Last summer I developed a craving for knee-high socks with Stranded knitting. I had to get me a pair. Or at least start a pair and utterly forget once the gift knitting starts. But in our no-new-wips-January, I finally returned to this project and finished it. And oh boy, did they turn out cute!

What: Knee-high stranded socks / own pattern and lending charts from others
How: Circular needle 2.25 mm

From: Triskelion Elen Sock, 140 g

Once upon a time, there were two beautiful skeins of soft BFL sock yarn that wanted to be stranded socks when they grow up. Since I wanted to combine a zillion charts, I didn't by any pattern but came up with my own and borrowed a few charts from other socks.

First, I took the toes from this pattern. I knit the feet with just the grey to keep the socks calmer looking. For the legs, I borrowed one chart from these socks. The topmost snowflake chart was also from somewhere on the internet but rest I made up.

The heels gave me a bit of a headache - this yarn doesn't have any nylon in it. I decided to work the heels with short rows. This way, If they wear through, I can just pick up sts at the edges and make new afterthought heels. I also knitted the heels in two colors to make them more durable. We'll see how they'll survive.

I added sts between the charts to make room for my calves. I did a pretty good job even though I usually tend to knit stranded socks too tightly. Why is it so hard even when I constantly try to keep my tension loose? Luckily, these socks fit me quite well. I finished off with a chunk of (k2tbl, p2) ribbing.

Usually, I finish my socks with blockers but they aren't long enough for these knee-highs. It was quite the blocking operation: I soaked the socks and slipped the sock blockers inside them. Then, I added two blocking wires to stretch the legs. It was worth the trouble since stranded knitting really needs proper blocking to tidy up.

Now I have a pair of socks that won't be hidden in my shoes - that is, if I ever muster up the nerve to use these in shoes.