Socks - Socks - Socks: 70 Winning Patterns from Knitter's Magazine Contest

I've been knitting for over 30 years, but I had never knitted socks because I had no one to show me how to turn the heel, and I just could not understand the few instructions I had read. My husband gave me this book for Christmas [2000] and it has been a joy and an inspiration. The writing, photography, layout and general tone of the book are all excellent - when you look at the projects and read the text, you WANT to knit socks! Fortunately, the instructions are also excellent. It took me a few tries, but when I actually figured out what the instructions meant for me to do to turn the heel, and it WORKED, I was, to borrow a word from my [now outdated] teenage years, totally stoked :-) (No other word comes close to describing the flush of triumph!) That first sock (the basic baby sock practice pattern) had many errors, but the second, and third, and fourth, are much better. I spent my recent birthday money from my father on more double-pointed needles and some sock yarn - now if only my infant son would let me knit!There are a few things I would like to see either added or corrected. It would be really helpful for a beginning sock knitter like me to have some kind of size chart for men, women and children, so that I could knit a pair of socks from a pattern to my own specifications (for instance, when the feet for which the socks are intended are either not available or one would like to surprise someone). Also, the metric amounts of yarn required for each project are incorrect. For instance, one project calls for 60 yds/66 m of yarn. Since a meter is approximately 39 inches long, the metric amount should be LESS (60 yds = ~55 m). I'm not sure how the measurements were arrived at, or why the copy editor did not catch this error (in EVERY pattern), but if the book is reprinted, I'd like to see it corrected.If I had friends who knitted, I would give them this book. Since I am the lone knitter in my immediate circle, I'll give them socks instead :-)

This book is an accumulation of patterns from past Knitters Magazines. It is an inspired collection of patterns from famous designers. The sock patterns are for the best part of intermediate to advanced. but it is a wonderful book to dream from to encourage one to go up to the patterns levels. It is an excellent book to own it you want to pursue sock knitting.This is a book that a new sock knitter may want to get just to challenge them to get knitting so they will be able to use this book. It was my first sock dreaming book and now after knitting socks for a number of years I feel confident to try any sock in the book. It is not a beginners book. If you want to do the socks in this book, practice awhile. Do not get frustrated, just continue practicing and you will be able to use this book confidently too.I purchased one of these books and unfortunately do to many household moves, it started to lose pages. So I purchased another one to use just for checking what one to do next. I will use the old one to read the pattern from directly.

I like the designs in this book. Very colorful, one of a kind, uses the imagination. Easy to follow directions.

I looked at this and the "Favorite Socks" books. I decided that I wanted (needed) both books. The SOCKS, SOCKS, SOCKS book has a wide range of patterns. In the front there is a step by step section on the how-to of sock knitting. From the simple to the adventurous level, there are plenty to choose from.I really liked that there was a whimsical section. Here are the socks that you won't find everywhere. From the "Sunrise Socks" to "Little Piggy Toes" you will find something for you.There are plenty of patterns that work up easily but are definitely one of a kind. It makes sock knitting fun to learn. You will want to make everyone from the kids to the kid at heart several pairs from this book.This is a great book for the sock knitter. I would recommend this to anyone. Happy Knitting!

I love this book, there are so many styles it's hard to decide what to work on first. I actually bought this book for the first time a few years ago, was knitting the Aran style clog/sandal socks when we bought a new house and after frantically searching for and not finding the book after the move, I just had to order this second copy. I've now made two pair of those cabled socks, plus used that pattern to substitute my own cables into and have given away five pair in all. They are like works of art and so beautiful. I've been asked if I take special orders and sell those socks but I keep telling people that they can't afford them! There are quite a few other patterns I wanted to knit again - the gull wing lace ones are very pretty and I've given them as gifts a few times, too. 70 patterns and I've only knitted about ten so far, since I tend to get stuck doing multiples because they turn out so beautifully. I've got a long way to go!

ANYTHING published by Alexis Xenaxis (XRX Publications) is always first class is terms of editorial content and photography - this book is no exception. The socks in this book are simply lusty. I want to make at least 1/2 of them but have only finished 3 pr. Some of these patterns seem to defy logic, but all have complete pattern instructions and are rated beginner to advanced. The beauty of the photography might make it seem a coffee table book but please take it more seriously and use it as a serious book to study and use as a knitting workbook; much thought and experimentation went into the construction of these socks and we all can learn from the ingenuity and creativity covering these toes. Pick up your dpn's or circs, practice Judy's Magic Loop and get busy with either a toe-up or cuff down. No excuses, no onesies, and no undone WIP's

Being a compilation of competition winners - every designer is different and every entry has a different style - both because of the variety of designers and the selection process of the judges. It's not a comprehensive coverage of advanced sock knitting techniques, however there is a comprehensive but simple low-down on techniques useful for knitting socks. I enjoyed the variety - from toe down to toe up, resoleable and sideways, entrelac and freeform, designs I've knitted and others I don't even look at when browsing!! I bought this book second hand (it was published in '98, it's now '15!) and it was worth every penny.

Great book

Bought as a gift for my wife who is a keen knitter. She has praised the book to the hilt!

All the socks in this book are 'competition winners'. As a result, many of them are brightly-coloured, complexly-patterned socks. These were not to my taste, as on the whole I prefer socks that I can get get my shoes on over. A lot of these were for wearing at home or in the evening, to relax in. There are some nice lace patterns and I found the four Iclandic patterns interesting. In my opinion far too much space is given over to 'whimsical' socks, and as to socks the size of a postage stamp...and those made out of licorice...or the doll's socks...I guess if you like variety in your sock-making this book will be more to your taste than mine. Surprisingly for competition winners, there was very little variety in the techniques used for heel and toe. The one pattern I have used did not even have a reinforced heel flap - it was given as just straight stocking stitch. As it is an American book, you will need to pick up equivalents of their size 1 and 2 needles - in particular, many of the socks are knitted on size 2.

Ich habe über 40 Sockenbücher aus aller Welt in meinem Regal, in mehreren Sprachen, von antik, traditionell bis modern und hätte nie gedacht, dass es noch ein Sockenbuch gibt, das mich überrascht.Hier ist die ganze Bandbreite des Sockenstrickens zu sehen. Von traditionell mit sehr schönen Mustern von einfach bis anspruchsvoll bis hin zu ganz ausgefallenen Sachen wie z.B. die Socken vom Titel oder eine besondere Art von seitwärts gestrickten Socken. Anfänger bis versierte Sockenstricker werden hier sicher viel finden.Einige der Sockendesigner in dem Buch sind später richtige Stars in der Strickszene geworden, spontan fällt mit Debbie New (Unexpected knitting) ein.Ich habe für das Buch damals noch mehr als den doppelten Preis zahlen müssen, nun ist es auch noch preislich ein echtes Schnäppchen.Allerdings sollte man in eine Suchmaschine errata "socks, socks, socks" eingeben und sich die paar Fehler in den Mustern ausdrucken. Das führt bei mir aber zu keiner Abwertung, denn dies muss man schließlich bei so gut wie allen englischsprachigen Strickbüchern machen. Weil sie aber so kreativ und gut aufgemacht sind, nimmt man das einfach in Kauf.Wenn ich nur ein Sockenbuch auf eine Insel mitnehmen dürfte, dann dieses, denn es umfasst die ganze Bandbreite des Sockenstrickens, ist schön aufgemacht, und bei der Menge an Mustern kann man lange auf einer einsamen Insel überleben. ;-)