No Mow Socks

Originally published on January 21, 2025

These Socks Are Special to Me

These socks are special to me because they are connected to a beautiful memory of mine.

Last year, Marie from Greener Makes hosted a test knit for these wonderful No Mow Socks! I’ve already knitted two of her patterns - the Ginkgo Biloba Top and the Ginkgo Biloba Hat. I really love her style; she incorporates so many floral designs into her patterns, and I’m absolutely crazy about flowers.

No Mow Socks

This year, I want to knit the Spicebloom Sweater from Wool and Pine Design. This sweater features a big flower on the front and is worked using the intarsia technique. I’m currently knitting a wall hanger with a butterfly, also using intarsia. I love this technique, even though it involves a lot of untangling! I’m still trying to figure out how to keep my tension consistent with all the color changes, but it’s so much fun to knit. I’ll share more about this project later this week.

Now, I’ve wandered away from the original topic- where were we? Ah yes, the memory I had when I read the name of these socks.

Before we moved to the city, we lived in a small house in the countryside. I was always very dedicated to pulling out weeds everywhere. One day, a neighbor tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I would be so kind as to leave the dandelions for his bees. I was new to the area and didn’t know he was a beekeeper. He was a very kind, elderly man, deeply dedicated to his flowers and bees. Maybe my love of flowers comes from him.

We lived next to him for seven years, and let me tell you, he grew everything in his garden by hand. He planted seedlings and collect seeds from his flowers himself. He even showed me how to trim seedlings and propagate flowers on my own.

That day, when he told me about his bees, I decided to plant a little wildflower meadow in my garden for them. Some of the other neighbors didn’t like it very much because I never mowed that little patch of my garden. The elderly lady who lived below us only accepted it because I helped her care for her husband, who had dementia. But the other neighbors who loved flowers as much as I did never had a problem with it.

I’m actually highly allergic to bees and wasps, but I was never stung by one. The bees seemed to accept that little corner of my garden and were always busy there. Not once was a bee aggressive towards me.

This memory came to my mind as I was working on these socks, and it made the project even more special to me. That’s why I immediately signed up for this test knit.

Choosing Colors for Colorwork (A Tip)

I really love how these socks turned out! The pattern is amazing, and the colorwork was very easy. What bothers me a bit, though, is the choice of colors I made for this project. Normally, I would spend days comparing colors and looking at them through a black-and-white filter.

When choosing colors for your colorwork, looking at them under a black-and-white filter gives you a much better idea of how the contrasting colors will stand out against the background later.

In the picture below, you can see how the black-and-white filter highlights the contrast between the flowers. The left flower stands out more, while the right flower blends into the background.

The flower on the right doesn’t stand out as much in black and white.	The flower on the right doesn’t stand out as much in color either.

Choosing the Right Yarn for Colorwork Socks

When I was working on these socks, I started to wonder if the yarn I chose was the right one for the project. I used Sandnes Tynn Line for these socks, which is a lovely yarn I’ve worked with before. In fact, I’ve already created a beautiful pair of socks with a beaded edge using this yarn, and they turned out amazing!

However, this time, I only had about 14 days to finish this test knit, so there wasn’t much flexibility in my yarn choice. I live in a very small town, and the only crafting store left doesn’t have a lot of yarn options. Ordering yarn online was an option, but it would have taken about 7 days for the order to arrive. That would have left me with just 7 days to knit the entire pair of socks. While I consider myself a fast knitter, with three children and a job, finishing a pair of socks in just seven days simply wasn’t realistic for me.

So, I decided to work with what I had on hand, Tynn Line. It’s a yarn I already loved, and I was confident it would work well enough for the project.

Tynn Line, and its wonderful color palette

Lessons Learned

This was my first time attempting colorwork with Tynn Line, and I quickly realized it behaves a bit differently when working with multiple colors. While it’s a great yarn for lightweight and breathable projects, like the Popsicle Tank Top, it might not have been the best choice for achieving defined colorwork. The softness and drape of the yarn made it a bit tricky to keep the tension consistent.

That said, I still love how the socks turned out! The pattern is beautiful, and the yarn gives them a light, summery feel. But next time I knit a pair of colorwork socks, I’ll experiment with a more traditional sock yarn, like a wool-nylon blend, to see how it compares.

I was thinking of knitting them again with a better choice of colors, but Marie has so many stunning sock patterns, and I’ve got my eyes on the Lovers Gonna Love Socks from her collection.

Why I Love Knitting

That’s why I love knitting so much - you can bring back beautiful memories or create new ones. When I wear my handmade garments, I remember every feeling I had while knitting them. We don’t just knit garments, we weave special memories into every stitch, and those stitches tell stories! With each stitch, we create our own unique story, one filled with love and cherished moments.

Until next time, happy knitting!

No Mow Socks

A Little Way to Say Thanks