Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

At my knitting group, the Noble Knitters, there are always a few crafters knitting socks. Until you actually knit a pair, the appeal of sock knitting isn't so apparent. Why spend $10 to $25 to knit socks when discount and department stores have oodles of pairs for a fraction of the price? First, the wide variety of sock yarns give us an abundance of color options and fibers. Hand knit socks can be as unique as a fingerprint. Also, socks can be knit in fair isle, solids, lace patterns, cables, or basic ribbings, choices not available in store bought varieties. Hand knit socks are a fairly quick knit, very portable, and very enjoyable. They make great gifts, but surely you will want to keep a few pairs for yourself.

When first exploring sock knitting, it is important to learn about the commonly used materials. Sock yarns fall into the #1 category on the yarn standards (yarnstandards.com) chart. That is they are usually knit on size 1-3 US needles with 27 to 32 inch stitches per 4 inches. But sock knitting need not be limited to fingering weight yarns. For socks to brave very cold weather and hiking boots, worsted weight yarn can be used with an appropriately gauged pattern. DK weight or #3 yarns are considered "heavy weight" sock yarns and medium weight usually falls into the #2 or sport yarn category. You can choose whichever weight yarn suits your needs and dive right in. Personally, I prefer fingering weight, as the socks knitted with this yarn are not so bulky as to make my favorite loafers too snug.

When choosing a sock yarn, the fiber or blend of fibers used to spin the yarn determines not only the look and the hand, but also the laundering method of the finished socks. My preference is a machine washable (superwash) wool blend that includes 20% nylon for durability. Bamboo, soy, alpaca, wool, nylon and cotton can all be used in sock yarn fiber blends giving a variety of desirable characteristics. Currently, self striping and self patterning yarns are all the rage and hand painted sock yarns are flying off the shelves. Expect to see some beautiful, colorful, hand knit socks worn with both tie up shoes and sandals this summer. The cotton blend sock yarns are absorbent and comfortable, even when the temperature is in the 90's.

There are several techniques available when choosing a basic sock pattern. You may use double point needles (dpn's), two circular needles, or one circular needle with a 40 inch cord. When using dpn's, the stitches are divided on multiple needles, usually four, and worked with a fifth needle. Each needle takes a turn being the working needle as the stitches are worked in the round. My favorite technique utilizes two 16-29 inch circular needles. One needle works why the other rests, working one side of the stitches, then the other, when working in the round. The magic loop technique uses the cord to separate parts of the round and makes it possible to knit both socks simultaneously. There are an abundance of books on sock knitting, some available teaching the various techniques. I suggest that you choose a technique and a simple basic pattern for starters. Eventually, you may want to experiment with all of the different techniques. They all have their strengths and all make beautiful socks.

Yes, sock knitting is a creative, practical, portable, and just plain fun project. The next installment of Kay's Korner will explore basic sockitecture and the two circulars method of sock knitting, based on Cat Bordhi's book Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles.

Happy knitting!

Copyright Kay Mather 2009