Highlighter Socks

So named by Aidan, who kept remarking on how bright these socks are. He has also noted that they are brighter in real life than these photos actually reflect.

I got it in my head at some point last fall to make some striped socks in neon yarn. (Neon yarn was a thing a year or two ago, and I like to come to trends as late as humanly possible.) This particular yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Brights in Pickle Juice, which is a neon yellow-green. The gray yarn is Stroll Solids in Ash. I used one ball of each to make these.

I made these for myself, using the same needles and same basic sock recipe that I typically use for myself. When I was about halfway through the first sock, Aidan asked me if they were for him. I said, “No. Why? Do you like them?” And he said, “Well, they are pretty masculine.” I took this to mean “yes, I like them” and felt a significant pang of guilt for keeping them to myself but forged ahead making them as planned anyway.

But through some twist of fate, these ended up too big for me. This is one of the constant mysteries of knitting. How can you make the same basic thing over and over, even using the same yarn base, and still end up with a random fit failure? Luckily for Aidan, they fit him very well. So he has a new pair of very bright socks, which he wore right away.

Luckily for me, I have another ball of the gray yarn and a ball of a hot purple neon yarn, so I can take a second stab at making myself some striped neon socks.