Hi Christine! How are you today? What’s on your needles at the moment?
I’m great, thank you! I’ve always got a few things on my needles and they’re usually socks! Currently, I’m knitting a pair of socks for myself in my Autumn Leaves colourway, a pair of socks for my husband for Christmas (shh! It’s a secret!), I’m part-way through designing a sock pattern which I’m hoping will help to raise funds for my youngest daughter’s trip to Japan with the Guides next year and there’s always an Emergency Sock in my car in case I get stuck in a queue or I have to wait somewhere. My Emergency Socks are always Basic 4ply Socks, which are easy to pick up and put down again but mean that I’m never left without something to do!

Aside from socks, what’s your favourite type of project to knit?
You mean there are other things that you can knit? Seriously, I very rarely knit anything other than socks but I do sometimes venture to knit shawls, cowls, mitts and there’s a partly-knitted jumper lurking in a project bag somewhere!

What made you want to teach people to knit socks?
It was all very impulsive – I had been told too many times in the same week that socks were too hard to knit and I decided that I was going to show people that it wasn’t, and that’s how my Sockalong tutorials came about! I am a trainer by background and I love it when someone gets that “lightbulb moment”, and it’s the same with showing people how to knit socks. People want to knit socks for so many reasons and it’s been really lovely to know that I’ve been able to help them achieve their sock goals. I don’t regret my impulsive moment at all!

We love your range of West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply yarn, what was the inspiration behind the colourways?
Thank you! I love the colourways too, but I know that I’m a bit biased! The first collection is inspired by my Winwick Mum blog and the things that I write about or do: Hidden Gem is inspired by an amethyst tumblestone that I carry in my pocket; Seascape is the part of North Wales where I went for childhood holidays; Wildflower is the walks I take with the dog and Brightside is about looking for the positive. The second collection is called Seasons and each of the yarns was inspired by a different season and what it means to me: Spring Green as the world starts to wake up after the winter; Summer Sunset by those glorious evenings after a hot summer day; Autumn Leaves by the changing colours as the weather gets colder and Winter Icicle by a very special birthday trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden where I realised that winter is more than just grey (or white if you’re lucky enough to see the snow)! There are stories behind all of the patterns that go with the yarns too, and they’re on the blog.

We’re featuring the Zoom socks from your Happy Feet collection this issue, but which is your favourite pattern from the group?
Well, that’s like asking me to choose a favourite child! I love all of my patterns and Zoom was the first one of the Happy Feet collection to be designed so it does have a special place in my heart, but I also love the way that mosaic knitting created the clever patterns in Roar and Maze almost without me having to think about them, and Hive is colourwork which is always good fun … see, I told you I couldn’t choose a favourite!

Do you prefer magic loop, DPNs or short circulars to knit socks?
Always short circulars, and my needle of choice is a 30cm one, which is a little bit longer than many people choose to work with but is just right for me. I do use magic loop and DPNs from time to time, though, and always for my sock heels and toes as they can get a bit fiddly on short circulars, and I think it’s always a good idea to be able to use all of the techniques just so that you have choices if you need them.

Find the pattern to knit these socks in Knit Now Issue 150

What’s your top tip for anyone who’s reluctant to start knitting socks or has struggled in the past?
Use my Sockalong tutorials! Joking aside, I think that a lot of people talk themselves out of knitting socks before they start because they look at a photo and decide that it’s too hard without seeing the pattern. I would say trust the pattern, do exactly what it says, do read ahead a little bit so that you know what’s coming but don’t overthink it before you get there because sometimes you can’t visualise it until that part is in your hands – and I think this is true for any knitted project, not just socks. Other than that, just jump in because you’ve nothing to lose. You might have to unravel and start again, but the experience is never wasted and cosy socks on your feet are always worth the effort!

What’s your favourite type of yarn to knit with?
West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply! You might think that I would say that, but I had been using Signature 4-ply for quite some time before I got to know the lovely folks at WYS and right from the beginning, it had ticked all the boxes for me. It’s great quality, great value, a lovely range of colours (including Winwick Mum ones too, now!), British yarn manufactured by a family company employing local people, and it’s a really good yarn for beginners because it is very tolerant of being unravelled and re-knitted. I absolutely love it!

Don't Miss Our Sock Special!

Knit Now Issue 150 includes the pattern for Christine's Zoom socks as well as her top tips to help you get started in knitting socks, plus two more must-have sock patterns to try! It's our biggest issue ever, packed full of patterns and inspiration.