Make Those Stripes Move!

This is the first in a series of posts recommending patterns for self-striping sock yarns.  We are saying goodbye to ONline sock yarns in the Online ONline Summer Sock-Stravaganza.  Join us!

Although many people like self-patterning sock yarn because it does all the work for you, some people require a jazzier pattern to keep themselves interested.  When I sat down to think about what pattern I would want to use with self-striping sock yarn, the first one that came to mind was Jaywalker socks.

Jaywalkers were one of the first big, viral sock patterns years ago when sock knitting was THE thing.  I made a pair, which unfortunately I did not photograph before giving away.

It's a fun knit that keeps things simple enough that you definitely won't need a pattern after the first few rounds.  The dramatic zig zag effect really highlights everything that's wonderful about those self-patterning yarns.

For crochet socks, unfortunately the selection of free patterns is a little more limited.  Don't worry, though...I still found some good ones!  This week's recommendation is Survival Socks.

I love how the stripes are vertical on the cuff and horizontal on the foot.  That's something that would be pretty fussy to do with knitting, but it's pretty simple with crochet :)  Be aware that this pattern is written using UK crochet terms, which means when they say double crochet, they mean what US crocheters call single crochet.  Here's a great post from Craftsy that outlines the differences to look out for.