Product Description

These 18 sock patterns are fun, easy, and portable - making this book great for obsessive knitters on the move. Perfect for beginners, it features helpful tips for each pattern and covers each step of knitting these stylish socks with charts and illustrations. Packaged in a covered-spiral binding that is easy to use and carry, these patterns are perfect to toss in the knitting bag on the way out the door.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107295 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 96 pages

From Library Journal
Small, portable, and with enough variety in the knitting to keep them interesting, socks are ideal projects for the traveling knitter. Bush (Folk Socks, Folk Knitting in Estonia) is a well-known teacher and researcher in the area of ethnic knitting. This is a collection of 18 projects inspired by her travels in the United States and abroad. Understanding that the traveling knitter may not have on hand the yarn recommended in a pattern, she includes a dandy table of all popular sock yarns with information on each that makes it easy to substitute yarns. Each project includes complete instructions, charts, and full-page illustrations all packed into a sturdy, covered-spiral binding. For all popular knitting collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Nancy Bush is the author of Folk Socks and has published designs in Interweave Knits, PieceWork, Vogue Knitting, and SpinOff magazines. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Customer Reviews

variety of patterns, never boring, clear instructions
Nancy Bush has compiled sock patterns inspired by her various travelling experiences. The patterns are not based on one particular style, and this variety is pleasing. However (and this is no problem, simply an observation), Estonian traditional influence is very strong.

There are uni-coloured socks, two-coloured socks, striped socks, lace socks, cabled socks...Some are knit in worsted or DK weight, others in fingering. She specifies what yarn she used for the model socks but also gives generic weights and measurements. She also brings in some new knitting techniques like the Latvian twist and some decorative Estonian braids that I'd never heard of (but later discovered them in her previous book Folk Knitting in Estonia).

One of my complaints echoes that of another review: the photographs were often badly lit, and why make complex patterns in dark yarn that shows off the design very poorly? To remedy this deficiency, Interweave Press has put out some new photos (I think they're on the Interweave errata page) so you can get a better idea of how the finished socks look. I have also seen some of the multi-coloured socks done in different colourways, which are also very effective.

Sometimes the sock (like the Whidby and New England patterns) has a design on its instep, but it is only photographed from the side. This means that you will have to rely on the graphs to figure out how the finished sock will look in its entirety.

All in all, I like this book a lot. If nothing else, it's eye candy. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to a truly beginning sock knitter but it will definitely inspire you.

Take a Trip with Socks
I borrowed this book from the library and fell in love with it! This is one I HAVE to add to my knitting library. The book is a nice hardbound with spiral binding inside to allow you to keep your book flat while using it. A very nice plus!

So where did the title come from? I had assumed that it was a book writing to be able to use while traveling, but not so. There are 17 patterns that were inspired while the author traveled from country to country - using patterns or techniques relative from that country.

At the beginning is a nice section on techniques and throughout are tips or addition illustrations for you to complete the featured sock. These socks are very classic looking and won't go out of style! A very nice book that will be used again and again.

Best Sock Book Out There...
...or at least in the top five! This book is an indispensable addition to any knitter's library. The socks included are beautiful, with the patterns inspired from places all over the world. It's a great book to use to expand your abilities--I'd especially recommend it for the intermediate knitter. There are several single-color socks with interesting patterns, along with a few color patterns and one *great*-looking Christmas stocking. The directions are perfectly clear, and the introduction at the front is fabulous--several different cast-on methods, etc, and the instructions actually make sense! One of the best little extras, and one that's indicative of the book's quality, is the listing of good sock yarns that are interchangeable with the yarns used for the example socks. This book was written with expertise, a sense of humor, and joy, and it really comes out in the anecdotes and the patterns. I can't say enough about it.