Making Refract

This month, I had the pleasure of kicking off my fall knitting with the Refract Socks from the newest edition of Making Magazine. With their pretty lace panels and ribbed wooly texture, they are the perfect combination of form and function for a fall wardrobe.

Pattern: Refract Socks by Rachel Coopey from Making No. 4 Lines
Materials: 2 skeins of Coop Knits Socks Yeah! in the Chryso colorway
Size Made: Small (6 ¼)
Modifications: I knit loosely, so I used size 0 needles to obtain the gauge, and I also made short row heels instead of the heels recommended in the pattern.

To make these socks, I used Socks Yeah! yarn for the first time, and I really enjoyed knitting with it. It is a light fingering weight yarn, and I usually use a heavier fingering weight yarn for socks. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the lighter yarn or not, but it ended up being ideal for this pattern, creating the perfect delicate lace panel at the back of the sock, and I love how slender the socks feel on my feet. Plus, there’s no need to worry about the socks being too thin to be durable because there is nylon in the yarn, which adds strength.

I’m a little bit of a serial sock knitter these days, so I’ve used several different sock patterns and the Refract Socks rank pretty high on my list of favorites. I think the lace panel looks really attractive on the back of the ankle, and it was not a difficult lace pattern to accomplish. It was just a series of yarn overs and decreases that was relatively easy to remember.

I also think this is one of the better-fitting sock patterns I’ve ever made, mostly due to the ribbing that goes all the way from the ankle cuff down through the top of the foot. These socks really hug your feet!

I ended up changing the heel on my refract socks, not because there is anything wrong with the pattern as written, but because I have made so many socks that I’ve developed an opinion about my favorite type of heel. The short row heel is my go-to-heel, and Arne and Carlos, who just visited us last month, have a nice tutorial on the short row heel here, if you’re interested in trying it out.

Because of the combination of the ribbing, the lace panel, and the lightweight yarn, the Refract Socks are not a quick knit, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to whip up a pair of them over the weekend for a last-minute gift. They are an extremely satisfying knit though because they look and feel stunning when they’re finished, so I would recommend knitting them now and saving them for a very special person’s holiday gift. They’ll be the luckiest (and best-dressed) person this winter!