In case you've ever wondered what we're knitting, the answer this month is Debbie Tomkies' stunning Feet First lace socks - and we're all having a go.

Here at Simply Knitting HQ we're surrounded by crafty people so once a week we take over the sofas in the canteen and settle down for a lunchtime of chat - and a little bit of craft. There's some sewing, some cross stitching...



..and quite a lot of knitting! Having had a sneak preview of Debbie's gorgeous pattern, Mim, our new production editor, and I immediately ordered some yarn and set to.

The rest of the gang were highly entertained by my fumbled attempts at doing a neat crochet cast on (turns out it doesn't matter: it sort of evens itself out in once you've knit a few rows) but once the sock had got to the lace, interest shifted a bit.

"Is it difficult to do?" one voice asked.

"I've always wanted to knit socks..." said another.

"Can I borrow some sock needles?" asked a third.

And then we were off! Balls of yarn and sock needles were turning up on desks all over the building, from accounts to IT support, and a fierce debate is developing: DPNs or Magic Loop?



Although we can't fit all of you into our canteen, we'd love to invite you all to join us in our Simply Knitalong, so we've put Debbie's pattern up on our website, ready for you to download, and we're getting ready to interview our sock knitters, beginners and experts alike to find any useful tips or tricks they've discovered as they work their way through the pattern.

We'd love to hear how you're getting on, so why not email us at the ususal address simplyknitting@futurenet.co.uk and tell us how it's going. Let us know which yarn you're using or weigh in on the DPNs vs two circulars vs Magic Loop debate. Send us a picture of you and your sock, or just drop us a line to tell us about a great sock knitting tip. We'll put the best ideas up on our blog, so if you've got a website, don't forget to mention it in the email!

Download your free sock pattern (PDF) and join the Simply Knitting team in our first Simply Knitalong!

This lacey sock pattern, designed by Debbie Tomkies, is a great first toe-up sock pattern. The lace pattern is simple enough for a beginner to grasp, but interesting enough to keep more advanced knitters entertained. It's a great all-round pattern and produces a lovely finished item - perfect, we thought, for our first ever Simply Knitalong.

DT Craft & Design's gorgeous hand-dyed sock yarn is 90% stunningly soft alpaca and 10% hard-wearing nylon. It knits up to form a firm material which is soft against the skin and has a slight halo, making these some of the most luxurious socks around: a real treat for your feet. It's hand-dyed by the designer in unique colourways including




Feet First by Debbie Tomkies is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

This competition has now closed. You can find out more about other knitting and craft shows, or starting planning for Stitch & Craft 2009 at TwistedThread .

This competition has now closed but you can find lots of Lang yarns and patterns over at Art Yarn.

This competition has now closed but you can find a Stylecraft stockist near you by calling 01535 609798.

This competition has now closed but you a Clover stockist near you by contacting Viridian Trading online or by calling  0117 300 5211.