm, fingering weight yarn.

Overview
I have used the Highland color yarn for a number of pairs of socks because the colors coordinate well with my autumn / winter pants, though these socks work equally well with blue jeans. The Highland color, however varies considerably from lot to lot, so having a sole in a contrasting color is an excellent design choice for eventual mending. The other reason I like the separate, contrasting sole is that I use 2.0 mm needles for the sole stitches to further improve durability and 2.5 mm needles for the instep stitches; the black yarn makes this less obvious.

Construction
Instep ViewI made two minor changes to Wayne's pattern: the toes were knitted in the main color; and I used my Basic Socks pattern for the cuff, body and toes. The photo at left shows the completed instep and the photo above shows the completed heel flap, before the turning heel has been knitted.

Pattern Source
"Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks," in Favorite Socks, 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave, Ann Budd and Anne Merrow, editors, Interweave Press, Loveland, CO, 2006, pp. 46-51.

Related Posts
Resoleable Sock - Blocked
Basic Socks