If you’re a Curious Crew member or following along on Instagram, you’ve probably heard that The Handmade Sock Society 5 is coming up fast. We’re just over a week away from the release of the first pattern!
So now seemed like a good time to answer some questions about the secret sock patterns and how the Society works.
Of course, it’s a secret Society, so some things must remain mysteries, but I think you’ll find most of what you want to know here.
Q. What’s included in The Handmade Sock Society Membership?
A. The Handmade Sock Society includes SIX brand new, secret sock patterns.
Q. Will the sock patterns be knit like an MKAL (with clues and so on) or will we be able to see the designs before we start knitting (the full design with details, pictures, charts and all at once)?
A. They will be released as a whole design with all the details at once. So it’s perhaps more of a surprise than a MKAL 😉
Q. Once I purchase the collection, how will I get access to the patterns?
A. The Handmade Sock Society is a secret pattern club, which means that the sock patterns will be released one at a time. You’ll receive the first pattern on May 4th and then a new pattern every month until July!
If you buy the collection on Ravelry, the collection will be automatically updated with the new pattern in your Ravelry pattern library on each release day. When you buy the collection during the pre-sale period, you’ll find an Info Sheet in your library with all the details and release dates.
If you purchase the collection on Gumroad, you will get an email notification of each update.
Q. So how much does it cost?
A. Right now there is an early bird price of £10.75 until the first pattern is released on May 4th.
Q. Is that price for all the patterns?
A. YES! This price is for all 6 patterns, which is less than half of the cost of buying all the patterns separately.
Q. The email/blog post said it was £10.75, but the price is higher when you go to the Ravelry page, what’s going on?
A. The early bird price is £10.75 PLUS VAT if that applies (EU countries) – so depending on your country the price may appear differently. My apologies for any confusion, but this is beyond my control.
Q. Will there be advance information about yarn for each pattern?
A. Yes! All of the patterns will use sock yarn/4 ply/fingering weight yarn, but the samples will be using some very delicious yarns and I know many of you enjoy learning about sample yarn. For those of you who love to yarn shop or want some inspiration for stash diving, I’ll be posting yarn info in a spoiler thread in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group. There will be some serious enabling going on, so don’t say I didn’t warn you! But if you’re like me and have a big sock yarn stash, you’ll be able to make a nice dent in it with these patterns.
Q. I don’t have access to hand-dyed yarn, will commercial yarns look good with these patterns?
A. While we love to get excited about indie-dyers, lots of knitters use regular commercial sock yarn to make beautiful socks! I want you to use whatever yarn that works for you, in whatever colours you love.
Q. What types of yarn will work best for these patterns?
Usually, a wool-based yarn with a strong twist and either a percentage of nylon will make a good sturdy sock yarn. But people have been knitting socks before nylon existed, so you can really use anything you like. Single-ply yarns are very soft and socks knit with them may be prone to holes, so maybe save those skeins for shawls. With designs that have more complex patterns like lace, very wildly variegated or self-striping yarn can sometimes obscure the stitch detail a bit, but that doesn’t really matter: your socks will still look beautiful, still be cosy, and still make you smile every time you pull on a pair you knit with your own hands.
Q. How difficult are the patterns?
A. While intermediate and advanced knitters will find these designs exciting, I’ve designed the patterns to be suitable even for beginners, if you’re willing to be a little adventurous! With six patterns to work through and a supportive community, I am confident that most knitters can participate fully, at their own pace, as long as you promise to be patient with yourself during the tricky parts. If you buy the collection and find it is not suitable for you when the patterns come out then I’ll be happy to reimburse you.
Q: Can I knit these socks two at a time?
A: Yes! The patterns are primarily written for magic loop, so it’s simple to do two at a time. (And if you’re a one-at-a-time DPN knitter, they are easy to adapt!)
Q: Are these socks knit from the top down or toe up?
A. This time they’re all top-down patterns.
Q. What size are these socks?
A. Based on feedback from the wonderful Curious Handmade community, I’ve decided to offer all six patterns in three different adult sizes, Small, Medium, and Large. They will be 56, 64, 72 stitches, or close to that depending on stitch patterns.
Q. Do we need to finish each pair of socks before the next one is released? My queue is already too long but I don’t think I can resist this secret society!
A. That’s a great question! There is no pressure to finish each pair of socks on any specific timeline and we have knitters of all different speeds. At the rate of one pair of socks a month it should be easy to keep up if you are an every-day knitter but I totally understand that we want to work on lots of different projects. Oh yes, and have things like work to do as well! You can knit as many pairs of socks as you like during the season and the patterns will be yours forever, so you can take your time…we encourage always knitting at your own pace so that you can savour the experience.
Q. Okay, I’m sold, how do I join?
A. Hooray! I’m glad you asked! Just buy a copy of The Sock Society ebook on Ravelry or Gumroad, and you’re in! The community part of the Society is amazing too, so if you really want to get the most out of membership, be sure to join the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group and follow these hashtags on Instagram: #THSS5 #TheHandmadeSockSociety5, #TheHandmadeSockSociety. It’s so lovely to knit along with like-minded makers, and there’s a lot of inspiration and support to be found.
So, to sum it all up:
- Membership in The Handmade Sock Society 5 grants you access to six stunning knitted sock patterns which will be released one every month until October.
- The patterns will remain completely exclusive to Society members until the session ends.
- The Handmade Sock Society 5 collection is available at a special early bird price for just a short time.
- The early bird price is £10.75 (+ applicable VAT for EU countries – Ravelry automatically adds this in). This includes all SIX sock designs and works out to less than half price of the patterns individually.
- The early bird ends when the first pattern is released and the regular price will be £15 (+VAT for EU countries)
- All the designs are written for fingering weight/4 ply/sock yarn, so this will be an excellent stashbuster for many!
- If you do want to treat yourself to new yarn or just want some inspiration, I will post yarn spoilers on Ravelry before each pattern is released so you can shop or stash dive to find the perfect yarn for your socks.
- The patterns are all for knitted socks. Most will be confident beginner level but one or two will require more intermediate skills.
- The patterns will be written in the Curious Handmade Percentage Checklist Pattern™ format and I will include charts for lace.
How to Join The Handmade Sock Society 5:
Simply purchase The Handmade Sock Society 5 ebook on Ravelry or Gumroad. No coupon code is needed to get the special early bird pricing: the collection will be automatically available at the discounted price on Ravelry (for a short time only.)
(Please check that you are logged into Ravelry if you are a member when you purchase to make sure all the patterns are automatically downloaded to your library)
This is a pre-sale. When you purchase your membership you will receive an information sheet that will be replaced by the first pattern when it is released on Thursday the 4th of May, and then joined by five more patterns, released once a month.
Hopefully, this email has answered all your questions and you’re ready to dive right in. But if you still have questions, just drop me a line at support@curioushandmade.com! I’d love to hear from you and I’ll do my best to get you whatever information you need.
If you’re not on the Curious Handmade Newsletter list, now is a very good time to join! I’ll be sending out information on a special launch giveaway we’re doing and more information on how to make the most of your Handmade Sock Society experience.
Plus, it would just be lovely to have you along.
