Knitch Magazine

Colorful Socks

Socks are extraordinarily popular knitting projects, for good reason.  They are portable, fast, endlessly variable, and require only a modest investment in materials. 

Socks are welcome gifts for anyone on your list from infant to adult. Gifted socks are relished by their recipients, most exclaiming they have never worn anything more comfortable on their feet.

Socks are simply a knitted tube with shaping for the heel and toe, which add comfort and durability.  In search of the ever more perfect fit, creative knitters have invented many variations that present lots of choices.  Read one or two of the great books about socks, explore blogs and sock knitters groups on the internet, and experiment to find the options that fit you best and that you enjoy knitting.  As in all knitting, you have choices at each point along the way.  Remember to keep notes so you can repeat what you did for the second sock.

Gauge:  Socks should be worked at a tight gauge for elasticity and longer wear.  If the thought of knitting in fingering weight yarn at 7 to 8 stitches/inch puts socks out of your mind, consider “woodsman’s” or hikers socks.  These are knit using light worsted or worsted weight yarn at a gauge of 5 to 6 stitches/inch.  

An ideal introduction to socks is the Christmas stocking.  You only need to knit one, which can be knit up in worsted weight or heavier yarn at a gauge of 4.5 to 5 stitches/inch.

Edge:  A tight edge on the sock will not help it stay up, but it may cut off circulation and you may need to resort to pantyhose-like contortions to get the sock on.  Whichever cast on technique you choose, be sure it is uniformly relaxed but not loopy.  Some knitters use a needle one size larger than intended for the sock, and others select a relaxed cast on technique such as the cast-off cast on technique.  Other knitters used cabled or twisted cast on techniques to complement the style of their sock.  Pay attention to the cast on used by pattern designers and experiment with different techniques.  Keep notes in your journal for future reference.

SockCuff:  Cuffs on socks sized children through women’s sizes are usually 2.5 to 3.5 inches long, and cuffs on larger women’s and men’s socks are 3.5 to 4 inches.  Knitters sometimes (but not always) choose to knit the cuff in a slightly smaller gauge than the body of the sock.  Some kilt stockings or lace cuffed socks use a folded cuff; the “exposed” cuff folded over a plain ribbed cuff knitted in a slightly smaller gauge. Socks sometimes feature cuffs with decorative ribbing or introduce pattern and/or color.  The cuff should be elastic enough to stretch comfortably around the leg with a gentle hug to keep the sock up.

Leg:  You can start your love affair with socks by choosing a self-striping or tweed yarn.  These yarns are dyed specially to reveal the pattern after the average number of inches in a sock.  The yarn creates the design as you knit.  If you choose to introduce a stitch pattern, it will start immediately after the cuff and continue uninterrupted to the top of the heel, where the heel flap begins.  It is not necessary to knit in calf and ankle shaping low to mid-calf length socks.  The sock yarns now on the market have enough “memory” and resilience to keep their shape even after many trips through the laundering.  

Heel: The heel sets up the sock for a right angle turn around the foot.  The knitted heel flap with turned heel is the most common heel used in socks.  It is elastic, long wearing, and fits a variety of foot sizes.  Americans are said to have narrow heels, perhaps another reason that the heel flap with turned heel are so popular with American sock knitters.  The heel flap is knit back and forth on two needles to form a flap that fits around the back of the foot, covering the heel.  It is knit on one half the total stitches used in the sock.  Move the other half of the total stitches to a second needle so that they are ready for knitting the instep gusset.  This will also make knitting the heel flap a little less awkward.

Some knitters use short-rows to create garter stitch heels that look like mitered half-rounds while other heels are inserted after the sock is knitted.  These heels can add design elements to your sock and may improve fit.

Heel turn:  After the heel flap is complete, the knitting must make a right angle turn to cover the bottom of the heel.  The heel turn changes the direction of the knitting and decreases some of the bulk of the heel flap so that the sock fits the heel.  It is made by a series of short rows that are centered over the back of the heel.    

SockInstep Gusset:  After the heel is turned, the sock is joined back into a tube to cover the instep and foot.  Using a spare needle, you will pick up along one side of the heel flap approximately one half the total number of stitches.  Then using a second spare needle, you will knit across the idle leg stitches, resuming the pattern (if any) where you left off for the heel flap.  Using a third spare needle, pick up and equal number of stitches on the opposite side of the heel flap and knit across to the middle of the heel.  The stitches will be arranged on three needles with ¼ on the first needle, ½ on the second needle, and ¼ on the third needle.  The gusset is formed by making decreases every other row at the sides of the foot, at the end of needle 1 (k2 tog, k1) and the beginning of needle 2 (k1, ssk), until you are back at the original number of total stitches used in the leg.  The gusset forms a triangular piece of knitting that shapes the sock to cover the arch of the foot while keeping the knitting even over the top of the instep.

Foot:  The foot of the sock is knit on the same number of stitches as the leg, with no shaping.  The length of the foot is measured from the middle of the heel turn to the base of the toes.  This measurement does require some accuracy as a sock that is too short will give foot pain, and a too long sock will bunch up when worn.  The decreases for the toe generally take up about 1.5 to 2 inches of knitting, depending on the style of toe decrease used.  Consequently, most knitting patterns instruct you to knit along on the foot “until it measures 1.5 (or 2) inches less than the desired length of the sock.”  Unless you know the total length of your foot, you won’t be able to calculate the distance you need to knit to reach 1.5 inches less than the total.  I recommend measuring a favorite pair of socks or drawing around your foot on a piece of paper, and taking the measurement from your heel to the base of your big toe.  If you are knitting for absent friends or relatives, ask them to send you drawings of their feet.

Toe:  The toe box on the sock is a series of evenly spaced decreases that reduce the bulk of the sock.  Most American socks use a flat toe shaping that features four decreases every other round until one half the total number of stitches remain, followed by four decreases every round until one quarter of the total number of stitches remain.  These stitches are grafted together using Kitchener stitch.  

SocksConstruction Methods:  Socks can be knit from the top to the toe or from the toe to the top, and some have been designed to be knit sideways.  Most are knit on double pointed needles, and some people prefer to distribute the stitches over four needles and knit with a fifth, while others prefer to divide the sock into thirds and knit with a fourth needle.  Very short circular needles are also available for knitting socks.  Others like to knit two socks at a time using extremely long circular needles.  Whatever the construction method, all socks share the same parts: a cast on (or cast off) edge, leg, heel flap, heel turn, instep gusset, foot and toe.  If you can recognize each part of the sock and its construction method, you will find the knitting of socks to be logical and enjoyable.

Things You Learn While Knitting Socks:  Socks are an ideal learning tool for any level of knitter.  You will learn how to handle double pointed needles, pick up stitches, short row techniques, decrease stitches, and graft stitches using the Kitchener stitch.  You may also learn how to construct a lace pattern, cable, or color pattern knitting. If you’re still wary about making a sock, start with a Christmas stocking and give yourself the joy of learning a few new skills.