#GreatSockKnittingJourney
After just a couple of projects to get my feet wet in the ocean of knitting, I dove right in to my first pair of socks! I am writing this post retroactively, so you already know that I did in fact accomplish this feat (feet… pun intended!) As a new knitter, I was comforted by the fact that many of the skills it takes to knit socks were basic and already familiar. I also learned a lot through the process and wanted to share that experience with you! All in all, it was mostly a positive project, though I definitely shed some tears and cried out in frustration more than once. I hope my record of the process can encourage you to tackle that project that intimidates yet allures you (especially if it is also socks!).
I had wanted to knit my own socks for years, but it wasn’t until early this year when I buckled down to make it actually happen. As someone who crocheted for 10+ years before learning to knit, it was both a new experience and yet vaguely familiar to be working with yarn in a new-to-me craft. You can also see my journey in real time on Instagram @crowchetcreations or through the hashtags #crowchetcreations and #greatsockknittingjourney. Definitely tag me if you are also on a journey to make knit socks or another fiber art goal! My first post, where I go over my inspiration, research, and plan to knit socks, can be found here. Next, I worked a headband in a flat panel and then a yarn cozy in the round. With those skills under my belt, I felt confident enough to start knitting socks with all the resources at my disposal.
Getting Started
I decided early on that I wanted to knit a pair of toe up socks first since they were the most logical construction in my brain. That way, I could try them on as I knit to check the size. I found Jo Torr’s Vanilla Sock Pattern with Gusset & Choice of Heel on Ravelry for free that could walk me through my first pair of socks. I highly recommend this free pattern as it included a lot of extra information about sock construction to help me understand what I was doing for each component of the sock. And you can’t beat a free resource!
I used Loops & Threads Perfect Pair yarn in the color River, which I had picked up years ago when I thought I would just learn how to make socks all of a sudden. This yarn is mostly acrylic and very bouncy. It also called for size 2/2.75 mm needles, so rather than knit a gauge I just trusted the label and started knitting with my Chiaogoo size 2 needles.
While I disliked the magic loop method of knitting for my yarn cozy (I blame my cheap, stiff needles for that), I had to use them to cast on my socks. This pattern called for Judy’s Magic Cast-On, which I had originally learned to make a yarn cozy. I still had to practice it, so I watched Judy Becker’s tutorial as I worked on this cast on method. It was still really tricky and I had to re-do it multiple times until I was happy with my tension. But like anything, the practice helped and soon I was knitting a toe with increases near the beginning and ending of each needle. I got into a good groove on the toe, and while it took me a very long time, I was happy with how it looked.
I cast this sock on before heading out on my husband’s work trip to California, and finished the toe on the flight there! As soon as the toe was done, I switched to my 9″ circular needles and instantly felt faster since I didn’t have to move my needles around every half a round. I was still getting the hand of things so it took a while to make progress, yet I worked on them slowly but surely.
WIP it Good
Right after getting home from my husband’s work trip to the Bay Area (where we found out we would be moving just a few weeks later!), we went on vacation to visit my family in New York. My goal was to finish my first sock *ever* during that vacation trip, and since my parents could lend a hand with the baby, it seemed much more likely I would find the time to finish while I was there.
However, I had a small disaster before I even got on the plane to NY!
Since I was in the groove knitting stockinette stitch in the round on my sock foot, plus some misreading of measurement instructions in the pattern I followed, I didn’t realize until too late that I knit about 10 rows too many. I was sitting in the airport, waiting for our flight, and with an entire sock foot and then some completed. How was I going to fix this? I couldn’t undo each stitch one by one. That would take forever. My anxiety was already heightened because I knew we were boarding our flight in just 10 minutes or so. My husband dared to ask me a question when I was in this stressed-out state (I am so sorry Dallin if I snapped at you a little bit).
I looked up how to insert a lifeline in my knitting. Basically, you insert something small and long (like scrap yarn or another knitting needle) into all the stitches on a row below where the mistake is. Then, you can frog your yarn (rip it out) and when you reach the lifeline your stitches will be safe. You yarn won’t be undone past your lifeline, as long as you inserted it correctly into the knit fabric. I used another interchangeable cord to capture my stitches about an inch and a half back on my foot. And then… I pulled my yarn.
And it worked! I was so nervous that all my hard knitting work would disappear, but with the lifeline I was able to go back to where I needed to be and start fresh. Since I was starting the heel, which involved adding stitches, I decided this was as good a time as any to switch to the magic loop method of knitting. So right before boarding our flight I had my sock fixed and where it needed to be to start the heel!
The Turning Point
When I chose Jo Torr’s vanilla sock pattern, I assumed that “choice of heel” meant it would include a myriad of methods for working the heel. Actually, the construction included in the pattern is for a heel flap and gusset (HFG) heel, though the heel flap had two different variations. I had a hard time figuring out exactly how this HFG heel would work out.
There are other heel constructions that are a bit easier to wrap my brain around, but even though the HFG was a geometric horror I was able to complete it by carefully following the instructions in the pattern and not overthinking the process. The gusset was worked first, and involved adding stitches to the stitches for the sole in order to widen the circumference of the entire sock. Once enough stitches were added, only certain sole stitches were worked in rows instead of rounds like the rest of the sock previously. As you change the number of stitches worked in these rows, suddenly the heel “turns” and becomes a 3-dimensional shape. It really was amazing to see how my knitting suddenly made the heel turn (again, I didn’t think too much about how it happened because that hurt my brain). Finally, a heel flap is knit in rows where the sock will touch the back of the ankle with a little bit sturdier of a fabric than the rest of the sock. After all three parts- the gusset, heel turn, and heel flap- are done, you can begin working in the round again for the leg of the sock.
I definitely over-simplified it, but if you just follow the instructions of the pattern one row or round at a time you will suddenly see how the HFG heel forms. And once you are through with the heel, you are on to the final stretch!
Final Stretch
Once I finished the heel, I was so excited to see a real sock come into form! Knitting stockinette in the round and then moving on to the cuff were both skills with which I was comfortable, so nothing would stop me from finishing the sock once I mastered the heel. I had so much fun trying to finish my first sock at this point because the only thing in my way was the time it took to knit.
The pattern called for 2×2 twisted ribbing, making the knit stitches stand out more when contrasted with the purl stitches. In general, I liked how the ribbing looked, and it wasn’t too slow to knit 2 stitches then purl 2 stitches. I made a 24 round cuff, since a longer cuff was suggested in the pattern to help the sock stay up and retain its elasticity.
Finishing it Off
We had taken a small day trip to Erie, Pennsylvania to visit the zoo with some college friends who traveled from Ohio (we were still on vacation visiting my family in New York). It was on this ride that I finished my *first sock ever.* And oh, what a finish it was.
As recommended in the pattern, I determined to use Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off to finish my sock cuff to allow for greater stretch. Trying this fiddly, new technique in the car was really tough. There were many loud outbursts and tears shed over dropped stitches and it was really frustrating. I think I just really need to practice that bind-off since it involves pulling some stitches over other stitches. We arrived at the zoo, and I still had about ten stitches left to bind-off. While my husband met up with our friends and got the baby out of the car, I painstakingly finished my sock. Success! My stitch markers and ends were still all over the place, but I could try on my sock and tell that it did in fact fit my foot. I had a sock that I knit myself!
The Second Sock
There isn’t a lot to say about the second sock other than the fact that I cast it on during our car ride back to my parents’ house. No “second sock syndrome” here! This sock went a lot faster than the first because I did not make the same mistakes as before and I knew how many rows to include in the foot, leg, and cuff to match the first leg. I also felt more confident and comfortable knitting another sock since I had done one before- I seriously hyped myself up for the second sock. I worked on this sock for the rest of our vacation as well as our trip home. Things got crazy with the quick and unexpected move to California, so I didn’t finish my second sock until we were on the road to our new home. It was so fun to block them really soon after we arrived at our new apartment and to wear them proudly!
Things to Improve
Overall, I am really happy with how my first pair of socks turned out! Though there are a couple of things that I want to improve for my next knitting project.
First, and most importantly, I need to learn how to weave in my ends better. The fabric of a knit item is very different than the fabric of a crocheted piece, and so I can’t weave in my yarn ends in the same way. Ideally, loose ends once woven in are invisible and not likely to be pulled out by the repeated stretching of the fabric. I am sure there are specific ways for weaving in ends for knitting, and I need to learn those methods so that my pieces have a more clean and polished look.
I also found that these socks are a little bit looser than I think I want for handknit socks. I know that commercially produced socks and handmade socks will fit differently from one another, but I think a little bit smaller sock would fit better. I am not sure how many socks it will take, but I think over time I will learn more about how socks fit my feet depending on the pattern, yarn, and needles used so that I can find my ideal fit- my personal sock recipe, if you will.
The yarn I chose to use was self-striping, and I didn’t plan the stripes. However, the striping was just *barely* off from one another. I think it wouldn’t bother me as much if my socks were very different patterns related to the yarn, but since they are so close to being identical I wish they were actually the same. Though this doesn’t bother me too much!
Things I’m Proud Of
Since I have been dreaming of completing a pair of knit socks, I wanted to end with a reflection on the things of which I am proud from this experience. I made a freaking sock! It fits me! I can actually wear a pair of socks that I knit by hand! It is incredible to me that after a few weeks and a couple small projects I was able to tackle this long-held wish of mine. I enjoyed the learning and making process of knitting these socks, and I am excited to continue learning techniques for more socks. I had the confidence to participate in Summer Sock Camp hosted by @thecrazysocklady and Sock Week hosted by @knittynatty (and by now I have already participated in both). Socks have been a great blend of some mindless, simple knitting along with some harder techniques that stretch my creative abilities. I have found that socks make an awesome travel project because they are so small and portable. I think I will continue to make fond memories from the socks I make with special skeins of yarn I buy at specific times of my life or from particular places.
I am now a sock knitter, and I can’t turn back now that I have joined that community. I love it so much! I definitely plan to share my future steps along the path towards becoming a better knitter, with many more socks and maybe even some other projects to share. Make sure to subscribe to my blog to get updates about my future blog posts so you don’t miss out on these updates! You can also follow along in real time on Instagram @crowchetcreations or through the hashtags #crowchetcreations and #greatsockknittingjourney. I would love to hear about your experience tackling a fiber arts goals, please share with me down in the comments if you have recently become a sock knitter or learned another new skill. Until next time, happy making.
XO, Emily
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