It's been storming like crazy here the last few days. Pouring buckets and windy skies galore so you know what that means right....perfect weather for sock knitting my friends! I'm sitting by the fire, sipping hot coffee, (hoping the power won't go out), and working on my Arne & Carlos toe up + afterthought heel socks! 

The yarn I'm using is from the Schachenmayr Regia Arne + Carlos Design line of self patterning yarn! It's supposed to resemble fair isle when knit up and it's seriously a ton of fun & addicting! My colorway is #3764 (Orchard) from series #2. I have to admit, I love the fair isle patterning a ton more in series #1 but I'm not dissatisfied with my colorway. It's just not as fair isle looking IMO. Or it could be my needle size.

I find that the smaller needle you go on this yarn the better patterning look you get. I had to go down to 2.25mm which is my max. I refuse to knit on 2.00mm. I know....they are socks and I sound silly but I'm already getting finger/hand cramps using these bad boys. What can I say - my happy place is 4.00mm and up....lol. Usually for socks though I stick to between 2.75mm and 3.25mm and have been happy. 

Now for my socks I chose to knit up a vanilla pair of socks and am using the Magic Loop Method. Nice and plain and simple but not boring...lol. I decided to mix things up a bit and step on the wild side and try a new heel! This time round I'm adventuring into the afterthought heel and it's seriously awesome! I'm having tons of fun with it! You basically knit the whole sock and then go back and pick up and knit your heel from this handy little method of putting your sts on some waste yarn! So cool! 

One thing that I've done is that I love to be able to try my socks on as you go to adjust the calf increases etc so I've already picked up "my heel" opening to create a stirrup like look. This way I can now try my sock on as I go and get a more accurate feel for the fit and sizing of my sock as I knit. I will continue knitting the sock until I finish my cuff and then come back and knit the heel. So fun! 

I have to admit opening up that heel was a tad nerve-wracking but it was also a great time! I love learning something new and this fit the bill. Nothing too crazy but enough interest to keep me excited! I also did a new toe cast-on this time round too! I normally do the Turkish Toe Cast-On but this time I tried Judy's Magic Cast-On and I'm converted! Love it! It sort of mimics a figure eight and I enjoyed doing it much more than the Turkish Toe and I'm happy with the results. Thank you You-Tube! Lol! 

I can't wait until I get to go back and do the heel. It's gonna be like dessert to the sock...lol. I love a good bit of excitement at the end of a fun knit! I also cannot wait to wear these! I've been drooling all over the ones I've spotted over on Susan B. Anderson's podcast (If you aren't already a fan of the Susan B. Anderson podcast check it out - she's got tons of great IG pics of her Arne & Carlos socks and chats a bit about what she's done for hers on her blog/podcast) and then I saw my friend Summer's pair in real life and was sold. I went quickly to my LYS - Beehive Wool Shop, and picked up the cheerful skein I'm using.

I can't wait to make more! I will definitely be curling up by the fire this holiday season in my new socks with another Arne & Carlos pair on the needles as well!

SOME HELPFUL LINKS

• Judy's Magic Cast-On
• Afterthought Heel Tutorial and this free pattern.
• Schachenmayr Regia Arne & Carlos Yarn (ravelry link) - I used colorway #3764 from series 2.
• Magic Loop Method

Have you tried the Arne & Carlos yarn before? Have you don the afterthought heel? Any tips? Coffee's on...come chat!