A Sock Knitting Weekend - Stylecraft Head over Heels Sock Yarn Review

It's been a sock knitting kind of weekend...

Stylecraft - Head over Heels Sock Yarn (Shade: Olympus) 

I haven't knit socks in ages, but a return to sock knitting has been on the cards for some time. Having picked up two skeins of Stylecraft Head over Heels sock yarn on a whim some time late last year, I finally got round to starting on my socks this weekend. 

I am pleased to say, the first sock is now finished (I always knit them individually) and presently blocking on a makeshift cardboard sock blocker. Looking at my homemade sock shaper, I think it's fair to admit that the instep section will have to go on a diet.

Sock Blocking in progress (on homemade cardboard sock shaper)

Today, I am planning to cast-on for sock number 2.

I am not following a pattern or attempting to produce anything fancy with this project. Instead, I wanted to get back into sock knitting by starting off with a simple, ankle-length, top-down stockinette stitch sock with a ribbed cuff. 

This project is predominantly an exercise in (re-)familiarising myself with basic sock anatomy, revisiting sock construction techniques (turning the heel / picking up stitches / working toe decreases) and the calculation of measurements to achieve a good, personal fit. 

All in all, a fun, simple and quick knit, which, most importantly, allows me to knit a portable project on small needles. I have just finished a condo knitting, openwork project with mohair yarn, the Winter's End Scarf, on size 2mm and size 8mm straight needles, using Yeoman's Elsa mohair fingering weight yarn, which comes on a cone, and was thus confined to my work desk to accommodate the cone and the growing mohair scarf for the duration of this project. The current sock project certainly feels like a relief in this respect. I can even knit this project standing up.

Now, after completing sock number one with my first skein of Stylecraft Head over Heels, I wanted to share my experience of knitting with this sock yarn, especially after reading some of the reviews of the yarn on the web and on Ravelry. 

Stylecraft Head over Heels Sock Yarn Review

I am not sure whether Head over Heels and the shade I purchased has been discontinued by now. I purchased my skeins late last year and the shade (Olympus) was discounted at the time. Having checked earlier today, the yarn is still available in a variety of yarn shops but on the manufacturer's website it appears that some shades are now discontinued, whilst others remain available.

When it was first released by Stylecraft, Head over Heels was a much anticipated yarn. Looking around for opinions and reviews by other knitters, it appears that it does receive mainly mixed reviews. Some knitters are happy, some commented on the presence of knots in their skeins and others highlighted the excessive amount of dye leaching out when first washing their finished projects. 

Having decided to dry block my finished sock on a homemade sock blocker for the time being, I cannot comment on the latter though would assume that a certain amount of dye bleed is to be expected and will be a temporary phenomenon, especially when choosing the darker shades. I am also pleased to say, that I haven't come across any knots in my skein thus far. 

In terms of its composition, Head over Heels is made from 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon, which appears to be the standard for sock yarns in this price range and segment of the market. Having said that, when comparing the feel of Head over Heels to Opal's Schafpate, a yarn with the same composition and in a similar price range, I get the impression that Head over Heels has less of a woolly texture and it looks shinier. 

Stylecraft Head over Heels Sock Yarn - Will it result in matching socks?

Composition aside, let's talk about the all important colour changes. If the experience with my skein of Head over Heels in Olympus (a mix of pinks, orange, red, grey and white) is anything to go by, I would point out that the yarn changes colours in solid blocks, resulting in longer stretches of predominantly one colour at a time, which is interrupted by a very limited amount of striping in some parts of the finished sock. Don't expect a lot of self-striping effect with this yarn though. It's more that the colour changes fade in and out of the main colour block. 

In itself, this is not a problem and, if you you want to avoid a sock yarn with too many abrupt colour changes, Head over Heels may actually be a good candidate. Yet, I have to point out that, given the intervals of the colour changes of my first skein, it is extremely unlikely that I will be able to knit two matching (or at least closely matching)  ankle - length socks with this yarn. 

As you can see in the image of the sock below, the piece started off with approximately one round of a pale grey colour right after casting on at the cuff of the sock. After the first two complete rounds, the grey colour suddenly disappeared and was never to be seen again for the remainder of this sock. 

And as you can see from the images of started skein below, the grey colour is about to return again after a solid stretch of pink. I expect the grey colour to be back on the needle at just about the mid-cuff section of sock number 2 and for what appears to be quite a solid stretch. 

I think it's therefore unlikely that the colour repeats of the finished socks will in any way match one another as the colour repeats vary so drastically. This is not a big deal for me and I actually enjoy seeing how the variegation of colours develops. 

In fact, I might actually manage to knit a third sock from the skein and thus end up with a matching pair after all. However, sock knitters, who are keen to produce matching socks (and a lot of them are), may wish to consider the above and opt for an alternative yarn with more predictable and regular colour changes or buy several skeins of the yarn at once. 

All in all, it's certainly a nice yarn to work with and the quality is what you would expect from a product in this price range, though competitor yarns, as mentioned above, seem to achieve a more natural texture with a real woollen feel. That aside, Head over Heels is sadly unlikely to give you the matching sock experience without knitting at least two pairs of socks, i.e. four socks. This would in turn enable you to colour match the individual socks. For this you would likely require at least two skeins of the yarn in the same shade.