5 gorgeous sock yarns I really think you need in your life!

I think my beading phase is slowly fizzling out. In London, the weather FINALLY turned icy for the best part of two weeks (nearly all over now, though) and it got me itching to knit.

Usually that's a bad thing, because when I feel like doing some knitting, I usually feel like buying lovely knitting things.

This week's yarn spends set me back a cool 50 squids!

Perhaps I'll find joy in squishing. Introducing last week's @Ravelry stash buys 💙 #Wollmeise #laughingyaffle #yarn pic.twitter.com/OjqP2emssQ

— Freddie Patmore (@FreddiePatmore) February 2, 2016

I often ponder this unhealthy thinking pattern of mine that is, the inability to do a thing without thinking of buying more materials to do the thing.

I liken it to the bizarre consideration that people can't put pants on in the morning without thinking about new pants. Is that a thing? No, right?

A good start is knowing how to put your pants on in the first place

For now, let's call it Yarnoholism.

Yarnoholics like myself (that's you!) may be interested in the following eye candy that I've come across this week. In advance of your enabling, fellow yarnaholics, you are most welcome.

Just don't buy it all before I get a chance to.

I really can't wait to get hold of some and have a good old play - although far more likely, it will probably sit in the pile of lovely things under the bed.

Meh. Still pretty.

1. Violet Lynx Dyeworks

I found Violet Lynx thanks to Wendy who I follow on Instagram (hi, Wendy!). How did you come accross these guys, Wendy? Marvel at the awesome gradient with me! Oooooohhhhhhhh....

A photo posted by Wendy D. Johnson (@wendy_knits) on Feb 3, 2016 at 5:25pm PST

I think the real seller for me was seeing it next to Wendy's cat, Loki. Who, in this picture, just so happens to be upside down. Loksided.

A photo posted by Wendy D. Johnson (@wendy_knits) on Jan 30, 2016 at 8:11am PST

There's a slight kinked look to the surface of the knit (just me?) that implies a floppy, airy fibre - I do have some in my etsy basket ready to land, though. It's a lesser known brand with tiny quantities appearing on Ravelry stashes. Let's change that, shall we? Find them on etsy, here.

2. Opal Sweet And Spicy 3

I am deeply aggrieved that I was not emailed by each and every one of you to tell me that Opal have added a third reincarnation of their Opal Sweet & Spicy range.

My Jaywalkers from Opal's Sweet & Spicy 2 range, are among my favourite pairs of hand-knitted socks.

I knit socks all the time. All the time - in between projects I just pick 'em up and do a few rounds here and there. Before you know it, BOOM! Sock. KABOOM! Another sock.

Opal has always been one of my favourites because the colours do their own thing and I don't really have to look at what I'm doing. All I need to do is to tune in at the beginning, heel and the toe - to make sure the colours are matching up with the first sock. Easy!

The new shade range includes some more unisex shades (bar the fruity cocktail on the fair right, of course!)

Irritatingly, pretty much all of the Sweet And Spicy 1 & 2 ranges were far too adventurous for the fella to wear. Remember - he's mister black and navy blue.

In between each pair of socks for me, I do him a pair, so it's nice for me to be able to use the yarns I like. I'm eyeing up licorice while I write this with him in mind. I think I'll get away with that one.

I am guessing 9126 is 'Poppyseed' although it does look a bit virus like?

Saying that though, the poppyseedr (above, second from the right) is suitably mannish aswell. Surely there are only so many blue pairs I can do for him, though.

For Fredsocks, I'm fancying the fruity cocktail (9123) and the jelly sweets I'm probably too old for (9127). Worryingly, I can't ever remember buying a fruit colourway. Meh. Unhealthy knitting indeed.

3. Mothy & The Squid

Another insta-find - all you've got to do is take a look at my background on this page to see why I've gone gaga for the stuff. See any resemblance? Err... YES?

A photo posted by Jillian Gabrielsen (@jillian.gabrielsen) on Jan 28, 2016 at 2:40pm PST

Apparently Mothyandthesquid are quite well-known in the indie knitting community, with quite a few Ravellers having stashed their stuff. I just adore the colours - bold, bright and clean shades for awesomely psychadelic socks.

Unsurprisingly, fellow fun sock fan Louise Tillbrook seems to feel the same. Let's have a look at how Louise's Mothy socks knitted up, shall we?

A photo posted by Louise (@louisetilbrookdesigns) on Aug 7, 2015 at 2:30pm PDT

Just lovely, Louise! They really put a smile on my face.

If you're stuck for lovely sock patterns, check out Louise for those too. A girl after my own heart, she is - thinking of her projectsleaves the words 'happy' and  'feet' in my mind at all times.

4. Laughing Yaffle

I don't know what 'Yaffle' means, but it sounds like fun and I LOVE this name. I bought this ball from a fellow Raveller this week (I KNOW - I spoiled it with a picture at the beginning of this post!).

The ball called to me from a fellow Ravellers stash - and now it is mine!

 A smaller company, this yarn knits up in solid stripes and carries a little stellina sparkle (which although I love to stare at, have never actually made a pair of socks in it) much like Easyknits' Twinkle yarns, but with the fun stripes dyed in and for a few pennies less than Twinkle prices.

A photo posted by Miss Elle (@miss_elle_knits) on May 11, 2015 at 11:53am PDT

5. Lang Jawoll Magic Degrade

I have had a rainbow ball of this yarn floating around for years. At least five.

I bought it on a trip to Newcastle to teach a toe-up sock workshop at my friend Anne's shop, The Knit Studio.

The partly knitted sock was still attached when I pulled it from my stash the other day

I headed up there on an evening after teaching a beginner's sock workshop at JL Sheffield for the lovely Rowan Consultant, Bev (at least, I think it was beginner's socks...) so had a full weekend of teaching in the north. It was a great trip overall. Lovely memories.

I stayed with Anne and her awesome cats which was really, really nice.

She showed me the Newcastle night life on my arrival (once was enough), and in the morning before the workshop she kindly drove me around some of the sights. It was really thoughtful because it was my first time in Newcastle.

I had a cold at the time, and had a cup of lemsip on the go by the time the workshop started. It was a small group of participants, 5 or 6 I think - but one woman sticks out in my mind because she would never show me her knitting, letalone let me touch it - for the entire day.

It was a long old day.

Each time she was stuck, it was as if I were blindfolded in answering her queries. I've not met a lady quite like her ever since and will never, ever forget her.

Needless to say that by the time the workshop finished I was exhausted. I'd definitely earned myself a little treat, so bought myself the above ball of Lang [amongst other things] in the hope of casting on a sock, on the train back to London that evening. A pleasurable journey of knitting. Picture it.

When I got to the station, the train was cancelled.

I stood on the platform for over an hour waiting for another train back to London, on a Sunday night, and now with no seating reservation. It was not a good end to my lovely trip up north.

I ended up sitting on the floor in between carriages, by the bog for four and a half hours. I'd started feeling all snotty again and it was bitterly cold in there.

I did cast on, and knitted the stub of a sock you see above. But the associated memory of the horrendous journey put me right off going back to it (I do have very strong emotional attachments to my knitting projects), so for many years, until last week, it was buried at the bottom of my knitting basket.

A photo posted by Frederica Patmore (@freddiepatmore) on Jan 20, 2016 at 8:16am PST

It was only when I bought this book on a Facebook recommendation that I felt it time to dig this poor, forgotten ball, out. Poor thing. Unloved. Not anynmore - I intend to cast on the front cover socks, soon.

You don't have to be sock-obsessed like I am, to want to use all these yarns. But it does help.

Remember, yarnoholics - knit responsibly!