Vintage Tinsel – WYS Christmas 2021 yarn

Psst!  I know it’s a bit early to be talking about Christmas, but would you like to see something new?

You would?  I thought so!

Source: West Yorkshire Spinners

Ta dah!

These socks are called Twinkle Toes and they are knitted in Vintage Tinsel yarn, the new sparkly colourway from West Yorkshire Spinners for this year’s festive season.

Yes, thank you for asking, I did design the pattern and I was delighted not only to be asked to design for WYS at Christmas again, but also with how the socks turned out in this lovely yarn.  The idea behind this year’s colours is vintage tinsel, evoking memories of Christmasses gone by and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was immediately transported back to a time when Christmas truly was all about the magic and all we had to do was make sure that we told Father Christmas what we really really wanted!

What do these colours say to you?  Do they remind you of times gone past?  I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas but whatever this time of year means to you, and whatever season it is where you live, there may be something that you recognise in these bright stripes.  You can see the sparkles in this photo too, and just like last year when the Signature Sparkle yarns made their first appearance, the addition of the sparkle thread doesn’t make the yarn scratchy at all – a relief to those of us who can’t be doing with uncomfortable socks!

As usual, I wanted these socks to be as accessible to knit as possible, so if you have got to grips with a basic sock then you should be able to manage this pattern.  It’s based on my Basic 4ply Socks pattern so if you know that one, you’ll recognise the shape of this one, and if you’re brand new to sock knitting but this pattern really sings to you, there’s no reason at all why you can’t launch in and have a go as the Sockalong tutorials for beginners will help you through if you get stuck.

The pattern consists of twisted stitches – you’ll probably have noticed by now that I’m a fan of twisted stitches! – and I chose the central panel particularly as I liked the way that it looked like a length of tinsel and the way that it feathers out from a central cord.  Let me show you a close up!

Twisted stitches are really easy to get the hang of and I think they are a lovely way to make your knitting look more complicated than it actually is – it never hurts for us to look like knitting experts when we’re talking to people who don’t know how easy it really is! 🙂

The heel is a heel flap and gusset heel – yes, I know I always design those but I really do think that they are the easiest for beginners to get their head around, and also the most flexible in terms of fit, especially if you’re going to be gifting your socks.  It’s not the usual slip stitch heel – as it’s Christmas (or will be, in a few months 😉 ), I decided that something a little more fancy was in order so these are slip stitches to give that cushioned heel that feels a bit special in hand knitted socks, just not in the usual rib lines!

Oh those stripes across the sole – they’re delicious!

What else can I tell you about these socks?  The pattern is written in 4 sizes from 8″ to 9.5″ (20-24cm) ball of foot circumference (60-72sts) so you should be able to knit them for most people and because West Yorkshire Spinners are such lovely, generous people, the pattern is free!  Hooray!  Don’t we all love a free pattern?!  In fact there are two versions as there’s a crochet version designed by Anna Nikipirowicz as well so nobody leaves to be left out of the festive sock creation.

You can get a free printed copy of the knitted sock pattern with every ball of yarn sold whilst stocks last, and the yarn should be in most UK yarn shops by the time you read this.  If you live further afield, rest assured that the yarn is on it’s way to your local stockist – one of the reasons WYS decided to launch in August this year was to make sure that it would arrive in plenty of time for gift knitting (I’ve been looking back to last year’s blog post and the Christmas yarns launched in October in 2020) – so do check with your nearest WYS stockist.  If you’re not sure who that is, you can have a look at the WYS stockists page and see if there’s anywhere close to you, or who might offer an online service.

If you’d like a PDF copy of the pattern to download and print out yourself, you can have one of those too!  The patterns for both the knit and crochet versions of the socks are available from the WYS website:

Click here for Twinkle Toes hand knit sock pattern

Click here for Tinsel Toes crochet sock pattern

If you’re not a sock knitter, I think this yarn would look stunning as a hat, scarf or cowl, and all of those knit up quickly for gifts – don’t forget that there are some shawl and cowl patterns on the blog which you might think would work well – and even if you’re not celebrating Christmas, I think these colours would make a perfect addition to anyone’s Winter wardrobe.

What do you think?  Do let me know in the comments what you would make with the yarn.  I’m so looking forward to seeing Twinkle Toes socks and so many other projects over the next months!