DIY: Knit Rye Light Socks and Free Pattern by Tin Can Knits

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I knit the Rye Light Socks by Tin Can Knits as a gift for one of Kenji’s friends. Many of Kenji’s friends have birthdays December through March, perfect for gifting handknits! Last year I knit everyone hats (including the Baby Bear Balaclava). Many of those hats still fit their recipients this winter. So this year, I decided to knit other accessories for them all. The first of Kenji’s friends, A, got these cozy handknit socks.

The Rye Light Socks are part of The Simple Collection – a learn to knit series with excellent free patterns and clear tutorials. I’ve knit the Wheat Scarf, also from the Simple Collection, as my first ever knitting project!

Rye Light comes in six sizes, from Baby to Adult Large. I knit the Toddler size but knit them large enough that they’ll fit throughout the winter. I used some Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock in my stash that is 75% merino and 25% nylon. This way the socks will be warm and soft, but also quite durable. I have three colours in my stash, a pale Limestone, a dusty blue China Blue, and a dusty green Sage. In order to make the socks a bit more fun, I decided to make the toe and cuff a contrasting colour to the main portion of the sock.

To start, I knit 12 rounds of 1×1 ribbing in Limestone. I then knit 1 round in China Blue before starting the rest of the sock.

This was the first time I knit socks! I never really got around to knitting then, since I have dozens and dozens of handknit socks from my Oma. I keep darning them, so I think they’ll last for at least a decade longer!

After examining my own socks, I can see the technique that my Oma used. She always knit socks top-down with a 2×2 rib all the way to the heel flap. After picking up stitches and knitting the gusset, she would knit a plain stockinette foot and then do k2tog decreases in a circular pattern towards the toe. The Rye Light socks start with the 1×1 rib, then proceed down the ankle in pattern. The main design element of the Simple Collection is mostly stockinette with a garter stitch detail. In the Rye Light socks, the garter stitch is a band that goes down the front of the ankle and continues along the top of the foot. After knitting the foot, the pattern finishes with grafting the toe.

To add my contrast toe colour, I worked 25 rounds of the pattern in China Blue to get the appropriate length of the foot, then I knit 1 round in Limestone, before starting the toe decreases.

I cast on the first sock on December 5 and cast off December 8. I immediately cast on the second sock and finished it the following day.

Get the free Rye Light Socks by Tin Can Knits on Ravelry here.

Check out our other Tin Can Knits projects here:

• Campfire Pullover for Kenji
• Northward Hat for a friend’s kid
• Compass Pullover for Tomiko
• Strange Brew Pullover for our dad
• Wheat Scarf for myself!