Something like 6 times a year, I pack a bag and head off to a yarn show to work on the stand of my best friend, Jennie, of Owl About Yarn. We stuff every last inch of space in her car (dubbed The Party Bus) with yarn, fibre, grid wall, and snacks and hit the road for a long weekend. Whilst I love the shows themselves, I must confess that the journey there and back again might just be my favourite part. At no other time can I look forward to several hours of us sitting down together, with nothing to do but chat.

This sock pattern is a knitted homage to our fibre journeys all over the UK. The slipped stitches make the most of busy yarns, and cabling them in different directions echoes us driving hither and thither around the country. It’s easy to memorise, simple to knit and presented in chart and written format. Jennie dyed up the colourway ‘Party Bus’ especially for this pattern. You can find her shop, Owl About Yarn, on etsy.

I would love to see your finished Hither & Thither Socks, so if you post a picture of them on social media, please use #hitherandthithersocks

Construction

• top-down
• heel flap and gusset

Techniques

• slipped stitches
• easy cables
• charted and written instructions
• kitchener stitch

Sizes

• 56, 64 & 72 stitches

Materials

• 400 metres / 437 yards of fingering weight yarn
• 2.25mm needles, or size needed to meet gauge
• stitch marker, tapestry needle, tape measure