Think Outside the Sox: 60+ Winning Designs from the Knitter's Magazine Contest

by Elaine Rowley (Editor), Alexis Xenakis (Photographer)

Showcasing more than 50 winning designs from the publisher’s international knitting contest, this collection of innovative, fine socks features patterns from around the world—which include color work, cables, lace, Latvian braids, and toe-up and top-down designs. Complete with thorough instructions for socks that range from fashionable to traditional, this guide is not only inspirational but also a comprehensive survey of contemporary trends in sock knitting. Extensive charts and diagrams, illustrated explanations, and detailed photographs all round out this how-to for everything socks.

Genres: Knitting, Reference, Nonfiction, Crafts

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

One of the original three founders and often referred to as the 'R' in XRX publications, Elaine Rowley has been an editor since the founding of Knitters Universe. She says 'We have knitters in mind' and clearly that has been her focus long before she met David Xenakis and Alexis Xenakis. She met them in her shop 'The Golden Fleece', encouraged them in their crafts, and eventually they founded XRX in the basement of the shop.

Elaine stays busy editing books, and is still a contributing voice in the fiber world more than 100 issues of that first issue of Knitters Universe later.

Reviews

[Velma · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional sock pattern book, with clever & unusual designs & 60 (sixty!) patterns. Only complaint is that it lacks an explanatory overview paragraph for each pattern. Otherwise, vunderbar!

[Cat Fithian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting sock patterns, but many of them seem to be complicated just for the sake of being "fascinating" and don't even look comfortable to wear. The complications would make them impossibly tedious to knit, IMHO.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this more than a dozen years after publication, and many of the socks feel dated—which I thought was an impossibility. They're socks, right? Since these patterns were winners of a design contest, I understand that the sock designers threw everything they could at their submission to get the attention of the contest judges, but still. Many of these socks look unwearable, and many more just uncomfortable, which is not my idea of a winning sock. I didn't flag any design to knit up. I could immediately tell this was an XRX publication, with all the whiz-bang graphic design doodads but with a lack of basic function. These charts, graphics, and some photos are pretty small. Some photos are arty but not informative. There is no introduction for each design that gives a brief overview of what to expect: toe-up or cuff-down, what type of gusset, yarn type, etc. Anyway, I didn't much care for this book but I'm sure many will.

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Innovative designs, challenges, fun, fantasy, beauty, all in one book. I'm sorry it took them this long to think of the idea and publish it.

I keep reading the patterns, deconstructing the designer's creative process hoping to spark my own. A keeper fer sure.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um. Conflicted. Tons and tons of errata, yes so many attractive sock patterns. But still, TONS (check out the book publisher's website, I'm not kidding) of errata, with more coming out still, almost a year later.