Gurum Socks by Jean Chung. The third piece to the First Love Collection are these socks
that remind us of that special phase of falling in love that makes us feel like walking on the clouds.
I am happy to release a new sock pattern, Gurum Socks. Right now, until the end of December, you can get 20% off from this pattern. The coupon code is: cloud9
And if you're not familiar with Korean, I guess you would be wondering what "Gurum" means, right? Gurum is literally, cloud/clouds (there's no plurals in Korean language, not really). And that's what this design was about--the yarn is called Cloud, the softness of the yarn was just like how I would imagine being on a cloud feels like, and I designed this airy, lacy socks that would capture the feeling of playing inside a cloud.
Yarn
Anzula Cloud in "Prince" colorway.
So first the yarn. The talented people at Anzula gave me this yarn for design purposes at the TNNA in San Diego earlier this year. This yarn, Cloud, is 80% SW Merino, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Nylon which is a popular base for a lot of indie dyers. It has a really generous yardage of around 575 yds in a skein, and recommended needle size is US #1.
This yarn was just so perfect for this design. As you can see, there are columns of tiny cables in the pattern, and this would not have been possible with slippery yarn or splitty yarn. Trust me I know. Because I am knitting another pair out of SW Merino/Silk blend yarn, which is more slippery. The fabric is nice, of course, it's SILK blend, but doing cables using "cabling without cable needle" technique on that yarn is really tedious.
Handknit socks are special items. Unlike the cotton or synthetic blend socks you can purchase in stores, knitted socks have special warmth, design details and fit. I designed these to be the ultimate feminine socks you can pair with floral skirt or dress and feel special and fancy.
Technique
I briefly mentioned it earlier, but this design would be perfect for knitters who are just learning to cable stitches without a cable needle, or who prefer that technique. I almost always cable without a cable needle, just out of sheer laziness. If you're not familiar with this technique, there are a lot of Youtube videos you can watch. You just need really sharp needles and good lighting. :)
The lace columns are really easy to remember as well. All in all, this was designed to be one of those perfect portable sock knitting project. Sock knitting is best when portable, and easy enough to remember but not boring and monotonous.
Heel
I've been knitting socks for about 5 years now and so far my favorite is short-row heel. I love how it hugs my narrow heels and accommodate high instep.
If you've never tried short-row heel, definitely give it a try. It's also my husband's preferred style of heel.
Now, it's time to go check out the pattern! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! And again, you can get 20% off from this pattern with a coupon code: cloud9