Candy Cane Bedroom Socks
There are a few holiday candies that surpass mere confection and reach the heights of Design Icon. On the list would have to be Halloween candy corn, Easter Peeps, and, of course, Christmas candy canes. Nothing is more distinctive than the twisting red and white stripes of a candy cane. Peppermint is nice, but I think the appeal of a candy cane is much more in its good looks than in its flavor. Clean and classic, but managing also a happy whimsy.
Inspired by the timeless design of the candy cane, I decided to apply its emblematic stripes to a cozy pair of kick-around-the-house socks. The simple Spiral Rib pattern carries the stripes around the socks and the beautiful Manos del Uruguay’s Silk Blend in red and white screams, “Candy Cane!”.
Manos’s Silk Blend has the same extraordinary hand spun, hand dyed loveliness of the classic Manos Handspun that we all know and love, and the Silk Blend has the addition of 30% silk. It’s the perfect blend for the holidays, giving off a slight sheen and wrapping your feet in luxurious softness.
These socks are designed for all knitters, whether you’ve made socks before or not. There are no tricky heels or gussets, just a tube, and a toe!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoCandyCaneBedroomSocks. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Manos del Uruguay’s Silk Blend Semi Solid, 30% Silk, 70% Merino Wool.
- Color A: 1 (2, 2) skein(s). We used the color Natural.
- Color B: 1 (2, 2) skein(s). We used the color Tomato.
- A set of US 5 (3.75 mm) double-pointed needles
Shop our wonderful collection of aran + worsted-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
Gauge
20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Sizes
Women’s Small (Medium, Large)
- 7 (8.25, 9.5) inches in circumference, unstretched
- 8 .5 (10, 11.5) inches in circumference, comfortably stretched
- 14 (15, 16) inches long
When you’re deciding which size to make, consider getting the sock over your heel. That is the widest part of the journey, and these socks are not super stretchy!
Sample: The size shown in these pictures is a Small.
Notes
Make sure that whenever you finish using Color A you leave the yarn in back (in the knit position). Don’t get frustrated if, like me, you keep forgetting at first. You’ll get it!
The pattern requires you to switch colors every 2 stitches. There are two techniques for doing this. The faster one, if you are capable, is to hold one color in each hand (easiest is Color A in the right and B in the left)
Otherwise, just drop and pick up the yarns as you need them. Either way, be loose and gentle. You want your socks to have a little stretch!
Pattern
With Color A (I used “Natural” for Color A and “Tomato” for Color B), cast 44 (52, 60) stitches onto double-pointed needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Knit 7 rounds.
Rounds 1-3: *With Color A, p2; with Color B, k2; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 4: With B, k1; *with A, p1, k1; with B, k2; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, with A, p1, k1; with B, k1.
Rounds 5 and 6: With B, k1; *with A, p2; with B, k2; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, with A, p2; with B, k1.
Round 7: With B, k2; *with A, p1, k1; with B, k2; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, with A, p1, k1.
Rounds 8 and 9: *With B, k2; with A, p2; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 10: With A, k1; *with B, k2; with A, p1, k1; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, with B, k2; with A, p1.
Rounds 11 and 12: With A, p1; *with B, k2; with A, p2; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, with B, k2; with A, p1.
Round 13: *With A, p1, k1; with B, k2; repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 14 and 15: *With A, p2; with B, k2; repeat from * to end of round.
For Size Small
Repeat Rounds 4-15 five more times.
For Size Medium
Repeat Rounds 4-15 five more times. Then repeat Rounds 4- 9.
For Size Large
Repeat Rounds 4-15 six more times.
The Toe
Cut Color B so that you’re just working with Color A for the toe.
Round 1: Knit.
Round 2: [K9 (11, 13), k2tog] 4 times. (40, [48, 56] stitches)
Round 3: Knit.
Round 4: [K8 (10, 12), k2tog] 4 times. (36, [44, 52] stitches)
Round 5: Knit.
Round 6: [K7 (9, 11), k2tog] 4 times. (32, [40, 48] stitches)
Round 7: Knit.
Round 8: [K6 (8, 10), k2tog] 4 times. (28, [36, 44] stitches)
Round 9: Knit.
Round 10: [K5 (7, 9), k2tog] 4 times. (24, [32, 40] stitches)
Round 11: Knit.
Round 12: [K4 (6, 8), k2tog] 4 times. (20, [28, 36] stitches)
Round 13: Knit.
Round 14: [K3 (5, 7), k2tog] 4 times. (16, [24, 32] stitches)
Round 15: Knit.
Round 16: [K2 (4, 6), k2tog] 4 times. (12, [20, 28] stitches)
For Size Small
Round 17: [K1, k2tog] 4 times. (8 stitches)
Round 18: K2tog, 4 times. (4 stitches)
For Size Medium
After Round 16, follow the directions for Size Small from Round 14 through Round 18.
For Size Large
After Round 16, follow the directions for Size Small from Round 10 through Round 18.
For All Sizes
Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining 4 stitches.
Weave in the ends, and make a second sock identical to the first. Now get cozy!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
love the socks !!!! how long did it take you to make them?
Love these! I am thinking of making these as St. Nicholas gifts for my nieces (10, 8, and almost 5). Any suggestions for sizing for the 8 and 5 yr olds?!!?!?!! I was thinking of taking them down 8 cast-on stitches for the 8 year old, and then 8 more for the 5 year old . . . .
Thank you so much!
Hi Missy Joon,We actually recommend the small size for kids 8-10, in fact we photographed our pair (the small size) on an 8 year old, and probably going down 8 stitches for a 5 year old would be good.Good luck!
Love the socks!!! I am thinking of making several pairs in M or L, and was wondering whether having 3 skeins of each color could make 2 pairs?
thanks, and happy knitting.
How many skeins of each color do I need to buy to make two pairs one in small and one in medium. Cute project I also want to make them for St. Nicholas day December 6th. Thanks.
Hi Lisdip,
You will need 3 skeins of each.
Enjoy!
Hi! Great socks! What are the shoe size equivalents for s m & l? Thanks!
Can these be made on straights rather than dpn's?
Hi jet,
You could knit them on straight needles, but you'd have to change the pattern a bit, adjusting the stitch pattern and the toe decreases. If you don't want to use double pointed needles, I'd recommend, instead, using an 8 inch circular needle. You can find one here: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/8-Skacel-Addi-Turbo-Circular-Needles
Thanks for your question!
Whitney
Wonderful way to treat your sweet tooth without the calories!
Knitted garments should never be soaked. This makes the yarn tangled and felted. When hand-washing don't rub or press the garment too much. Don't ever brush it or wring it out.
Could you offer up a mitten version of this pattern? i'm thinking of trying my first pair of mittens, and this pattern is soooooo appealing!
thanks,
Hi Robin-
We don't have plans to make these into mittens at the moment but thank you for your suggestion and enthusiasm!
Best-
Molly
Hi!
I was looking for holiday gifts when I saw these! Can they be made/sized for a man? Nephews wear size 10, I think. Advise. Thanks.
Brenda?
Hello Brenda,
Thank you for reaching out! If you want to make a larger size I would recommend adding length to the the largest size. All you would need to do is add a couple of row 4-15 repeats.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi! I was wondering if I use the 8 inch circular If I have to change anything to the pattern? Or.. is it possible to change the pattern to a k1 p1 or k2 p2 instead of the candy cane stripes?
Or maybe they would be less confusing if I use the circular instead if the dpns ?
Thanks!!
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for writing in! Great questions! You could certainly use an 8 inch circular for any but the smallest size. The next size up will be a bit stretched as the circumference is just 8.5 inches. You will then need DPNs to complete the toe as it gets down to fewer and fewer stitches. You could also give magic loop a go! This would also eliminate the need for DPNs all together.
If you were to change from k2p2 to k1p1, you would get a different look. It would be more of a checker board than the swirling candy cane look here. However, the best thing about knitting is that you are the boss and can do whatever you like the look of best!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
hello Purl Soho, I’m almost finished with my candy cane sock and am curious if I can add a heel? Does this twisty pattern allow for that? I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just wondering if its worth a try to put a heel in. I’m an adventurous beginner/intermediate knitter. Thank you, it’s so cute! Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for reaching out, and that’s a great idea! I believe it would be possible to add a heel, and I would recommend trying to do one in a similar manner to our Easy Heel Colorblock Socks. Here’s how the heel is created in that pattern:
“For these socks, you knit a tube, throw in a few dozen scrap yarn stitches along the way, then go back to those stitches, remove the scrap yarn, slip the live stitches onto four double pointed needles and knit the heel in the round, working regular decreases to the end, just like the crown of a kitten-size hat.”
I hope this helps get you started, and please let us know how it goes if you try this!
All the best,
Lili