DIY Backyard Checkers Board

Christmas tends to hog the spotlight when it comes to winter activities and knitting projects, but there is a lot more you can celebrate (and knit!) to keep yourself cozy and festive through the cold season. These winter sock knitting patterns are a lot of fun to knit and you can wear them for the holidays and beyond.

Most of these winter sock knitting patterns have colorwork on a winter theme, but your winter socks certainly don’t have to. Darling Jadore has some really cute Cozy Cabin Socks that are worked in worsted weight yarn and sized for the average adult woman (shoe size 6-9.5 US) that have contrasting cuffs, heels and toes, but that’s as colorful as they get. Of course you could work yours in a solid color or add stripes or whatever you like.

Another pretty winter sock without a winter motif is the Woodland Winter Sock form North Woods Knit Co1. This is actually a collection of three sock designs, all with lots of cable work and texture that makes them fun to knit and cozy to wear. Each pattern comes in four sizes, and while they’re not for beginners, you’ll pick up the stitch patterns quickly and they’ll become a pretty easy knit.

Snowflakes are a classic motif for all sorts of winter garments, and they’re a fun addition to socks, too. The Winter Magic Socks from Knitty Natty on Ravelry use fingering weight yarn and have a band of  colorwork with star-like snowflakes around the leg and beaded accents. A contrasting toe is optional. The pattern comes in three sizes for adults and has top down and toe up instructions, but it doesn’t include instructions for knitting the heels so you can choose the heel you like best.

For a bolder pattern try the winter socks from Sandra C Designs, which have Latvian braid accents as well as a traditional Fair Isle star. They call for two colors of fingering weight yarn and come in three sizes for large children to large adults.

How about some winter animals on your socks? Walking in a Winter Wonderland from Elizabeth Penney (find it on Ravelry) features reindeer and tree motifs on the leg and simple two-color designs on the foot. There’s a little bow at the cuff to help hold these long socks in place. Four sizes are available and the pattern is considered advanced because of all the colorwork.

In a similar vein and also available on Ravelry are the Winter Moose Socks by Renarde Endormie, with have a herd of moose circling the leg. These are worked with two colors in the round from the top down, with lots of colorwork on the leg and a mostly solid foot with trees and diamonds before the toe shaping. Three sizes are available.