Sock Knitting 101 Okay, here goes, as simple as I can make it, as much as I can cram into a little

email on how to knit your own socks. You can crochet them, too, but knitting is my passion, and crochet hurts my hands, so I mostly knit. Anyhow .... First thing you have to understand is your sock. It's more than just a cover for your foot. There's various parts to it that form the construction of the actual sock, from the cuff to the toe. The cuff is the inch or two at the top where th e hole is. Below that to the ankle area is the leg. Below the leg is not the ank le, but the gusset and heel. The heel you can figure out, but it's got parts, to o. There's the heel flap, which covers the back of the heel or the bottom (depen ding on if you're knitting a top-down sock or a toe-up sock), the heel flap (whi ch helps to make the heel cup when you turn the heel, or make the sock angle so it flows from leg to foot), and the heel cup, which just covers the very bottom of the heel where it goes from the ground and turns up to the back of the foot. The gusset is the area on the sides of the ankle and heel where the stitches get increased for a bit and then decreased in order for the sock to turn around the angle of the foot. The sole is the bottom of the foot, the instep is the top of the foot, and last you have the toe. Now there are only two ways to make a sock, in general. Top-down, where you work in the round from the cuff to the toe and bind of with Kitchener Stitch, or toe -up, where you start from the toe and work your way up to the cuff. There are a ton of ways to actually make the sock, depending on what pattern you use, and th ere's plenty of free sock patterns out there to keep you busy for the rest of yo ur life knitting socks if you want. (I honestly have more sock patterns than I'l l ever make, well over 500 ... I don't think I'll get them all made anytime soon , either.) As to how to actually knit ... there's a lot of books on that. Lots of books on sock-knitting, too. It's not like it's all that hard to find the info, IF you're willing to look. The best information I can give as a full-on sock-knitting tut orial is: http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Kelleys_Sock_Class__L10040501.html Kelley's Sock Class ________________________________________ 1 2 NEXT | SHOW ALL

Kelley's Sock Class - Introduction Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks runs you through a number of reasons for knitting socks. Follow along and learn how to knit a sock! This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Anatomy of a Sock Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks explains how knitted socks are constructed. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Choosing Materials Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks helps you figure out which needles and yarn to use for knitting socks. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Casting On, Part 1 Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to cast on for a knitted sock.

This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Casting On, Part 2 Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to cast on for a knitted sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Heel Flap Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the heel flap of a sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Heel Turn Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the heel of a sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Gusset Explanation Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks explains the parts of a gusset on a knitted sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Gusset, Part 1 Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the gusset of a sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Gusset, Part 2 Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the gusset of a sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Finishing the Gusset Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the gusset of a sock. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Toe Decrease Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to knit the toe decreases on a soc k. This tutorial includes video content. Kelley's Sock Class - Kitchener Stitch Kelley Petkun from Knit Picks teaches you how to use the Kitchener stitch to clo se the toe of your knitted sock. This tutorial includes video content. Knitting in the Round - DPNs vs. Magic Loop vs. Two Circulars Kelley Petkun talks through the different methods of knitting in the round when knitting socks. This tutorial includes video content. for general sock-knitting, and

http://tiajudy.com/soxform.htm Generic Pattern for the "You're Putting Me On" Socks Pattern by Judy Gibson; Calculations and charts by Peggy Pignato Judy Gibson, 1996, 1999 [See the original You're Putting Me On Socks pattern for photos and explanations .] Print this page and fill in the blanks from Chart 1, using the figures in the co lumn indicated by your foot stitches. To calculate the total number of foot stit ches for your sock [A], multiply the measurement in inches around the center of the foot--or perhaps even about half an inch less--and multiply this by the numb er of stitches per inch you get with your chosen yarn and needles. If your leg m eaurement just above the ankle bones is much different from your foot, aim for s omewhere in between. It's usually better for a sock to be a bit snug than too lo ose. Figure-Eight Cast-on (phony grafted toe) Based on the method used in Anna Zilboorg's Fancy Feet. Hold two dp needles parallel and wrap the yarn in a figure-eight, making [B] ___ _ loops on each of the two needles. To do this, hold two needles parallel in the left hand, and also hold the tail of the yarn. Pass the working end of the yarn over the top needle away from you, through the middle toward you, under the bot tom needle away from you, and through the middle toward you, until there are [B] ____ loops on each needle. Don't tie or twist the end of the yarn--just let it hang loose, so you can tighten up the cast-on later. Next, knit around all loops, being careful not to split the yarns of the cast-on row. The first [B] ____ stitches will be hanging the "wrong" way, so you'll hav e to knit through the back leg of the loop. The second [B] ____ will be hanging the right way. When you have finished this round you'll have two needles, each w ith [B] ____ stitches, and the cast-on row between them. Knit a round changing to four needles, with [C] ____ stitches each. (Sometime af ter you've knitted a couple of rounds you will be able to tighten up the cast-on , using a crochet hook to work the slack toward the tail of the yarn. Fasten off and weave in the end.) Toe Increases Round 1: Increase one stitch each needle as follows: Needles 1 and 3: k1; lift the stitch below the stitch on the left needle and kni t it; k to the end of needle. Needles 2 and 4: k to within 1 st of end; lift the stitch below the stitch on th e right needle and knit it; k1. Round 2: Knit. Repeat these two rounds until there are [D] ____ stitches on each needle ( [A] _ ___ stitches in all). Foot Knit on [A] ____ stitches, trying on the sock from time to time until you reach the point where the leg meets the top of the foot. This is about _____ inches le ss than the total length of the foot. (See Chart 2.) End at one of the sides of the foot, that is, above one line of toe increases. Gusset Increases The rounds begin at the next needle, which will be called needle #1. The stitche s on needles 1 and 2 are the sole of the sock, and on needles 3 and 4 are the in step. Round 1: Needle 1: K1, lift the stitch below the stitch to the left and knit it, k to the end of needle. Needle 2: Knit to within 1 st of end; lift the stitch below the stitch just knit ted and knit the lifted stitch, k1. Needles 3 and 4: Knit plain. Round 2: Knit around plain. Repeat these two rounds [E] ____ times altogether. Needles 1 and 2 have [F] ____ sts, and needles 3 and 4 have [G] ____ ( [H] ____ sts in all). Heel Extension

Place the heel sole stitches on their own needle as follows: Knit [I] ____ stitches from needle 1 onto needle 4. SSK (that is, slip 1 st as if to knit, sl 1 as if to knit, knit these 2 sts toge ther through back loop), k [J] ____ from needle 1 and [K] ____ from needle 2 ont o the heel needle. Slip the remaining [L] ____ sts from needle 2 onto needle 3. There are now [M] ____ stitches held on each of needles 3 and 4; you will work b ack and forth on the heel needle only. Row 1: Turn, P2 tog, p across row. Row 2: Turn. SSK, k across row. Repeat these two rows until [N] ____ stitches remain, ending with a wrong-side r ow. Heel Flap Turn, sl 1, knit across heel. Pick up [O] ____ stitches by knitting along the decrease edge. Turn. Sl 1 as if to purl, p back across the heel and pick up [O] ____ stitches by purl ing along the other decrease edge. Turn. You now have [P] ____ sts on the heel needle. You will be knitting the heel flap upward, incorporating one stitch from the adjacent instep needle each time you turn. Row 1: Sl 1 as if to knit, k across row to the last st. Sl 1, sl 1 from the next needle, k these 2 together through back loop. Turn. Row 2: Sl 1 as if to purl, p across row to the last st. Sl 1 as if to p, sl 1 fr om the next needle, p these 2 together. Turn. Repeat these two rows for a total of [Q] ____ times, ending with a purl row. You should have [R] ____ stitches ( [S] ____ on the heel needle and [T] ____ on eac h instep needle). Turn, sl 1, and knit a full round, adjusting stitches so that there are [U] ____ on each of four needles. Leg and Cuff You're on your own from here! A few rounds of stockinette and then K1P1 ribbing all the way will work--or anything you like. A good height for a sock from the f loor is the same as the length of the foot, longer if you want to fold the cuff over. If you will be using a standard cable bind-off, bind off in pattern as loosely a s possible, either giving each loop a tug to lengthen it as you pull it through, or using a needle a couple of sizes larger for the binding off. Copyright Notice You may print this pattern and chart for your personal noncommercial use, provid ing this statement is included. No commercial use or publication in any form, in cluding on the Internet, is permitted without the explicit permission of the coy right holder. Contact the author at jgibson@cts.com. Revised 25 July 1999 ________________________________________ Go to my Home Page Or back to String and Air Judy Gibson Descanso, California Email to jgibson (at) cts (dot) com that one for a generic toe-up sock pattern that you can fit to your needles, yar n and your own foot fairly easily. Now, for knitting socks, some skills you need: knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, or two long circulars or one lo ng circular (the dpns are the ones I generally use because that's how I learned, but I can knit on one or two circs, too ... I just prefer NOT to). knitting with small yarn because you'll be using sock yarn, which is about the w eight of baby yarn if not a bit lighter increasing and decreasing

casting on and binding off Kitchener stitch (there's a good tutorial at http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEA Ttheresasum04.html and I keep in mind the mantra I learned originally of "front purl and off, knit; back knit and off, purl) weaving in ends (remember to leave at least 6" for weaving in whether knitting o r crocheting - any less and you risk your ends popping loose later and your fini shed end coming completely undone. Kind of a pity to put all that work into some thing only to have it come apart!) There are tons of different sock yarns out there, but to get started, it's a goo d idea to start with super wash wool, as it's got a bit of other things in the w ool to keep it from felting and shrinking. Another pity is to make a perfect-fi tting pair of socks and then throw them in the wash by accident, only to pull ou t a really lovely baby sock! Now, get yourself some needles and sock yarn and find a pattern you like, and ge t busy making some socks! -Heather Rauschenberger Bountiful Farm, Osage, AR http://bountifulfarmarkansas.blogspot.com/