Something new I tried very recently, is the concept of no-show socks. Socks that can be worn to provide comfort or to prevent the creation of blisters, and at the same time give the impression of a bare foot. Sheila Toy Stormberg, is really into this type of socks and has produced patterns for many different versions.
I followed Skimmer Socks, and it was pretty neat.
I made mine with one modification: I wanted slightly different rise at the back of the foot, so I skipped the short-row upper heel. They turned out comfortable enough!
I also made them in cotton, in order to avoid felting, pilling or discoloration. For some reason, most of my woolen socks tend to adopt a yellowish-orange color at the heel and other places after wearing them just once. This is the shoes’ fault, obviously, but since I like my shoes, and I also like my socks, cotton seems to be the best solution. Also, it’s a material that can be worn all year-round. In our climate, woolen socks are reserved only for a) extremely cold days – let’s say collectively a week in a year, b) going in the mountains (ie excursions).
The yarn is a turquoise skein of EL. D. Mouzakis Butterfly Crochet 16, which as the name suggests, is usually used in crochet. It is a nice fingering weight yarn and very reliable, when it comes to color fastness and washing. I use it regularly in many projects, and I have serious plans of using it on more socks in the future!
