Book Review: The Art of Crochet with Sock Weight Yarn
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Note: All pictures in this posted are used with the author's permission.
I picked up The Art of Crochet with Sock Weight Yarn by Kaitlin Ostafew of Sass & Stitch because I'm always looking for a good reason to buy more hand-dyed sock yarn, and I wanted to see if the patterns actually lived up to that reason. Short answer: they do.
What's in it
This is a crochet pattern book built entirely around fingering and sock weight yarn, the kind usually reserved for knitters or left sitting in a stash after a sock project. Kaitlin's whole premise is that this yarn deserves crochet patterns designed specifically for it, not crochet versions of patterns meant for something heavier. The book has fifteen patterns split into three sections. There's a One-Skein Patterns section for quick projects, a Two Skeins or More section for garments and bigger accessories, and a Minis, Sock Sets and Scraps section built for people who buy mini skein sets and then don't know what to make with them. There's also an intro section on working with hand-dyed yarn and a feature on indie dyers, which is a nice touch if you're newer to that side of the yarn world and want some background before you dive in.
Skill levels range from easy to complex, and sizing on the garments goes up to nine adult sizes, meaning size inclusive sizing throughout. Everything in it is built around fingering or sock weight yarn, and most patterns note that any similar-weight yarn will work as long as you match gauge, so you're not locked into buying the exact yarn shown in the photos.
Where the book earns its keep
There are fifteen patterns in here, and I'm not going to walk through all of them. Instead, here are my favorites that I think you should check out!
I made the Eloise Hair Bow because it was perfect for my daughter. She wore it to Magic Kingdom, where it matched her Disney ear headband perfectly, and it stayed put in her hair all day. It's worked in two pieces, a bow and a wrap, joined and tied onto a hair tie, so you get a real bow shape without any wire. It's also a one-skein pattern, so it comes together fast. From what I've seen, it's one of the most popular patterns in the whole book, and it's easy to see why. Simple as it is, it's a good example of the book's whole approach: take a small amount of pretty yarn and make something that actually looks finished, not just quick.
The Choose Your Adventure Cardi is a stunner, and it's the pattern that sold me on the book. It's a granny square cardigan built from mini squares, assembled with a join-as-you-go method instead of the usual pile of squares you sew together at the end. It's designed specifically to use up full skeins, mini skeins, and scraps together, which is exactly the problem most sock yarn hoarders have. Graded across nine sizes, it's a serious garment, not a token one.
The Dragonfly Twist Wrap is worth mentioning because it looks far more complicated than it is. It's built on a simple two-row repeat, worked as one long rectangle and seamed at the ends, with the twist shape coming from how you sew it together after. If you want something that reads as advanced but works up easy, this is it. It's also the pattern I think is the most underrated in the book. It doesn't get talked about nearly as much as it deserves.
The Color Wheel Pillow is the one pattern in the book rated complex, and it earns that rating. It's a full colorwork project, worked as two round panels then seamed around the rim. It's not a beginner project, but it's the best use I've seen for a mini skein set, and the finished pillow looks like something out of a design catalog.
What to know before you buy
This isn't a beginner-only book. A few patterns, the Color Wheel Pillow especially, ask for colorwork experience, so if you're brand new to crochet you'll want to start with the one-skein section and work up. It's also worth knowing going in that this book is a love letter to indie-dyed yarn specifically. That said, the yarn doesn't have to be hand-dyed. There are more budget-friendly fingering and sock weight options that work just as well if you're not ready to invest in indie skeins yet.
Sock/Fingering Weight Yarn Suggestions
Note: some of these may be affiliate links.
$$ Purl Soho - Stormy Superwash or Line Weight
Final Thoughts
This is one of the few crochet books I've seen that treats sock weight yarn as its own thing worth designing for, instead of just scaling down a worsted weight pattern. The patterns are genuinely varied, the sizing range is generous, and there's something in here whether you've got one leftover skein or a full mini set waiting for a project. I'd recommend it.
A signed copy is available through Sass & Stitch for $22.99. For fifteen patterns, that's the price of three or four individual patterns. At that price, it's a steal.
