Sock Lab, Round Two: Stripe Tease

I was chomping at the bit to start this pattern the moment I discovered it.  The brilliant General Hogbuffer has come up with a technique and recipe that is intuitive, easy to modify, and perfect for a variety of uses like finding a good way to show off variegated yarn, or using up leftovers.  I didn't do either, choosing yarn very similar to his own choice, and the results were spectacular:

The concept is blessedly simple: work the cuff in your usual stitch count + six. The extra six stitches are selvedge.  Knit one stripe in the flat, from cuff to toe, with a slipped stitch edge.  Then pick up stitches when you are done with one stripe, and work the next stripe, joining as you go by incorporating the picked-up stitches.

I thought I hated picking up stitches, but with a slipped-stitch edge, it was really simple!  This technique opened up all sorts of possibilities in my brain, and the method is a really nice alternative to intarsia or shudder seaming.  The pattern Stripe Tease can be found for free on Ravelry.  I knitted these in Mary Maxim Step It Up yarn ("Tie-dyed" colorway) on 2.25mm needles.  The yarn was a pleasure to work with - splitty, as singles yarn always is, but with consistent thickness and fantastic cheery colors.  The label suggests hand-washing but there was no shrinkage (just a bit of fuzzing) when I washed these socks on cold/delicate and dried them on the gentlest setting.

I would totally knit this pattern again!  I already have plans for a few more pairs.