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Friday, December 5, 2008

How to knit socks

By Jane Pied

When making socks you should first select the type of yarn you want to use. There are many great sock yarns available and you will even find some self-striping sock yarns. While sock yarns are known as having the right weight to make socks, some consider that wool yarns are much better sock yarns.

Even a beginner can learn to knit socks. The hardest part of knitting is reading the pattern. Be sure to pay close attention to any pattern for the instructions that are being illustrated.

Here are the materials that are needed to knit socks: 2 sizes of 3 double-ended needles, the smaller size being for the ribbing. 5 (or more) balls of sock yarn depending on the pattern. A pattern A pair of scissors Stitch markers A yard needle A highlighter to mark the working copy.

There are two methods to make knitted socks: with heels or without heels. Some people think that socks with heels are more comfy.

The size of any sock is dependent of the size of the ankle. If you make a sock with a heel then you have to measure the foot and figure out the heel placement. When you measure the ankle you then subtract 1" for and adult size of sock and " on a child's size for the optimum fit. On average the ankle measurement for a female is 8" and for a male it is 10".

You should use sock yarn for the best fit on your socks and should calculate how many stitches you need to cast on your needles. The stitches should be evenly split between the 3 ends of the double point needles. You should mark the 1st stitch for the beginning of the round. Do the ribbing 1st, using the smaller needles for this. Once the ribbing is finished switch to the larger needles. The stockinette stitch is a great stitch to use for both the ribbing and making a plain pattern. This stitch produces a great fitting sock.

It's time to work on the heel, placing half the stitches on a needle. The stitches should start at the beginning of the round. Then place the second half on a different needle, which allows the heel to be knitted from the front to the back using a single needle. Once again the stockinette stitch is used for 2 thirds to 3 quarters of the rows on the heel. Then you need to reduce the heel area and turn. Now is the time to create the gusset. You should wind up with two selvedge edges in between the heels. To form the gusset pick the stitches up. To finish the heel, knit the rest of the stitches. The gusset should then be decreased.

As for the foot, it should be 2" shorter than the foot measurement. Start knitting at the center, a quarter of the stitches on the first needle, one half on the second needle and the remaining quarter on the third needle. Switch between rounds. The sock can be completed several ways. One technique is to keep decreasing to the toe, either casting off or binding off and then sewing the remaining together.

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