Last autumn my sister-in-law asked if I could make her some slipper socks so her guests wouldn't get cold feet. (She lives in an old Vienna town house apartment; those can be a little drafty and usually don't have underfloor heating.) She didn't have anything particular in mind so I suggested I make super thick ones, using two strands of 4-ply yarn held together. I've made socks like that for my grandma already and they knit up quite quickly since there are fewer stitches needed.
She asked for two pairs EU size 42/42 and two huuge pairs EU size 46/47 (30cm/12" for the foot). The two above are the smaller ones - which were still bigger than most of the socks I usually make. I used five different yarns for each pair; all from my Opal subscription boxes and all colourways I wasn't that crazy about.
Some of the really boring yarns where easy choices but with the ones I wasn't sure about #opalabo really helped because I could see lots of them knitted up and could decide whether or not I liked the look of them. Even the most boring yarn gets exciting when combined with another boring yarn - two negatives make a positive, right? It would be a great way to use up all the sock yarn scraps that accumulate over time. They could be worn at home, in bed, for snuggling, in wellies when gardening in tough work boots or hiking shoes, etc. And you can use any pattern you'd make in 4-ply as well; lace socks might be a little awkward with two strands though...
The little red-ish/grey ball in the above picture is the only non-Opal yarn I used, just because I wanted something darker and more neutral.
I used 3,5mm needles for these. I started out with two strands and worked 10 rounds. Then I replaced one of the colours with a new one, keeping the other one for another 10 rounds. Then I replaced the one I had already used for 20 rounds with the next one, working another 10 rounds, and so forth. That way each yarn always blended with two others. The result is a very fun and unpredictable colour play not only because you can never know which colours will meet, especially with busy self patterning yarn, but also because one of the two strands will be the more dominant one, which one that is changes with each stitch however. So you never know if you'll end up with a red stitch with a blue undertone or a blue stitch with a red undertone. Does that make sense?
These got quite addictive but having to make eight of them - four of them huuuge - did get a bit boring after the novelty had worn off. It took me a bit over a month to get them done; I had to put them down in between and do something else, also for the sake of my hands. Apparently it's good to switch between different textures and mediums when you have recurring, knitting related hand issues: change yarn thickness and needle size, change from knitting to crochet and back, etc. And do lots of stretching and massaging...
When they were all done I washed them and after they had dried I doodled some patterns on the soles with liquid non-slip sock latex. (My sister-in-law's floors are veeery slippery - I know...) Most yarn shops or craft stores with a yarn section stock this stuff or can order it for you, you can also find it online and it really works.
I'm sorry, I forgot to take pictures of them when they were all finished and latexed (but my doodles weren't that great anyway).
If you're wondering about the Opal subscription you can read about how it works in this post. I get them as a present from my wonderful husband, I don't get paid or free products to advertise Opal yarn.
Lots of love and thick, woolen socks! xxx