Hello and welcome to the 2022 Sock Knitter’s Almanach. The adventure continues in the New Year and we’ll explore new themes, new colours and new patterns!
For the new kids on the block, the Sock Knitter’s Almanac is Tricot & Stitch’s informal monthly yarn club, which started in January 2021. Each month I’m offering a new colorway inspired by the month theme and a suggested sock pattern to knit, to expend your sock knitter’s experience and have fun!
While researching the month’s theme, I learned a few things about January that I didn’t know. For example, it’s known in medieval anglo-saxon culture as the month of the wolf. Understandable and very pragmatic as wolves were known to get a bit too close for comfort to villages in harsh winter times, when their natural food supply came up short. Also and interestingly enough, the first full moon of January is called the “Wolf Moon”. There’s definitely something with January and wolves, going back a loooong time.
So wolves it is for January. Please note that my selection of wolves is quite amicable and will have you wishing you could pet them rather than running for your life. But more than a hommage to the carnivorous beast, please see in that choice a reverance for the qualities it embodies: resistance, endurance, tenacity and team spirit (or is it pack spirit?). Those qualities would be very useful, even necessary some would say, to go through January, which is after all and in my humble opinion, to the year what Monday is to the week. The complete moodboard is here and a condensed version is below:
The colorway of the month is “Lune du Loup”, or “Wolf Moon” if you prefer. With dye and yarn, I tried to create an image of snow, furry goodness, bright glacial eyes and the rosy tint of a winter sunrise. The result is usually never, ever, as the image I pictured it in my mind, but I’ll admit it came close.
To me, “Lune du Loup” is the perfect neutral. It’ll work perfectly for all your projects, big or small. It’s beautiful on all bases and will do wonders for project knitted with merinos and mohair & silk.
I’m offering this colorway as a short pre-order on the following bases this month : BFL Fingering, Stellina Fingering, Extrafine Sock 3ply, MCN Fingering, Extrafine Fingering HT, Extrafine Fingering, Tweed Fingering, Mohair & Soie and Extrafine DK.
To go with “Lune du Loup”, I’m suggesting knitting the beautiful “Intersections” pattern by Marceline Smith. The all-over cable pattern will enable us to follow the recommendation of dearest Elizabeth Zimmermann’s “Knitters’ Almanac” to knit an Aran Sweater in January, if not in the letter, at least in the spirit. It could also be a good occasion to reflect on the concept of Intersectionality, a key notion worth your time and headspace. This pattern is, very fittingly, the first in the “52 Weeks of Socks” book by Laine Magazine. It is also available for purchase individually.
Today also marks the airing of Inspirations - Season 4, episode 1. Please join me for a lovely chat about the holidays, the colorway of the month and a very surprising status point of the knitting front. Spoiler alert - I’ve have been a monogamous knitter for the past month and it’s. very. weird.
“Lune du Loup” is a click away via the button below. You’ll find it under “Almanach”.
Happy knitting!