Rows Red

Title: The Joy of Sox
List Price: $22.95
Amazon Price: $15.61
Binding: Hardcover, spiralbound, 176 pages
Publisher: Lark Books (October 6, 2009)
Variety: Focused
Sizing: Specialty
Value Ratio: Inexpensive
Stamina: High
Clarity: High

The Joy of Sox

It’s been quite a while since a sock book has come out where I say to myself, “I like that, and that, and that, and that…” The Joy of Sox by Linda Kopp, released earlier this month, was a very pleasant addition to such good company as Knitting Socks with Hand Painted Yarn and Sensational Knitted Socks.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers

Whenever I take a drive to one of our “metro” areas I try and stop in a Barnes & Noble so I can power preview through a stack of knitting and crochet books. I didn’t have high hopes for Joy of Sox, not given the pair they chose to showcase on the cover, but once I opened it I slowed down to carefully consider every single pattern. That’s how good it is.

Roll in the Hay (Picture could be better, check Ravelry for better closeups.)

I’ll start with the elephant in the room. Yes, the book is a kitchsy poke at The Joy of Sex. The names of the socks are tastefully romance or lust themed, and there are sometimes cheesy blurbs and survey answers that mix sock knitting or yarn and sock knitter’s often noted passion for the pastime. The cutesy-ness of the premise is laid on a little thick for my taste, but I found it easily ignored after a few minutes. Other readers may love the fun premise, so I don’t hold it against the book. Peppered through out the book are several truly interesting short essays and tutorials by the designers who contributed patterns.

Afternoon Delight

The Joy of Sox does have a fairly substantial how-to section at the beginning of the book, and it’s well done as a basic tutorial. However, I would have liked to see more than just the DPN method of knitting socks explored. The patterns in the book are written for women only, no men’s or (obviously) children’s socks here. As someone who knits socks only rarely for either of those groups, I’m very pleased with this fact, more socks for me to choose from! The styles represented trend very strongly towards highly patterned socks that are more challenging to knit; color-work, lace, and cabled patterns abound. There are no basic rib or beginner socks here. There are only a few patterns in the book that don’t tempt me; mostly the two toe-less socks, and a couple of the more fussy color-work offerings. For a book with over 30 patterns, that’s quite an accomplishment.

From Russia with Love

Linda Kopp really drew the cream of the crop when she chose her designers, and they pulled out all the stops. Page after page I see socks that are exquisitely detailed, and I linger over the photos of their details every time I open the book. Standouts were chosen for the photo content of this review. A note to those who are heading over to Ravelry to look at the patterns, almost a third of them aren’t loaded into the pattern section at this time.

Golden Dahlia

From a production standpoint, there’s a lot to love in this book. It’s hardover, which means it’s sturdy, and I don’t have to worry about creased covers. Even better, however, is what’s between the covers. Oh, sweet joy, it’s spiral bound! That paragon of craft book publishing virtue… the easily photocopied*, propped open, laying-flat-in-all-it’s-glory pattern book! It’s a beautiful thing. The photography is clear, not overwhelmingly artsy, and each sock is shown from several angles, something I know we all appreciate. How else would you know that the “Hot Waves” sock has such a very cool heel? The patterns are clearly written** and very well charted.

Boyfriend Socks

As many of you know, I can be pretty cheap sometimes. The Joy of Sox appeals to me also as an incredible value. There are 32 patterns in the book, so, at the Amazon price of just under $16, that’s less than .50cents a pattern. Fifty cents! You can’t beat that with a stick. If you like what you’ve seen here, I hope you’ll support the book*** by picking up a copy or adding it your wish list.

* For my own personal use as a carry around working copy.
** As always with a new book, rest assured there will be some errata discovered by the time you start knitting your first sock from the book. Do a search online first and save yourself trouble down the line.
*** I am not affiliated with the publisher, author, or any of the designers, and paid for my own copy of the book.

Tags: Reviews - Books