Knitting Socks from a Double-Knit Sock Blank

One of my favorite things about knitting hand-dyed socks is watching the subtle (or not-so-subtle) changes in color over the course of the socks... But I am also one of those people who will insist on starting self-striping socks in the same place so they will match as closely as possible. So when we got in some double knit sock blanks to dye I was excited by the possibility of combining both of these preferences in a single pair of socks! 

As I started knitting this pair of socks I've been tickled by how closely they echo each other. They aren't as perfect of a match as self-striping, of course, but the fact that I see lines of purple and orange-brown in the same places on both of the socks makes my matchy-matchy heart smile.

Ordinarily, I knit my socks one at a time on a pair of double pointed needles. This is how I learned, and so despite using magic loop for pretty much everything else I stick to DPNs for socks. However, since these sock blanks are comprised of two strands knit together (to create that matching look I'm enjoying so much) DPNs were not the right choice for this pair of socks.

Since my go-to method for small-circumference not-sock items is magic loop, I started this pair on a 40" US 0 and knit several rounds of the cuff. I was not at ALL happy knitting that way--I felt like I was spending as much time wrangling cord as I was knitting. So I tried instead switching to the two circular needles method, which behaves much better for me. I'm using a 16" and a 24" needle so that I can easily keep track of which needles go together (the tips are different lengths), and have made excellent, frustration-free progress since making the change.

Now it's time to put this pair of socks aside to complete a pair I'd already started as a Christmas gift, but I'll look forward to returning and finishing these socks in a month or so!