Do you remember knitting your first pair of socks? Chances are that, like me, that first sticky, sweaty sock was knitted with great endeavor and Patons yarn. I might have reached the age of 12 or 13, a new knitter, when my Mother suggested encouraged ordered me to knit a pair of socks as a gift for my Uncle Bill. A trip to the local hobby shop (there weren’t pretty yarn shops then!) yielded a single metal rack of itchy scratchy yarn in various shades of brown, gray and navy. Then began the long, lugubrious journey of dropped stitches and frustrated groans with knitting finally dashed down, soaked with tears into a corner. My, how things have changed!
Why I decided to keep knitting socks and why sock knitting became some of my favorite knitting, I don’t know, but when YarnCanada.ca contacted me to ask for a review of Patons Kroy, I was happy to comply. I was also curious! I use Patons Kroy fingering weight solids frequently in color work projects, but I often feel color-limited because it’s not a yarn that is widely carried. When the time came to choose my skeins, I wanted to try something bolder, newer and a little outside my color “comfort zone”. Though there were many solid shades available through YarnCanada, I chose the self-striping Meadow Stripes.
Once again, Wow! Things have changed! Remembering the little girl standing in front of all that menacingly sensible brown-gray-and-navy, prickly, scratchy, jaggedy-ass yarn, imagine my surprise when I opened the package of colorful, gaily striped sock yarn, softly nestled in a little box. I couldn’t resist casting on right away.
Don’t get me wrong, this is still Patons, just not yo’ Mama’s Patons. It’s stout. It’s still a good, stout, serviceable sock yarn, durable, solid, plump and strong, and yet it’s all brand new. The colors are modern; there are several bright, clever, eye-catching color ways that will delight younger knitters. It handles better, more suitable to the fingertip taste of fancy-pants merino and alpaca sock knitters. But it’s wool. Pure and simple. First and foremost. Good old-fashion Patons knit-it-and-forget-it sock yarn. There’s something comfortable in that, not just to knit but to wear, too.
So, I admit…I was a little inspired! If you’ve looked at my new podcast, you’ll know I’ve been pretty enthusiastic about my new Patons inspired “Picnic” sock pattern designed for the Meadow Stripes color way. I’ll be releasing the Picnic sock pattern in time for our joint Canada Day/ 4th of July long weekend to keep you happily knitting through family celebrations, barbeques and fireworks. That Meadow Stripes matches the upcoming Fairhaven Picnic Blanket is just a touch of luck, a happy accident! I hope you’ll be watching for both!
