Designer Spotlight: Ho Ho Ho Slipper Socks by Lesley Richards

Most knitters have a disaster story or two from their beginner projects. Lesley Richards refers to hers as the “Mega Sock.” She only knit the one, which was big enough to fit both of her feet, and kept it as a reminder to always check gauge.

These days, Lesley not only knits socks that fit, but has even designed a pair of her own. Her Ho Ho Ho Slipper Socks are a fun and festive way to keep feet warm during the holidays. Worked in the round from the toe up, the socks feature two different stranded colorwork patterns knit in our Vintage yarn. The sole is covered in a checkerboard design while the top of the foot says, “Ho Ho Ho”. The instructions are written so that you can easily adjust for different sizes and heights.

How did you come up with this design? 


I am always one for overt and obvious festiveness. I originally just wanted to make a pair of warm slipper socks but when I saw the red and green yarns I immediately decided the project needed to also be super festive.

Any interesting stories about your process?

This sample is actually the third iteration of the sock. The first two attempts were made up as I went and the “Ho”s were either massively too big or hard-to-read, too small. My husband found it hilarious hearing me complaining about my “Ho”s during those attempts. It wasn’t until I actually took the time to chart it out that I finally got a good proportion to the “Ho”s.

How did you decide on the yarn? 


I chose Berrocco Vintage yarn because the colours were perfect, it is soft, warm and fairly durable since I expect them to get a lot of use! The weight of the yarn was ideal because it meant it would be warm and would also be a fairly quick knit. The surprise bonus was how well the yarn stood up after getting knit and frogged repeatedly.

If you could knit something for anyone in the world it would be…? 


My grandmothers. I didn’t really get into knitting until after they had passed away. They were both avid knitters and I wish so much that I could have shared this with them while they were still alive.

Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.