Knit the Foot
Once you have reached the total number of stitches for the sock, it's time to knit the foot. For a simple stockinette sock, continue knitting even without increases in the round until the sock measures approximately 2 inches less than the desired foot length. See the Sizing Chart on p. 207 for a more precise chart of sizes. Once you complete the toe, you can add any patterning you like. See Chapter 2 for more information on how to choose stitch patterns to incorporate into your socks. If you...
Index
1 x 1 ribbing, 82, 100, 148, 157, 174 1 x 1 twisted ribbing, 141, 165 2 x 2 ribbing, 134, 145, 168-169 3 x 1 Garter Rib Socks project, 147-150 abbreviations, 206 Afterthought Heel, 72-73 Aran weight yarn, 5 baby booties, two-needle angora, 156-159 boot socks, worsted, 144-146 bulky weight yarn, 5 C4B left-leaning cable , 40 C4F right-leaning cable , 41 cable, 40-41, 115 Cable Cast-On, 22 cable needle, 40 cable set-up round, 170, 175 cabled knee socks, toe-up, 173-177 Cabled Cuff Socks project,...
Kfb Take Up An Empty Needle
O CO 10 wraps 20 sts total using the Eastern Cast-On. 2 Knit the sts on the top needle, rotate, and knit the sts on the bottom needle to complete the CO. Needle 1 Kfb, k to end of needle. Take up an empty needle. Needle 2 K to last st, kfb. Take up an empty needle. Needle 3 Kfb, k to end of needle. Take up an empty needle. Needle 4 K to last st, kfb. Needle 1 K1, m1, k to end of needle. Needle 2 K to last st, m1, k1. Needle 3 Rep Needle 1. Needle 4 Rep Needle 2. Needle 1 K1, yo, k to end of...
ToeUp Thermal Sport Socks
These quick-knit, toe-up socks use sport weight yarn and consist of a stretchy waffle pattern with a short-row heel and twisted ribbing. Work these socks on double-pointed needles. Finished Foot Circumference 8 9 inches Custom Sizing You can use the waffle patt over any multiple of 4 sts. Length is adjustable. 1 2 skein s Louet Gems Sport Weight 100 merino wool, 225 yd. 100g in Teal US 2 2.75mm dpns or size needed to obtain gauge Tapestry needle 7.5 sts and 10 rounds 1 inch square in St st...
Close the Toe Gather
A gathered toe is very round and looks like the top of a hat. Closing the toe this way is easy and fast. Q Once you have come to the end of the round, thread the darning needle through the stitches again in the same direction. O Pull the yarn tight to close the toe and place working yarn to the inside so you can weave it into the sock.
Cast On Gmk
Any of the cast-on methods described on pages 22-25 will work well for a top-down sock. Just make sure you cast on loosely enough, or your sock will be inflexible at the top edge and might not fit over your foot Locate your cast-on number on the chart below by finding your gauge along the left edge and the size needed along the top edge. 1 Top-Down Socks Sizes and Cast-On Numbers 1 After you cast on, join for working in the round and place a marker in the work to indicate the beginning of the...
Knit the Heel Flap
The heel flap is typically knit on half the total number of sock stitches and in a slipped-stitch pattern for thickness and durability. You knit it back and forth not in the round to produce a flap for the back of the heel. 1 Knit one needle 25 of the sock's stitches as follows Row 1 Sl 1 pwise wyib, k1 , rep from to across. 3 Work across two needles 50 of the sock's stitches as follows, working all the stitches onto one needle 4 Repeat rows 1 and 2 until the heel flap is square-work as many...
Duplicate Stitch
O Inspect your hand-knit socks often once you've worn them a few times-it is much easier to stop or repair smaller damage. You can reinforce a thinning section with duplicate stitch. With doubled sewing thread or matching yarn, thread a darning needle and leave the end unknotted. Begin at the bottom right corner of the section you wish to duplicate stitch with the right side facing you-you will work in rows from right to left. You will duplicate stitch a patch that is slightly larger than the...
Sewn BindOff
The sewn bind-off method is time-consuming, but the ultimate in a nonbinding edge. O Cut the tail of yarn, leaving about four times the the circumference of the sock. Thread onto a tapestry needle. 2 Bring the needle through 2 stitches from right to left, purlwise. Note As you bind off, keep the tension on the sewing yarn consistent. 3 Bring the needle back through the first stitch as if to knit, and remove this stitch from the needle. 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have worked all the...
Repair HandKnit Kqk
4 Turn the work upside down and make another strand across the hole next to the first a . Place the strands fairly close together to produce a tight fabric when completed. 5 Continue to work across the gap until you reach the other side, then do several rows of running stitches through the whole fabric on the other side of the gap b . 6 Turn the work 90 degrees so that the strands across the gap now run from left to right. Make several rows of running stitches in the intact fabric to the side...
Measure the Ball of the Foot
The ball of the foot is the section just below the toes and is the widest section of the foot. 1 Wrap a soft measuring tape around the ball of your foot, holding the tape snugly. Read the measuring tape where it overlaps. 2 If you don't have a soft measuring tape, use a piece of non-stretchy yarn such as cotton and wrap that around your foot, marking where it meets. Lay this against a straight ruler or hard measuring tape to get your foot measurement.
Sizing Chart and Yarn Requirements
Foot sizing is extremely variable, particularly foot length. Luckily, handknit socks are extremely stretchy and can accommodate a variety of sizes. Your yardage requirements will vary depending on the style and pattern of the socks you knit, the size of the socks, and the thickness of the yarn. This table gives you a good idea of how much yarn to buy to make a pair of socks. Standard US Shoe Sizes with Measurements and Lengths Approximate Yardage Requirements by Size and Gauge
Knit with DoublePointed Needles
1 Join the first and last cast-on stitches using one of the methods from pages 52-54. 2 To knit in the round, use the empty double-pointed needle to knit across the stitches of the needle to the left of where the yarn is joined. Once all the stitches have been worked on this needle, you will again have one empty needle. Note The tail from your cast on marks the beginning of the round. 3 Rotate the square of needles to the right and use the empty needle to knit the stitches from the next needle....
Doublepointed
Double-pointed needles are generally small, 5-7 inches in length. They come in packages of four or five. Sets of five are preferable, even if you like working with four needles if one needle breaks, you still have enough to work with. Short double-pointed needles are perfect for smaller projects or if you have trouble holding longer needles. Longer double-pointed needles are preferable for larger projects so that the stitches on each needle have room to move without danger of falling off the...
ToeUp Cabled Knee
Round 1 K1, p1 , rep from to around. Rep Round 1 for patt. Skip 1st st, knit 2nd st tbl, knit 1st st, sl both sts off needle Slip one stitch as if to knit, Slip another stitch as if to knit. Insert left-hand needle into front of these 2 stitches and knit them together K T l sl2 to CN, hold in back. Knit two stitches together as one stitch Slip one stitch as if to knit, Slip another stitch as if to knit. Insert left-hand needle into front of these 2 stitches and knit them together sl2 to CN,...
How to Graft
1 Arrange the stitches on the needles so that all the stitches from the top of the foot are on one needle and all the stitches from the bottom of the foot are on another needle, with the working yarn attached at one edge. 2 Cut the working yarn, leaving approximately 15 inches of yarn as a tail. Thread the tail onto a darning needle. 3 Hold the sock with the needles parallel so that the working yarn comes off the back needle, on the right edge. 4 Bring the darning needle through the first...
Flat Socks
Although socks knit in the round are practical and easy, you might want to knit a pair of socks flat, on two needles. Some knitters prefer to use straight needles rather than knit in the round, don't own circular or double-pointed needles, or just want to try something different. These basic flat socks have one seam that runs down the back of the leg and two more seams on the foot, one on either side. They are similar in construction to top-down socks knit in the round. Cast Knit the Cuff and...
Easy Toe CastOn
Using four double-point needles, The Easy Toe Cast-On incorporates a provisional cast-on see pages 24-25 and several plain rows of knitting before increases begin to shape the toe. The Easy Toe can also be worked on 1 With waste yarn, provisionally cast on the number of stitches specified in the table on the opposite page for your yarn type. See Provisional Cast-On on pages 24-25 for two different methods. 2 Work 4 rows even in stockinette stitch knit 1 row, purl 1 row twice. 3 Rotate the work...
Turn the Heel
Turning the heel involves the use of short rows to shape the cup at the bottom of the heel. Short rows are rows where you only work part of the stitches in the row, leaving some stitches to be worked later. 1 Knit across a prescribed number of stitches-usually a little more than half of the stitches. 2 Decrease by ssk, then kl. Turn the work to the wrong side. 4 Continue to work short rows as follows Row 1 RS Slip 1 pwise, knit to 1 st before the gap created in the previous row, ssk, k1, turn....
Recover Stitches
Once the toe is complete, you should recover the stitches for the heel. 1 Remove the waste yarn, placing the live stitches onto two double-pointed needles. The heel opening will have the same number of stitches as the sock body. 2 Re-arrange the stitches onto four needles, placing markers at each side edge of the heel opening to mark the decrease points. 3 Decrease for the heel exactly as for the Basic Round Toe see pages 75-76 , ending the decreases when approximately 2 inches' worth of...
Complete an Incomplete Purl Stitch
1 Make sure that the stitch from the previous round is on the right and the loose strand is on the left. 2 Insert the right needle tip through the stitch from back to front and slip the stitch to the right needle. Tip the right needle down slightly in front of the loose strand. 3 Push the loose strand through the stitch from front to back. Place the stitch back onto the left needle and now it is ready for you to work.
HandWash with Soap
1 Fill a tub or sink with tepid water and mix in some detergent. Submerge the socks, holding them under the water until they are wet a . 2 Soak for ten minutes, then drain the tub or sink. Refill with plain, tepid water and soak again, swishing the socks gently to remove the detergent b . 3 Soak for at least five minutes drain again. If the socks still feel soapy, rinse again in clean water. Remove your socks and squeeze gently to remove most of the water don't wring. 4 Roll the socks up in a...
Sew Up the
7 Continue to alternate between the two edges, inserting the needle tip under two bars each time. You do not need to pull the sewing yarn tight after each stitch. 8 When you have completed about 1 inch of sewing, tug the sewing yarn to snug up the seam. The yarn should disappear between the stitches. 9 Once you have completed the seam at the back of the leg, break the yarn and weave in the ends see Weave in Ends, p. 42 . 0 Sew the two side seams of the foot in the same manner as for the back of...
Knit the Cuff and Leg
The cuff of a sock refers to an edging at the top of the sock of about 1-3 inches see Anatomy of a Sock, p. 60 . The leg of the sock refers to the section below the cuff and above the heel. Of course, you don't have to have a cuff at all. Simply begin your leg pattern right away, but note that some stockinette-based patterns may roll down at the top without an edging. Continue working straight, in the round, in the stitch pattern of your choice for the cuff and leg. Ribbing is a classic choice...
Star Toe Decrease
1 The round begins at the middle of the sole of the foot. Work toe decreases as follows Needle 1 K1, ssk, k to end of needle. Needle 2 Rep as for Needle 1. Needle 3 Rep as for Needle 1. Needle 4 Rep as for Needle 1. 2 Work Round 2 as follows Round 2 3 Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until you decrease the total number of stitches to 50 , ending with Round 2. 4 Repeat Round 1 only until approximately 2 inches' worth of stitches remain-between 10 and 18 stitches depending on gauge. Continue to Close the...
Knit the Leg and Cuff
When knitting socks from the toe up, you can customize the length of the leg and cuff based on preference, fit, or yarn supply. Continue working in the round in stockinette stitch until the leg is approximately 1 inch less than the desired length. Work 1 inch of ribbing or other cuff treatment of choice. You can add many different types of stitch patterns to the leg of your sock - textured stitches, lace, and cable patterns are all fun to work and add interest. The number of stitches in the...
Crochet Hook
Although not strictly a notion, a crochet hook is invaluable in sock knitting. You'll need it for a crochet provisional cast-on if you're knitting a toe-up sock. A crochet hook is also very useful for fixing dropped or incorrect stitches as well as for picking up stitches along the edges of heel flaps. Choose a crochet hook of a comparable size to your needles a US B or C 2.25mm, 2.75mm hook for 2.0 - 2.75mm needles and so on. Smaller steel crochet hooks, such as sizes 3 and 4, can also come in...
Choosing Needle Sizes
Choosing the right needle size to use with the yarn you select is important. A too-large needle produces a loose fabric, which will not wear well in socks. A too-small needle is difficult to work with, because the fabric is so dense. The needle size you choose depends quite heavily on how you knit if you tend to knit tightly, you might need a larger needle size than someone who knits loosely when using the same yarn. As a general rule, most yarns labeled sock yarn suggest an appropriate needle...
Basic TopDown Sock Pattern
This basic pattern is for a top-down sock in fingering weight yarn and employs the gusset heel and basic toe. Child M Child Lrg W Sm, W Med, W Lrg M Sm, M Med, M Lrg MATERIALS 200 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 yards of fingering weight yarn US 1 2.25mm double-pointed, two circulars, or one long circular needle, or size to obtain gauge 8 sts and 10 rounds 4 inches square in St st Round 1 K1, p1 , rep from to around. Rep round 1 for patt. Directions for Basic Top-Down Sock Make 2 1 Cast on 52 56, 60,...
TwoNeedle Angora Baby Booties
These adorable booties knit up quickly in worsted weight yarn on two needles. You can adjust size by changing needle size or yarn thickness. Finished Measurements 3.5 inches from heel to toe MATERIALS 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Angel 70 Angora, 30 lambswool, 50 yd. 0.5 oz. in Glenwood US 6 4mm needles or size needed to obtain gauge Tapestry needle 5 sts and 7 rows 1 inch square in St st Row 1 K1, p1 , rep from to to end of row. Rep row 1 for patt. Directions for Two-Needle Angora Baby Booties Make...
Instructions
Washing instructions depend on the type of yarn you use different fibers require different care. Many yarn labels carry both written instructions and care symbols. You should gently wash items made from this yarn. Some washing machines have an acceptable handwash setting that mimics actual hand-washing, but you should test this cycle on a swatch before throwing in your whole project. For a yarn made of animal fiber, this symbol indicates that the yarn will felt and shrink if washed in a washing...
Handdyed Multicolored Yarns
Hand-dyed, multicolored sock yarns are all the rage. Multicolored yarns are fun and interesting to knit with, and can produce different effects depending on how the yarn was dyed, as well as the gauge of the piece. Space-dyed or hand-painted yarns in a few colors are more likely to stripe, produce pools of certain colors, or produce zigzags of color than behave evenly. dyed with many colors, such as speckles, are likely to knit up into a random pattern. The colors that are present in the yarn,...
Weave in Ends 1
1 Bring the tails of the yarn to the inside of the sock and thread the end of the tail onto a tapestry needle. 2 Weave in the end with duplicate stitch see Duplicate Stitch, pages 201-202 , using the tapestry needle to guide the yarn tail along a path made by an existing stitch. 3 When working a more complex stitch pattern, weaving in ends with the duplicate stitch method is sometimes difficult. Take your cue from how the wrong side of the fabric looks in order to decide how to weave in your...
Provisional CastOn
A provisional cast-on is a temporary way to start your knitting later, you take it out to expose live stitches and is used in many toe-up socks. You'll need some smooth waste yarn in a similar weight to the working yarn. One easy method of provisional cast-on is to simply cast on normally with waste yarn, then continue knitting with the working yarn. To expose the live stitches, snip or pull out the waste yarn. A crochet provisional cast-on, shown here, is easier to undo to expose the live...
Eastern CastOn
The Eastern Cast-On is an easy method that does not require a provisional cast on or waste yarn. It can be worked on double pointed needles as shown here , one or two circular needles. 1 Hold two double-pointed needles parallel in your left hand. The upper needle is labeled A, the bottom needle is labeled B. Catch the tail of your yarn between the needles, leaving several inches free behind the needles. 2 Wrap the yarn under needle B and over needle A. 3 Wrap the yarn around both needles in...
Pick Up a Dropped Knit Stitch
1 You can pick up a stitch that drops off the needle but doesn't run down by simply placing it back onto the left needle on the next round a . Make sure that you place the stitch back on the needle in the correct orientation b -the front leg of the stitch should sit to the right of the back leg. See Twisted Stitch on p. 190. 2 To pick up a stitch that drops several rows back, first identify the stitch. One strand of yarn runs between the adjoining stitches for each round that the stitch drops,...
ToeUp Floral Lace Socks
These toe-up socks use the Eastern Cast-On, a short-row heel, and a picot edging. Although only one size is given, the lace pattern is stretchy and accommodates a variety of sizes. You can also adjust sizes by changing needle size a larger needle produces a larger sock or yarn thickness sport weight yarn produces a larger sock . Finished Foot Circumference 8 inches 2 skeins Louet Gems Fingering Weight 100 merino wool, 185 yd. 50g in Mustard US 0 2mm dpns or size needed to obtain gauge Tapestry...
Knit the Instep
The instep is knit on half of the total number of stitches, from the side edge of the heel down to the toe in the center of the leg piece. 1 Work across the leg piece until 25 16 sts of a 64-st sock of the stitches remain unworked. Place the remaining 25 of the stitches 16 sts on a holder to work later for the heel. 2 Turn the work and continue back on a total of 50 of the stitches 32 sts of a 64-st sock . Place the remaining 25 of the stitches on a holder to work later for the heel. 3 Work...
Basic Flat Sock Pattern
This basic pattern is for a flat sock in fingering weight yarn and employs the gusset heel and basic toe instructions. You can substitute a short-row heel see pages 120-123 for the gusset heel. Child M Child L W Sm, W Med, W Lrg M Sm, M Med, M Lrg MATERIALS 200 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 yd. of fingering weight yarn US 1 2.25mm straight or circular needles, or size to obtain gauge 8 sts and 10 rounds 4 inches square in St st Row 1 Kl, pi , rep from to to end of row. Row 2 Kl, pi , rep from to to...