Three Faves for the Feet

I was in the mood to do a Three on Thursday post today, but didn't really have anything wondrous in mind (haha, like any of my posts are actually wondrous ...).  But last night, when I started a new project that is one of the gifts I'm knitting, I was thinking about how much I enjoy knitting socks.  And that led me to decide to share three of my favorite sock patterns I've knit.  This is by no means comprehensive, just three that I've particularly enjoyed.

1.  Zigzagular Socks - this is a freebie on Ravelry, and a fun knit.  Mostly you are knitting a plain sock, but there is enough interest to keep you from getting bored.  This is what my pair looked like:

2.  Blueberry Waffle Socks - another freebie, and a really well-known pattern.  This has a bit more going on, but the pattern is so easily memorized that you almost do it without thinking.  Another bonus is that the resulting socks are incredibly squishy and comfy.  I've made a few pairs of these, in various colors, but here is the first pair I knit, a gift for The Tim:

3.  Social Security Number Socks - this one is not a published pattern, but one I heard about from another knitter.  I've made a few versions, and it's always fun.  The ones I've made have always been house/slipper socks, but of course the pattern applies to any weight sock.  Here is how it works:  you take a social security number, say 123-45-6789.  For each unique number, you choose a color.  Then you knit (or purl, or whatever you decide) that many rows for the corresponding color.  So, in the example, you'd have 1 row blue, 2 rows yellow, 3 rows orange, etc.  If you have zeros, you can do a different stitch pattern in that/those rows, use black yarn, etc.  I generally use the color I am on for the heel flap and gusset, but you can be as creative as you want to be there - or of course in the whole sock.  It's a great project for scrappy yarns and leftovers.  Here's a pair I made for myself that I decided didn't even need to match, so I mixed  up two of the colors:

And before you get all worried about security, there are two things I have to say.  1) If someone is that close to your socks, and obviously trying to count the rounds, it's your problem for not finding that suspicious in the first place, and 2) most people wouldn't want to be bothered.  But if it worries you, don't knit a pair!

I know a lot of people aren't sock knitters, but if you are and haven't tried any of these patterns, I would encourage you to give at least one of these a try!