THE SOCK PAGE

PLEASE NOTE: Along the way of life I broke a bone in my foot. That winter (2002-2003) I became totally obsessed with socks. I had only made one pair (“Cottage Socks” from the Lion Brand yarn’s website). I spent a lot of time that winter sitting - and knitting - with my foot up and in the way. As I knit, and as many of my students became sock knitters, I became aware of issues and concerns with every pattern I come across. I hope to help make your next sock journey a better one!

CASTING ON:

* Everyone has a problem with casting on 40-50-60 or more stitches on a very small needle, dividing them between three needles and joining without twisting. So, cast on using a regular length needle. Double-pointed needles are usually only 5-7” long and managing all those stitches can feel clumsy.

* Work 2 rows in pattern on the longer needles without dividing. Now that you have 2 rows already worked, it will be easier to see whether you’re twisting the cast on. Divide and conquer!

• If you’re having a problem where the end of the first row meets the beginning of the second row, and you have ladders, remember to pull the yarn a little tighter when starting row 2. You can also use a split marker to hold the tail end to the working end together.

RIBBING:

* Ribbing is boring, and there are no short cuts or quick way to do it. If you’re going to have just 1” of ribbing around the top, it’s not so bad. You might want to rib the entire leg; see below.

THE LEG:

* So ribbing is boring and stockinette makes your socks fall down - what to do? You can make it more interesting. Hate [K1, P1]? Tired of [K2, P2]? Jazz it up - how about [K3, P1]? Or [K3, P1, K1, P3]? Come up with a stitch pattern that’s easy to remember and fits with the number of stitches you cast on (which is usually a number divisible by 4).

* Decide whether you want to continue the ribbing (or whatever patttern you’re using) all the way to the toes.

** See below for some alternatives to mind-numbing ribbing!

THE HEEL FLAP:

* Did you know that the slip stitch pattern reinforces your heel? This means it will take longer to wear out. And who darns socks these days anyway?

TURNING THE HEEL:

* If you’re a first-time heel turner, read this: You will be working what is called short rows - there will always be stitches left on the needle in your left hand.

* Instead of [K2 tog TBL] try this - SSK. SSK (slip, slip, knit two together) is a left slanting decrease, a mirror image of [k2tog]. First, slip one stitch as if to knit; then slip the next stitch as if to knit. (These stitches are on your right-hand needle.) Insert the left needle into the front of these two stitches, and knit the two together. It is very important that you slip as if you were going to knit, not purl, the stitch.

* Remember the first time you turned a heel? And your feeling of accomplishment? Share it with others and encourage them!

THE HEEL GUSSET:

* You have the Heel Stitches on one needle and the Instep stitches on another. Use the other two when you pick up the stitches; you’ll have the Heel Needle, Needle 1, Needle 2 (the instep) and Needle 3. Now knit half of the Heel Stitches onto Needle 3 and slip the rest (one at a time, purlwise) onto Needle 1.

* I find the best way to pick up stitches along the heel flap is using a crochet hook. If you’d rather use a knitting needle, go for it!

* Remember to continue the stitch pattern you used on the leg (if you want to).

* Use the SSK instead of the [K2 tog TBL] here, too. It’s a much cleaner decrease.

THE FOOT:

* Keeping the instep in pattern, keep on going down to the toes. I don’t recommend ribbing under the foot, just the instep. Remember to maintain the pattern starting with your heel gusset!

ALTERNATIVES:

* The multi-color sock was done in [K3, P1] rib. I wanted to see the colors in the yarn and not have my socks falling down. This does it! And it’s SO simple: [K3, P1] all the way around. I even continued the pattern down to the toes.

* The blue sock isn’t really a rib; it’s an occasional (but not random) purl stitch in stockinette. I call the pattern Purls in the Ocean (hey, the sock is blue, what can I say?). Note that the pattern continues to the toes. Knit in the round as follows:
• Round 1: [K3, P1] all around
• Round 2: Knit around
• Round 3: K1, [P1, K3] all around, end P1, K1
• Round 4: Knit around

* The aran colored sock starts as [K2, P2] rib, then adds simple cables every 5th rib, so I call it Baby Cable Rib. You do not need a cable needle to do this! Make a test swatch (knitting flat) as follows:
• Cast on 14 stitches.
• Work 6 rows to establish K2, P2 rib.
• Row 7: P2; K2 tog without taking off the left needle, insert RH needle into the first st on the LH needle and knit, remove from LH needle; P2; continue in rib. (NOTE: If you need to see the first stitch better, pull the second st away with a fingernail!)
• Row 8: Rib
• Row 9: P2, K2, P2; work Baby Cable as in row 7; rib to end.
• Row 10: Rib
• Row 11: work as established to third rib;work Baby Cable as in row 7; rib to end.
• Row 12-15: Rib
See how simple the cable is? Now (as Emeril says) we’ll kick it up a notch - this is how I used it. I cast on 52 stitches which gave me 13 K2 ribs. I divided 13 in half (6.5), rounded down (6) and subtracted one (5). My baby cable was made in every 5th K2 rib all the way around. I made a table that looked like this:

This chart made it easy for me to keep track of where I was.

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		THE SOCK PAGE PLEASE NOTE: Along the way of life I broke a bone in my foot. That winter (2002-2003) I became totally obsessed with socks. I had only made one pair (“Cottage Socks” from the Lion Brand yarn’s website). I spent a lot of time that winter sitting - and knitting - with my foot up and in the way. As I knit, and as many of my students became sock knitters, I became aware of issues and concerns with every pattern I come across. I hope to help make your next sock journey a better one! CASTING ON: * Everyone has a problem with casting on 40-50-60 or more stitches on a very small needle, dividing them between three needles and joining without twisting. So, cast on using a regular length needle. Double-pointed needles are usually only 5-7” long and managing all those stitches can feel clumsy. * Work 2 rows in pattern on the longer needles without dividing. Now that you have 2 rows already worked, it will be easier to see whether you’re twisting the cast on. Divide and conquer! • If you’re having a problem where the end of the first row meets the beginning of the second row, and you have ladders, remember to pull the yarn a little tighter when starting row 2. You can also use a split marker to hold the tail end to the working end together. RIBBING: * Ribbing is boring, and there are no short cuts or quick way to do it. If you’re going to have just 1” of ribbing around the top, it’s not so bad. You might want to rib the entire leg; see below. THE LEG: * So ribbing is boring and stockinette makes your socks fall down - what to do? You can make it more interesting. Hate [K1, P1]? Tired of [K2, P2]? Jazz it up - how about [K3, P1]? Or [K3, P1, K1, P3]? Come up with a stitch pattern that’s easy to remember and fits with the number of stitches you cast on (which is usually a number divisible by 4). * Decide whether you want to continue the ribbing (or whatever patttern you’re using) all the way to the toes. ** See below for some alternatives to mind-numbing ribbing! THE HEEL FLAP: * Did you know that the slip stitch pattern reinforces your heel? This means it will take longer to wear out. And who darns socks these days anyway? TURNING THE HEEL: * If you’re a first-time heel turner, read this: You will be working what is called short rows - there will always be stitches left on the needle in your left hand. * Instead of [K2 tog TBL] try this - SSK. SSK (slip, slip, knit two together) is a left slanting decrease, a mirror image of [k2tog]. First, slip one stitch as if to knit; then slip the next stitch as if to knit. (These stitches are on your right-hand needle.) Insert the left needle into the front of these two stitches, and knit the two together. It is very important that you slip as if you were going to knit, not purl, the stitch. * Remember the first time you turned a heel? And your feeling of accomplishment? Share it with others and encourage them! THE HEEL GUSSET: * You have the Heel Stitches on one needle and the Instep stitches on another. Use the other two when you pick up the stitches; you’ll have the Heel Needle, Needle 1, Needle 2 (the instep) and Needle 3. Now knit half of the Heel Stitches onto Needle 3 and slip the rest (one at a time, purlwise) onto Needle 1. * I find the best way to pick up stitches along the heel flap is using a crochet hook. If you’d rather use a knitting needle, go for it! * Remember to continue the stitch pattern you used on the leg (if you want to). * Use the SSK instead of the [K2 tog TBL] here, too. It’s a much cleaner decrease. THE FOOT: * Keeping the instep in pattern, keep on going down to the toes. I don’t recommend ribbing under the foot, just the instep. Remember to maintain the pattern starting with your heel gusset! ALTERNATIVES: * The multi-color sock was done in [K3, P1] rib. I wanted to see the colors in the yarn and not have my socks falling down. This does it! And it’s SO simple: [K3, P1] all the way around. I even continued the pattern down to the toes. * The blue sock isn’t really a rib; it’s an occasional (but not random) purl stitch in stockinette. I call the pattern Purls in the Ocean (hey, the sock is blue, what can I say?). Note that the pattern continues to the toes. Knit in the round as follows: • Round 1: [K3, P1] all around • Round 2: Knit around • Round 3: K1, [P1, K3] all around, end P1, K1 • Round 4: Knit around * The aran colored sock starts as [K2, P2] rib, then adds simple cables every 5th rib, so I call it Baby Cable Rib. You do not need a cable needle to do this! Make a test swatch (knitting flat) as follows: • Cast on 14 stitches. • Work 6 rows to establish K2, P2 rib. • Row 7: P2; K2 tog without taking off the left needle, insert RH needle into the first st on the LH needle and knit, remove from LH needle; P2; continue in rib. (NOTE: If you need to see the first stitch better, pull the second st away with a fingernail!) • Row 8: Rib • Row 9: P2, K2, P2; work Baby Cable as in row 7; rib to end. • Row 10: Rib • Row 11: work as established to third rib;work Baby Cable as in row 7; rib to end. • Row 12-15: Rib See how simple the cable is? Now (as Emeril says) we’ll kick it up a notch - this is how I used it. I cast on 52 stitches which gave me 13 K2 ribs. I divided 13 in half (6.5), rounded down (6) and subtracted one (5). My baby cable was made in every 5th K2 rib all the way around. I made a table that looked like this: This chart made it easy for me to keep track of where I was. This site is ©2007 Katmandu Studio / Louise Cote Updated August 22, 2007 HOME