Socks!

I love knitting socks!

Those who knit socks - and the blessed few that have sock knitters who love them enough to provide these practical luxuries - will tell you there's nothing like a made-to-fit, buttery-soft pair of hand-knit socks. Once you've worn a pair, you'll never like store-bought as well again. (Which is my answer to the perpetual "Why knit socks? You can buy 10 pair for $8 at Walmart.")

I put off sock projects for a long time... they intimidated me. I've been knitting for many years, but mostly stuck to simpler items. I could hardly imagine willingly casting tiny yarn onto itty-bitty needles and dealing with such mysterious ideas as "wrap and turn," "kitchener stitch," "super-stretchy cast on/bind off," "Judy's magic cast on" - not to mention the dpn-vs-circular and toe-up-vs-cuff-down controversies!

Eventually, I decided it was time to challenge myself and made a pair of worsted weight socks from some merino wool/bamboo/silk yarn I found in a bargain bin at Tuesday Morning. I used a very basic pattern - mostly stockinette with 2x2 ribbing from the ankle up, with an afterthought heel and toe... the least intimidating pattern I could find, with the exception of using the kitchener stitch to close the toe and heel. I thought they were beautiful (though now I'm sure I'd see nothing but flaws). I'd post a picture, but I gave them to Aunt Cheryl that Christmas.

I now have a couple dozen pair under my belt (not literally - that would be weird). I've mostly used wool and wool-blends, but also tried a pair from Loops & Threads Woolike acrylic. The softness of the finished product was nice, but there is very little elasticity... they're a bit saggy by the end of the day. This could probably be overcome with a different, more elastic stitch pattern if I ever decide to try them again.

Currently on the needles is Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock, in the color "Vegas Lights."

Fun, huh? There are other color combinations available, but this one grabbed my attention.

You can find this online at Premier Yarns. It's also available on Amazon, but only in 3-packs. Each skein is 50 g, which is enough for a single adult mid-calf sock. 

In my sock-knitting experiments, I eventually settled on toe-up knitting with a circular needle. Today I'm using a Knitter's Pride Karbonz Size 0, 12 inch needle I purchased at one of my favorite ever yarn shops, Happy Ewe Fibers of Jonestown, TX. I hope to find time to stop by again on our upcoming trip to Austin. If you're ever in the area, check them out - very friendly staff who are yarn artists rather than just salespeople, awesome selection, inviting atmosphere, and good prices (not Walmart prices, but not Walmart yarns either!). On my last visit I fell in love with their possum blend yarns from Australia - but that's a project for another post.

12 inches is a little short to be comfortable, but it's a good size for using in the car while traveling. I generally use a 16" or 24" at home. Using the longer needle makes it possible to try on your sock as you go without as much risk of dropping stitches. 

I'd suggest swatching before starting. You should swatch in the round, using the same needles and yarn you'll use for your sock. My gauge is 10 stitches and 15 rows per inch and you'll want to be close to that, but you don't have to be exact.

I don't really work from a pattern, per se... more of a recipe. Here's the recipe for my current pair:

Using the instructions for a single sock, use Judy's Magic Cast-On steps 1-10 to start the toe. I prefer to start with 12 stitches per needle rather than the 10 suggested. 

You should have your cast on row plus one round of knitting on your needles at this point. We'll begin shaping the toe with row 2, thus:

R2: Knit 1, make 1 right, knit 10, make 1 left, knit 1. Repeat.

R3: Knit.

R4: Knit.

R5: Knit 1, make 1 right, knit 12, make 1 left, knit 1. Repeat.

Continue in this manner, increasing every third row, until you have 32 stitches per needle (total of 64 stitches). If you have smaller feet, you can stop with 28 per needle, total of 56. If your store-bought socks are size 9-11, your socks will fit with either number. Just base your decision on how snug of a fit you prefer. Either way, choose a per needle stitch count divisible by 4.

Try on your sock toe. It should be loose enough to wiggle your toes easily, but not baggy. If it's not, rework it with a different pair of needles to correct the fit (ah, the power of swatching). It may hurt your feelings to frog it, but there's no sense in knitting socks you won't wear because they're uncomfortable... that defeats the best purpose for knitting socks in the first place!

You want to continue knitting rounds until the toe portion extends to the base of your big toe. Don't just hold the sock up to your foot to gauge this - try it on. You'll find the sock gets shorter and wider on your foot, so "eyeballing" it just doesn't work.

When the toe is complete, we'll begin the patterned section. 

With this brightly colored and highly patterned yarn, there's no point in a complicated stitch pattern - you wouldn't be able to see it clearly anyway. I've chosen a broken rib variation to help the sock hug my foot. The pattern doesn't continue all the way around at this point, but is only found on the top of the foot.

The pattern is a 4 row repeat

R1: Knit 1, *purl 2, knit 2,* repeat * section until 1 stitch remains on first needle, knit 1. Knit all stitches on sole of foot.

R2: Repeat Row 31.

R3: Knit all stitches.

R4: Repeat Row 3.

Continue in pattern, trying on sock from time to time. When the sock reaches the front edge of your ankle bone, it's time to start your heel.

Begin by knitting 14 rows on only your second needle. This extends the sole of your sock past the upper by about an inch. At this point, it's time to begin short row shaping of the heel cup. There are many tutorials for doing this online, but one of the best I've found is from Silver's Sock Class. Follow her instructions, but stop her "Step 4" when 11 stitches remain unwrapped, ending on a purl row. Next, follow her "Step 5" until you have picked up all wraps.  Do not continue with her instructions past this point - we are making a gusseted sock and she is not.

There's a bit of leeway in the gusset rounds. Starting from the just-completed heel, pick up stitches along the edge of the gusset while working toward the patterned front section. Pick up one stitch per gusset row, but also pick up a couple extra at each end of the gusset section. Knit in pattern across the front/top of the sock, then pick up the same number of stitches on the opposite gusset. I try to end up with 16-18 stitches on each side. Knit until you reach the patterned section, then arrange your stitches so only the patterned stitches are on needle one and all gusset and heel stitches are on needle two. 

Gusset section (3 row repeat):

Row 1: Knit in pattern for needle 1. Knit all stitches on needle 2.

Row 2: Repeat Row 1.

Row 3: Knit in pattern for needle 1. Knit 1, SSK, knit until 3 stitches remain, K2T, knit 1.

Repeat until 32 stitches remain on each needle. 

Now we'll work the leg in pattern. You may need to knit across the heel another row or two until reaching a k2, p2 row on the top of the sock. When you do, work the pattern all the way around. Continue until the leg is approximately the same length as the foot (feel free to adjust if you prefer shorter or taller socks). Try it on to decide if you like the height.

There's no need to work a different ribbing pattern because the body of the sock is already a rib knit. One of the problems many beginner sock knitters struggle with is the bind off... if you're not careful, you can end up with a sock that fits perfectly everywhere else, but you can't pull the top of it over your heel. Yikes!

I use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. It allows extra stretch right where you need it. 

Weave in your ends (weave vertically rather than horizontally to prevent tightness at the cuff).

The weird shape of the heel isn't real, I promise - it's just folded strangely in the photo.

Happy knitting!

*For some reason, the hot links don't seem to be working today. Here they are for copy/paste:

Premier Yarn: https://www.premieryarns.com/products/pwoolfrsk?variant=24360096838

Same yarn on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Premier-Yarn-3-Pack-Vegas-Lights/dp/B00DN4KYN8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486753223&sr=8-2&keywords=vegas+lights+yarn

Happy Ewe Fibers (yarn shop in Jonestown, TX): https://www.happyewefibers.com/

Judy's Magic Cast-On Tutorial: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html

Short Row Heel Tutorial (Part One): http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/2mlsocks_heel.htm

Short Row Heel Tutorial (Part Two): http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/2mlsocks_heel2.htm

Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off Tutorial: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php