Sock Arms FAQs
What colour options do you have?
Our full collection of worsted weight yarns is here.
At the moment, the only solids we have are the dark grey and an undyed cream.
We have sweater samples knit up in Love is Love and Colourwheel.
What pattern did you use?
The pattern our testers used is actually two patterns - the adult and children's versions of Worsted Sock Arms by designer Tellybean Knits:
Worsted Sock Arms (adult XS - 6XL sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
Little Worsted Sock arms (newborn - 12 year sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
What is the fibre content of the worsted yarn?
Our Merino Worsted is 100% superwash Merino wool spun into a bouncy 4-ply yarn.
How are the different sizes of yarn different?
Most of our colourways all come in at least two sizes:
A large skein has the same number of stripes as a smaller skein. The difference is that each stripe is 1.5 times wider.
What are the different options for Colourwheel?
We got so excited about the idea of mis-matched sleeves (with a continuous rainbow from one wrist to the other) that we decided to dye up four different sizes of Colourwheel. Options A and B are the "standard" skeins that we have dyed before. Versions C and D are two-skein sets that create a longer, continuous rainbow of stripes.
How much yarn do I need?
Please consult the pattern pages (above) for yardage information.
We have also included details below on the yarn each of our testers used for their sweater arms. You may notice that the yarn amounts listed in the pattern are different than what our testers actually used. It is common for patterns to intentionally overestimate yarn requirements, to avoid the heartbreak of running out because you didn't quite get gauge, or due to a minor alteration like lengthening the sleeves.
If you do decide to start with less yarn than the pattern calls for (e.g. knit a size medium with one skein of Colourwheel B like our testers did), please keep your wits about you, and be prepared to use a little extra grey to finish the cuffs if needed.
Our first knitter made a size 3T for her sweet little boy. The arms of his sweater used 2 skeins of Colourwheel A for the arms. Each arm only used about one quarter of each skein, starting from the blue-green ends. Two skeins were required in order to make them matching. (Don't worry, it won't go to waste, there are already plans for a Big Sister size starting at the other end of the rainbow.)
Sarah-Mae knit herself a size medium sweater and used one skein of Colourwheel B for the arms. Since the arms are knit top-down, she divided the skein in two and started knitting the shoulders from the orange in the middle of the skein, moving towards blue at the cuffs.
Lottie is wearing a sweater knit by her mom, Alice. This is also a size medium knit with one skein of Colourwheel B, but the arms are longer by one stripe.
Arika is wearing a size 2XL. She used two full skeins of Colourwheel A for matching arms.
Jacquie is wearing a size 3XL. She used two skeins of Love is Love in the 170 g / 6 oz size.
Can I use a different pattern?
Yes! Absolutely. We chose this pattern because it was written specifically for self-striping yarn and we like the set-in sleeves. If you prefer a raglan construction, look for sleeves that are knitted separately and sewn to the body, like the Gartrell Crew by Tanis LaVallee.
What yarn should I use for the body?
Our samples use Gauge yarn for the whole sweater, but you can work with whatever you like best. The arms and body can be knit from different yarns, but be sure to swatch them both and adjust needle sizes as needed so that the body and arms are worked at the same gauge.
Can I knit a fingering weight version?
Yes! There is a fingering weight version of the Sock Arms pattern (links below), and it would pair well with any of the fingering weight yarn we dye.
Sock Arms (adult XS - 6XL sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
Little Sock Arms (newborn - 12 year sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
Are you ready for sweaters?
We are still putting the finishing touches on this collection, but I couldn't resist sharing a preview of these gorgeous sweaters. Our test knitters paired our worsted self-striping yarn with the Sock Arms sweater and the results speak for themselves.
I'll be adding more photos and yarn details to the shop over the next few days, and the yarn will be available next Wednesday!
Worsted Sock Arms (adult XS - 6XL sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
Little Worsted Sock arms (newborn - 12 year sizes): Ravelry or Tellybean's Shop
In Other News
Last week on Substack, I wrote about some of the design process for Our Solar System.
A heads up that our prices will be changing in the new year. We haven't reviewed our prices in years (did time even exist in 2022/2021?) so we are overdue for some increases. This is a hard but necessary business decision, and we appreciate your understanding.
Twinkle Week ends this Friday
Twinkle is available until the end of the week.
This is our holiday colourway, inspired by vintage twinkle lights. It will only be in the shop until this Friday, so if you'd like to get your hands on a skein or two, act now!
There are two versions of Twinkle. Both are fingering weight, but the striping pattern is different:
Original Sock - pairs perfectly with Andrea Rangel's Saxe Point sock pattern.
One Way Trip - for hats, cowls, or scarves. If you're looking for inspiration, check out Andrea's post with pattern suggestions.
The graphic below shows the difference between the two versions. This is from a blog post I created to answer our two most frequently asked Twinkle questions (faTq).
In Other News
Last week on Substack, I wrote about translating Twinkle from socks to a cowl.
A heads up that our prices will be changing in the new year. We haven't reviewed our prices in years (did time even exist in 2022/2021?) so we are overdue for some increases. This is a hard but necessary business decision, and we appreciate your understanding.
We do have a few more exciting things planned for the rest of the year (worsted weight sweaters! the return of our winter yarn club!) plus a healthy stock of yarn on our shelves. So there are still several chances to take advantage of our current prices before they go up in 2023.
Twinkle yarn in two thousand words.
We all know the exchange rate for pictures and words, let's start with one thousand and six words to sum up the difference between the sock version of the Twinkle yarn and the One Way Trip version we used for our sample hat.
And now some more words to answer another frequently asked question about Twinkle - does is come with enough yarn to make the pair of socks in the picture? With all the different colours and everything? The answer is yes.
The sock version of Twinkle is based on our Saxe Point yarn. There is a long self-striping section, plus a section of dark grey for the toe, heel, and cuff, and shorter beige section for the colourwork at the cuff. It is dyed and sold as one skein, and you can wind it into separate balls to create your own sock kit.
Find the Twinkle collection here.
Have You Started Your Holiday Knitting?
For some of us knitters, "holiday knitting" means gift giving of epic proportions, like matching sweaters for all twelve grandkids. For others, one or two small thoughtful gifts for the most worthy of friends and family. And for others, it's planning ahead to have a special project to cast on for yourself during the holidays.
To help with your planning, we have our festive Twinkle yarn back in stock. Above, Andrea is wearing her Saxe Point socks knit up using the original Twinkle sock yarn. And below, Mandy is going matchy-matchy with *three* different accessories, all knit from the Twinkle Hat yarn. Project details are on the product pages if you're looking for inspiration.
In Other News
Last week on Substack, I wrote about planning a colourway on worsted weight yarn vs. fingering weight.
It's time for courage
It's time for Courage!
Our newest colourway is in the shop now. This yarn uses a colour code to represent the letters of the alphabet and spells out COURAGE.
Arika is wearing a Musselburgh Hat knit using the One Way Trip version of this yarn.
In Other News
I just got my copy of 'Record, Map & Capture', all about data visualization in textile arts. It's a beautifully made book and I'm looking forward to diving in deeper.
Last week on Substack, I wrote a bit about the colour alphabet that I used for the Courage colourway.
Maple is back in stock!
Maple and Goldstream are back in stock! Thanks for your patience. I've dyed up more of last week's favourites and they're in the shop now.
In the photo above, Mandy is modelling her Wildflower Meadow socks in the Maple colourway. Mandy modified the pattern by substituting an Owl motif from Alterknit at the cuff. Aren't they great?
Elsewhere
Caitlin Ffrench is writing a book about the magic of foraging pigments and making art. You can back it on Kickstarter.
At Gauge, we are working on a new addition to our Hello Alphabet series: COURAGE. The colourway will be in the shop in early November, and I've written a bit here about the idea behind this yarn.
