When the frost is on the pumpkin, it might be Socktober!

Shorter days. Cooler nights. Nothing is as comforting as hand knit socks! Here in Northern Idaho we're enjoying cool nights and warm days and as the leaves turn to red and gold, it's time to knit socks! It's Socktober!!! Sock knitting is a varied as knitters. Toe up, Top down. DPN. Magic Loop. Fabulous lace patterns knit from fine merino, self patterning sock yarns for simple fun, chunky weight slipper socks that warm your toes and your heart. We all have a favorite technique or two, so our staff is sharing with you some of our favorite patterns, yarns and techniques.

Kaika free pattern[/caption] I chose one of Michelle Hunter's patterns, as she makes patterns that are fun and easy to follow. Kaika is the Japanese word for "bloom" and it uses a beautiful and easy to memorize Japanese inspired stitch pattern. I used this pattern to make a toasty pair of light weight leg warmers that will keep me nice and warm during the cold winter months here in North Idaho. I used a picot cast on and a picot bind off to dress up my leg warmers. This gorgeous yarn is Madelinetosh Twist Light in "Optic" .Now that I have finished this pattern, I will search for another sock pattern or leg warmer pattern as we have lot's of new fingering yarns that I am eagerly waiting to try!

Kelley is the owner of Alpaca Direct and loves to knit her socks toe-up, two at a time on a magic loop!

I just finished my first pair of socks in ten years.  Until recently, the thought of working with fingering weight yarn would turn my stomach.  Oh, I made a number of pairs with worsted weight yarn, but somehow, in my book, they didn’t seem to count.  They were workhorses-not the sprightly ponies of spots and blotches of randomly strewn color, crafted out of the finest gossamer threads.