I cannot believe that not only have I arrived at the point where I can knit a pair of usable socks but I can show other people how it is done! My Mum would be so proud. Not to mention surprised! It is a day that no-one thought would come.
It is hard to be a beginner at anything and I like to challenge myself from time to time with something that I find hard, just to see how it feels. Socks always seemed to be to be completely out of reach. I remember the first time I ‘had a go’ a couple of weeks back. I stared with sock yarn and needles so fine that I could not see them and it was a disaster! Lesson number one learned.
So trick number one that I have discovered is to start off with Aran or DK yarn if you are a knitting newbie. This is not cheating. It is giving yourself a chance of success. I started with really thick Aran yarn and then when that worked, I went to the next finest (DK) and so on. I have now arrived at sock yarn and this time it has worked just as promised! The great thing about it is that the thicker socks are great for around the house and for bed socks. You have never felt warmth like it!
Trick number two is to get the right needles. My early childhood attempts were a disaster. My Mum only had metal needles back in the 70s in Australia and my little hands could not cope. Now I am using Clover Takumi bamboo needles and they are lighter, slower and grippier. The yarn stays on them and they are lovely to use. I recommend them for anyone; not just beginners.
Trick number three is to use natural fibres. Use wool. Back in the day in Australia, wool was ridiculously expensive so a beginner (especially a child) was given acrylic yarn (ugh!) but now there are all sorts of options and they are worth the outlay. Wool feels great to use, it is easy to use and it marries so well with the bamboo needles. You don’t need much to knit a pair of socks!
So today, I am using a DK alpaca yarn to show you how I make the toe on my Sockstar socks. You can find the pattern here too (links coming very soon I promise). This post is more of a tutorial. I have written the pattern for Aran and DK and for ‘proper’ sock yarn. Oh and by the way, this tute (and the pattern) assumes that you can cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease and bind off. If you cannot, bone up on those techniques first and you will be good to go!
When I wrote the pattern, I wanted to take wisdom from many knitters (thank you to all of my unknown benefactors right from my Mum and Nana up to more modern sources) and I wanted to simplify the process so much that it was easy for everyone. Enter my Sockstar!
It is a toe up pattern (that way you can knit the leg as long as you want) and the individual sizing all takes place in the toe. The rest of the sock just follows. I knit with three DPNs and for a DK yarn, I use a 4.00mm needle (US size 6). I use Aran too and proper sock yarn and the ball band will tell which needles to use. The beauty of my method is that all I do to get a great fit is to measure across the toes.
So how do we reach this sock Nirvana? Start by measuring your bare foot. The way my pattern works is that you add or subtract increase rows in the toe section depending on the size of your foot. For example, my foot measures 3 1/2″ across the toes. I increase my pattern in most Aran and DK yarn until I have 36- 40 stitches over 13 rows. This is about 4″ which gives me 1/2″ of ‘ease’. This is actually quite generously sized and I really would not want it any larger to be honest. In sock yarn, I increase until I have 48-52 stitches over 18 rows). There is a sliding scale for the stitches because as you may have noticed, in yarns there is often a bit of thickness variation.
Whatever you do, you should have two increases on the front and two on the back making four each time and you should have an even number when you are finished (this makes putting in the heel and the 2×2 rib easier).
So how does this look on the needles? To begin with, cast on 20 stitches in any yarn. Transfer half to a second needle so that you have 10 stitches on each needle. Join in the round.
Now knit a row. You cannot see very much yet but this is a set up row and it gets things going, The purl bumps on the wrong side show that you have actually done something!
The next row is the first increase row. Use whichever increase that you love best. I used a m1l (make one left) to increase one end of the row and a m1r (make one right) on the other end with knit stitches in between so row 2 in the patterns reads k1, m1, k to the last stitch, m1, k1.
Keep doing this and alternating a knit row with an increase row until the toe fits you without bunching and flaring excessively (too big) or stretching so that you can see your skin underneath (too small). If it is too big, make a note for that particular wool and undo an increase row. Too small, add an increase row and fit it on again. You won’t have all of this fuss for the second sock because you will have your notes for that particular yan.
You can see the increases in this one and it has a lovely gentle curve. I don’t really like pointy heels and toes. I was careful to not have any nobbly seams across the toes either. That is a BIG comfort no-no!
So how can we tell if it fits? It is still on the needles and you cannot exactly fit it on. I lay the toe section over my bare foot and it is ready when it is roughly the same size (this is an art not a science). I certainly don’t want it sloppy and the 1/2″ of ease from the 40 stitches is plenty. I am sort of used to what it will look like now but if you are new at this, the next technique hint is better.
If you are still unsure, put your knitting onto a small circular needle and that will give you the room to actually fit it on. This takes a minute to do and can give reassurance- no-one wants to knit a whole sock to find that it is wrong! To be honest, this alpaca yarn is so soft, my toe section would not want to be any bigger. But 40 stitches feels about right so all good. Put it back onto your normal needles (the DPNS) and get on with your knitting
Here is a bit of an idea of what it looks like fitwise on my other finished socks…
After the last increase row, I like to knit a couple of ‘normal’ knit rows with no increases. The pattern will tell you what is needed.
When you get to about row 13 depending on your increases (Aran and DK yarn) and about row 18 (sock yarn) break the yarn and change colour. I say about because your rows may be slightly different if your foot is larger or smaller. I don’t know WHY knitters say to ‘break’ the yarn! We are actually cutting the yarn but anyway…
At this point you have too choices, you can just keep knitting in the toe colour or you can change colour to the main one for your sock. Basically, don’t break the yarn if you want to keep on going!
Now I am pretty sure that experienced knitters will be fainting dead away at these instructions! This is how I knit a sock toe, not how everyone does it but it works and the best thing about knitting is that you can pull it undone and re-do it without wasting a cent.
Thank you for staying with me on this. See you next time!
Happy Knitting!
Debbie xx