The Easiest and Best Sock Knitting Patterns
If you love free sock knitting patterns, you'll go nuts for Ashford sock yarn
I've already told you about my fuzzy bunny knitting experience in New Zealand, but I haven't mentioned the fantastic sock knitting patterns I picked up at that same store. What made them so fantastic? The fact that they don't involve any pattern at all -- and they look like they took hours of careful intarsia and fair isle stitching to make.
Doesn't sound possible? Oh, but it is. And that's because Ashford's sock yarn has built in knitting patterns. In other words, all you have to do is knit and the pattern builds itself as you go.
History Time
Ashford Yarn is a famous yarn manufacturer in New Zealand. They not only produce excellent yarn from New Zealand wool, but host retreats, conferences, and other educational adventures involving wool. Ashford's home location has a museum of spinning wheels, a homestyle cafe, and, of course, a craft shop where you can stock up on yarn to your heart's content.
But if you can't make it to New Zealand, never fear: Ashford still has more to offer than great knitting patterns. Visit their site link to for a virtual factory tour, ideas for projects to do with kids, and even information about community service projects. Ashford Yarn (actually Ashford Wheels and Looms) is a charitable knitter's dream come true.
Back to the Socks
Ashford's special sock yarn builds up incredibly complicated looking knitting patterns simply by the way they dye the yarn. You don't have to do anything but knit your sock according to a basic pattern, and the rest builds itself.
I picked up a skein of this special sock yarn in New Zealand, and now I wish I'd bought four or five. The knitting patterns build up quickly, making it fun to knit -- you're never sure what'll come next in the sock that you're making! Better still, you're not limited to socks. You can use these knitting patterns, or Ashford's other "built in pattern" yarns, to make hats, sweaters, gloves, or anything else that just needs a cool kick.
Best of all, Ashford yarn is of extremely high quality. The company claims it doesn't pill, and while I can't confirm that yet, I can say that it's a soft, strong, very warm yarn, more than a pleasure to work with.
Ashford does have a dealer and distributor in the United States, but you might have to do some searching to find these special yarns. Otherwise, if you want that sock yarn with knitting patterns built in, you might have to order directly from New Zealand -- or take a trip there yourself!