Vanilla Cupcake Socks

One of my first indie dyer loves was from Germany, Herbstblatt Regina.  The speckles that this dyer produced were awe-inspiring.  When I finally ordered – just once – I bought three skeins of yarn for socks.  And then, shortly thereafter, Herbstblatt Regina stopped dyeing.  I was devastated.  Since then, I’ve been hesitant to use the yearn – because once it’s gone, it’s gone.  But I finally had to knit with it – so here are my Vanilla Cupcake Socks.

The Yarn

This yarn base is  a 75/25 but is unlike any other 75/25 base I’ve ever felt.  It’s a much woolier feeling base, meaning these will be great for winter.  With that in mind, I decided to make these taller than my usual short, Texas socks.  

This colorway actually came with a bright pink mini that I missed until it was too late!  I’ll have to use that mini for my next pair of Herbstblatt Regina socks!  

The Pattern 

I relied on my formula from Charlene Schurch for these socks.  Given this yarn is a bit thicker than my usual sock yarn, I went up to a 2.5 mm needle.  That felt strange!  

And I continue to play with numbers to find the perfect sock fit for me.  I think I’m getting close…

Details

Pattern:  Basic Top Down Socks with Heel Flap by Charlene Schurch

Yarn:  Herbstblatt Regina Oak Sock

Colorway: Vanilla Cupcake

Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Made for: me

Time to Completion: 1.5 months

These were so much fun to knit!  The speckles are so amazing.  The pops of gold, yellow, and pink are just delightful!  

I cast on 72 stitches on a slightly larger needle, a US 2, and then switched to the 1.5 mm.  After the cuff, I decreased my stitches to 70 and then, after the heel, to 68.  I’m really liking how those numbers work for my feet.  For the heel, I did an eye of partridge pattern, which is quickly becoming my favorite.

And I can’t wait to knit with my other skeins of Herbstblatt Regina!