Book Review: The Knitter’s Book of Socks

If you’ve been around this blog for longer than a minute, you’ve probably noticed that I enjoy knitting socks. Unlike Allyson. And I also really like yarn (Allyson does too, and it’s quite likely that you do too; if not, I’m a bit curious as to why you’re at a knitting blog, but welcome nonetheless). So I really, really like Clara Parkes’s new book, The Knitter’s Book of Socks.

If you’ve read either of Clara’s first books, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn or The Knitter’s Book of Wool, you know the level of detail to which Clara describes yarn in all it’s glory. The Knitter’s Book of Socks begins in much the same way as The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, by discussing the different types of fibers, twists, and constructions that make up a skein of yarn. The difference in this book, obviously, is that it relates all of that information specifically to the knitting of socks. This should be a go-to guide for anyone interested in learning about the best yarn for sock knitting, as well as anyone with aspirations to design sock patterns.

And of course, there are the patterns. Clara contributes a pattern herself (and you can download her Stepping Stones socks, worked in a DK yarn, for free at Knitter’s Review), and enlists Cookie A, Cat Bordhi, Sivia Harding, Nancy Bush, Jared Flood, and more to contribute patterns to the book. This is a fantastic book to add to anyone’s sock book collection, whether you consider yourself a sock novice or master sock knitter.