Favorite Socks

April 15, 2007
The quick and practical art of sock knitting is so popular these days that one web-based group devoted to the subject in Yahoo! Groups currently has more than 11,000 members. Budd and Merrow's book will appeal to this fan base and may even convince reluctant knitters to take up the sport. It includes 25 patterns, 19 of which were originally published in "Interweave Knits, Spin-Off", and "PieceWork" magazines. Many of the designs are based on ethnic traditions from around the world, and some of the more interesting patternse.g., the lacy Meida's socks, the Embossed Leaves, the Flame Wave, the Austrian sockssport lavish textural designs that appear deceptively complex. In addition to patterns, the book introduces readers to a variety of sock-knitting techniques, including toe-up sock construction and seamless intarsia in the round. This is an excellent choice for all but the smallest knitting collections. Libraries just getting started in collecting sock-knitting books will also want something for beginners, like Charlene Schurch's "Sensational Knitted Socks".

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