The Joy of Knitting Socks

I absolutely hate having cold feet and ever since being a child I have suffered with poor circulation and chilly toes. I was cursed with chilblains every winter through my teenage years and the memory of that annual pain and discomfort in my poor toes is rather rotten. So it goes without saying that I always need my feet to be warm and dry in wintertime and that I also love thick, warm socks, the snugglier the better. I have a whole collection of commercial Snuggle Socks (you know, the really fluffy kind that appear in the shops just before Christmas), but I can confirm, through extensive testing and experimentation, that hand knitted socks are in a league of their own when it comes to warmth and comfort for ones feet.

Having my feet snuggled up inside hundreds of little woolly stitches all created by the hands of someone who adores the knitting process is just magic. Hand knitted socks represent hours of creativity, patience and love, and I am convinced that those feelings are embedded in every knitted row and therefore make one's feet feel extra warm and cosy.

The socks in the photos above belong to me (mine, all mine!), and those are my warm and cosy feet modelling them. Aren't they a bit gorgeous? Do you note that those knitted sock rows are rippling themselves gently up and down, kind of like my crochet ripple blanket? Well there is a little story behind these socks and the way they came to be nestled on my feet. They were designed and made by Christine Perry who writes a blog called "Winwick Mum". Now amongst other talents, Christine is a very accomplished knitter, and I'm sure she won't mind me telling you that she is a Sock Knitting Obsessive. Uh-huh, obsessed I tell you. Just as I have my addiction to crocheting blankets, Christine's thing is knitting socks. She knits all the time, every day. One pair of socks follows another, and another and another. And not content with just knitting socks, Christine also possesses the necessary know how to design her very own sock patterns - I know!! Clever or what?? And this is how I came to have this delicious pair of Neat Ripple Socks at the end of my legs - Christine came to say hello to me at Yarndale last year and asked for my permission to use the "Neat Ripple" name for her socks which were inspired by my crochet ripple blankets. I was only too happy for her socks to share a name with my beloved blankets, and hadn't in any way expected to be thanked so beautifully. What a treasured gift these socks are, I can't tell you how much I love wearing them (a whole lot of cosy happy for my cold feet), and how I love the friendship that came from these ripply stitches.

The above socks were also designed and made by Christine - she based this design on a knitted shawl pattern. I was so in awe of them when I first saw them, so unbelievably impressed by the notion of someone not only knitting their own socks, but somehow creating a lacy pattern at the same time - way beyond skilful in my humble opinion. You may be interested to know that Christine shares all her sock patterns on her blog for free, just the same as I do with my crochet patterns. She is an enabler, an inspiration and guru to would-be sock knitters all over the world.

As well as writing very clever ripply and lacy patterns for advanced sock making, Christine has also written a simple sock pattern to encourage complete sock knitting beginners. With years of sock making expertise under her belt, she has created not only a very nifty Basic Sock Pattern but also a full step-by-step tutorial to go with it. In her tutorial she covers everything you need to know about embarking on your very own sock knitting journey - lots of useful information about choosing the right yarn, buying the right tools (needles etc), how to match stripes so your socks come out like identical twins, how to cast on and make a tension square etc etc. It's a very comprehensive guide and really useful for complete sock-knitting newbies. Once you've digested all the info and got your kit together - a ball of 4ply sock yarn, small 30cm circular needles (2.5mm) , a set of double-pointed needles (2.5mm) and a couple of stitch markers - you are good to go.

With her brilliant tutorials (she uses lots of photos like me), Christine's basic sock pattern is written in easy to understand plain English with lots of helpful explanations along the way. But that's not all - back in the Springtime, Christine hit upon the idea of  starting up a Sockalong, a virtual knitting circle where she would encourage all and sundry to join in with her sock-making adventure and give it a whirl for themselves. Via support groups on Facebook and Ravelry, an exciting new community began to form and many hundreds of ladies began to discover the joy of knitting socks for themselves. Christine is a true inspiration - she is skilled at trouble shooting and offering advice and information, and as a result of her enthusiasm and the knowledge she shares via her Facebook and Ravelry groups, I know many, many people have successfully made a pair of socks for the very first time.

Here in Atticland, Christine's sockalong reached out and inspired many of my real-life friends to start their own sock knitting journey. It was wonderful to witness the joy of sock knitting in the hands of my friends, and truthfully a little part of me began to feel a tad jealous as they oohed and aaaahed over their achievements. I started to feel just a weeny bit left out when there was so much sock talk around the knit and natter table each week. As I really genuinely love wearing hand knitted socks, I found myself quietly wondering if this might be something I could have a go at. Could I do it? Was it possible? Me and the Pointy Sticks?

Christine says that if you can knit and purl, then you can definitely knit socks. She makes it sound very easy and achievable and rewarding. Now I can knit and purl, although it's been a very long time since I did so. I used to knit a lot through my teenage years, in the 1980's when big shoulders and mohair yarn were all the rage. I don't recall really being passionate about knitting when I was younger (I loved stitching and embroidery way more), but I did enjoy it as a hobby and loved wearing the things I made. And so the quiet little thoughts that sat inside my own mind (could I knit socks? could I manage to learn? would it be fun to join in?) started to leak out into real life and several of my sock-knitting friends picked up on my interest and began to encourage me. Go on - give it a go, they said! You'll love it, it's such fun, they said! We can help you if you get stuck! But more than anything, I think they thought it would be fun to see me put down my trusty hook and grapple with the pointy sticks! Haha, they wanted a laugh at my expense I think!!

And so that is how I came to receive a very special Birthday present from my friend Joy, who lives all the way down south on the Isle of Wight. Inside the parcel was a ball of gorgeous sock yarn, and at the end the of the yarn was a set of small circular needles with six and a half rows of rib already knitted up. Ready and waiting for me to carry on.............

So here I am at Coopers Café one Tuesday afternoon, with everyone watching me pick up those needles for the first time. Oh boy, I was so nervous (note the White Knuckles of Tension!) My hands aren't at all used to knitting, they aren't used to holding such small needles or working such tiny stitches with such thin 4 ply yarn. It felt very strange at first, and I had to concentrate like fury to get that ribbing done. Knit two, purl two, knit two, purl two. I couldn't really speak and count and knit all at the same time, so I just smiled, ignored the jibes about Going Over To The Dark Side, ignored the photos being taken and counted hard in my head.

Once the rib was complete, the knitting became much easier. Knitting on small circular needles is actually much easier than using sticks, and the best part is that you don't have to turn the work and make purl rows. You just knit round in a spiral, using a stitch marker to mark the start of each row. I found I got into a slow but easy rhythm with those 60 stitches - can't claim they were relaxing or especially enjoyable as I was still very tense at this point and had to knit in complete silence, but I began to feel ridiculously proud of my rows. Knitting!!!! I am actually knitting!!!!

The thing that most pleased me about this first sock was discovering the way the striping yarn worked. Oh my goodness, it was so fascinating and pleasurable to see the stripes emerge from the yarn ball as if by magic. There was no ball-band on the yarn that Joy sent me so I had no picture to tell me what the socks would end up like. I just knit, knit, knit those rows and watched as the stripes changed colour and made patterns all by themselves. So clever! I really, really, really love sock yarn.

At certain times during the knitting of a sock, you have to abandon the cosiness of those little circular needles and bring in the dpn's (double pointed needles).

I was nervous about "turning the heel" as there seems to be a certain mystery around doing this magical thing. Christine's instructions (with lots of pictures to help) made it very do-able even for a newbie like me. I did have to use YouTube to learn how to SlipSlipKnit (a form of decrease), but I got there in the end.

Oh just look at that!! I am very proud of my neat heel flap and gusset!

I had help from the Sockalong Facebook group when I got stuck at times (I experienced the joy of an online community always there when you need help), and I also had to learn how to unpick knitting when it went wrong. In fact, the hardest thing about knitting isn't actually the knitting or following a pattern - it's learning how to trouble-shoot when you go wrong. I found it very handy to keep a 2,5mm crochet hook near me at all times as I frequently had to rescue dropped stitches.

I progressed quite quickly with my first sock, eager to work through all stages of the pattern to see if I could do it. I became a little bit obsessed with it. I found that in order to knit successfully, I had to be sat at my dining table with nobody speaking to me, so it wasn't (and still isn't) a sociable hobby for me. Knitting for me is quiet time, me-time. I knit in the very early mornings or sometimes in little gaps of time in the day like after-dinner-before-bathtime when everyone in the house is occupied and will leave me well alone to concentrate. I find I can't knit in the evenings when my eyes are tired as I make too many mistakes and get too cross.

Knitting the toes is the hardest part of all. Once you've made the foot (oh hello easy rows of knit, knit, knit), you have to get four pointy sticks out in order to decrease to form the toe shape, and honestly it is a right mare. Christine calls it "wrestling with a hedgehog", and that about sums it up. I really couldn't wait to get those rows out of the way, I didn't enjoy them at all. Not one bit. But eventually there I was at the end of the toe, with the required twenty eight stitches, ready to get to grips with The Kitchener Stitch. This is a method of threading the yarn onto a needle and stitching the toe together so that your stitches mimic knitting. The idea is that you "graft" the ends together and make them seamless - it's not as hard as it at first seems and Christine explains it very well in her tutorial. If you are nervous about doing this for the first time, I would  advise going to YouTube and watching it in action - a lovely lady on my Facebook page posted a link to a short video and it made my second sock so much easier {Kitchener Stitch Video}

I have been really pleased to discover how easy it is to knit with these little 30cm circular needles, they really do make the whole sock knitting process pretty easy. There are different brands of needle that you can buy, I'm using Addi ones which are German and lovely to use. You can find them online (try Amazon UK / Amazon US)

Oh - errrr..................................Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made not only one sock, but a matching pair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to tell you, now that my socks have been washed and blocked, they feel amazing to wear. They are soft and oh-so-very warm and toasty.

I have really LOVED working with this gorgeous yarn too, thank you SO MUCH Joy for this wonderful gift, for choosing yarn that has given a huge amount of colourful pleasure and encouraging me to make a start. I owe you big time :)

So what happens when your first pair of socks is on your feet and you've got empty needles sat there in front of you?

Why, you spend a good many hours surfing the net looking for your next fix to feed your new addiction. Of course!

The yarn that Joy gifted me is made by German company Opal (this particular yarn is from the "Sweet & Spicy" Opal range, the colourway is called "Sprinkles"). Opal make a huge range of sock yarns in beautiful colours which really are lovely to knit with and produce stunning socks. 4ply sock yarn generally comes in 100g balls (easily enough to make a pair) and is made from 75% wool / 25% nylon. The commercial sock yarns are machine washable, and come out beautifully soft after washing, with no shrinkage or fluffing or bobbling. Once you start looking at sock yarns, you will seriously be spoilt for choice, they are all so appealing!

The self-striping pattern thingy that happens in sock yarn really has entranced me, I am fascinated by the way it works. If you've got a spare 6 minutes right now, do watch this little video about how Opal sock yarns are made, it's ace.

So I have a second pair of socks on my needles already, oh yes. In fact, the very same day I finished my first pair I ordered some new yarn online and it was on my needles the next day (thank you Wool Warehouse for such speedy, reliable delivery, you feed my yarn addiction very nicely!)

So what do you think of these stripes then? Aren't they cool??? It amazes me to look at the ball of yarn and know that it will produce these stripes and patterns. This is Regia yarn, another fab sock brand from Germany and this particular range has been designed by Norwegian knitting designers Arne & Carlos.

I've learnt that sock yarns come in different ranges, and within each range there are different colourways to choose from. So for this particular yarn, the brand is Regia, the range is "Design Line by Arne & Carlos, edition 2" and there are six different colourways to choose from (this is number 03657 Summer Night)

Once again, I have really enjoyed seeing the stripes emerge, they are very pleasing indeed. Clever yarn, it really is.

So now we are up to date with my journey, and you can see where I am at right now - almost finished the leg of my fourth sock. The knitting is getting easier for my hands, my tension is more even and I've not dropped nearly so many stitches with this pair. And I'm relaxing a bit more with it now which is good, but this is still a quiet, full concentration hobby for me. I'm told it does get easier.

Super Socks is the book that Christine wrote to accompany her online tutorials. Gosh, my friend wrote a book, and I am more than a bit in awe of that fact and very proud of her, especially as it's a very good book too.

Just like her blog tutorials, the book is full of photos and well explained text which accompany the pattern and help you along the way.

I found I much preferred having the book pages rather than a computer screen next to me whilst I was knitting, it really helped to see the pictures alongside the pattern to keep me on track.

Something else I want to tell you is about the knitting method itself - somewhere in the early rows of my first sock I decided to try and teach myself Continental knitting. This is where you hold the yarn in your left hand and use the needles to hook up the yarn (rather than "throwing" the yarn around the needles). I am still very much learning, but it has totally changed the way I knit and crucially the speed I can knit. It really suits my hands as I can hold the yarn in exactly the same way as I do when I crochet. There are masses of tutorials on YouTube teaching the basics of Continental knitting - as I say, I am still learning and haven't yet mastered purling the continental way, but it has encouraged me to learn more.

If you've been encouraged by my knitting journey and think you might like to have a go at making your toes cosy with some hand knitted socks, all I can say is Go For It, you will be so glad you did. Christine's pattern and tutorials do really make it achievable, plus remember you can join the Sockalong Facebook Group too which is just the friendliest community of people who will inspire you and give help and advice when needed.

Here for your info are some links for patterns and essential kit...

Chistine's Sockalong Tutorials (all the help you need with choosing needles, yarn, matching stripes, casting on and knitting)

Sockalong Facebook Group (online support and all round lovely community)

Super Socks (Christine's book)

You will need....

100g ball of Sock yarn (I like Opal and Regia brands, especially the lovely self-striping patterns)

30cm circular needle 2.5mm (eg Addi needles on Amazon)

20cm set of dpns 2.5mm (eg Addi needles on Amazon)

2 stitch markers in 2 different colours/designs, to mark places for decrease pattern (lots on Amazon)

I am really enjoying this new creative hobby of mine, but please rest assured that I am still first and foremost a hooker. Crochet is still the love of my life :)

Speaking of which, I'm off to darn in my ends as I've got some photos to take ready for my Sunny CAL tomorrow....see you then....

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Comments

[Karen Grant]

Having an Austrian mother, I was taught continental knitting at the age of seven. My sister was taught to knit by our English grandmother and we always argued over which was the better method. Eventually we had a knitting race and the continental method wins hands down. Fifty years on I still get comments from people about the way I knit.
And socks? Yep, I've knitted socks for many years and enjoyed wearing every pair!

[Ann]

Well done you. I have sock knitting on my bucket list. I'm currently quilting and crocheting to stay warm. BTW, crocheted socks are supposed to be super easy to make.

[Michelle]

Fantastic sock knitting. It does get easier. I struggled with my first pair but now I have a plain sock pattern memorised and churn out loads of them as I can't wear shop socks. It's interesting to see how different people like different needles. I can't get on with the tiny circulars at all but I'm super speedy with DPNs although at the start it is a it like hedgehog wrestling as you say but the tiny circulars just give me cramp.

Can't wait to see more of your socks as well as your blankets as I'm addicted to making those too.

[Kristen]

Very well done, Lucy! Your very first pair is a (sometimes tricky) set of identical twins! I'm promoting you to the Intermediate class immediately. :)

[Jo]

Come join us over here! I knitted my first socks this year too. I loved doing it, such a good project for on the go. You did really well. Jo x
http://joeveryday19.blogspot.co.uk

[Nicole]

Well done, they look gorgeous. I have been wanting to try knitting the Arne and Carlos yarn too. Xx

[janine]

I recently took a course to learn how to knit.
Of the one and only reason of eventually learning to knit socks.

[Sharon]

Huge congratulations Lucy, having recently finished my first pair of socks I know just how amazing it feels!!

[Carla]

So gorgeous! I agree with you. I just love knitting socks. My feet , and the rest of me, is always cold so I can relate ; )
Happy knitting!

[Linda]

I have never knitted socks, just thought they would be way too complicated. Your post has whetted my appetite. One question: how did you manage to get both socks exactly the same? As the rainbow wool makes the pattern in the first sock, how is it replicated in the second sock?

[carol fun]

Oh sock knitting is sooooo satisfying... I've made tons of socks (you can see them on my blog) and I never tire of the process or the product. I too am in love with self-striping yarns and you can't go wrong with Opal or Regia yarns. Enjoy and I hope there are many many more pairs of lovely hand knit socks in your future.

[Jen]

Congratulations! You are now an official member of the Crazy Sock Lady's club. Once you have made one pair it is almost impossible to stop. I am on pair #8 of nine pairs for family Christmas gifts (I started in August), and then on to more of my own.

[Helen]

Beautiful socks! I switched to continental knitting in my mid-twenties when I saw how fast a German friend could knit. I've not looked back since! I just finished a pair of socks this week and now I think I need to get knitting for 3 Christmas presents for hubby, and kids. :)
I love Regia and Opal for their self-striping socks. No one in the US does anything nearly as nice or as inexpensive. Love your crochet and happy you found some knitting you like also.

[Jo]

Great to see you take up knitting again Lucy! I too started out crocheting and taught myself knitting from Youtube, so I also do Continental style knitting for the same reason you like it. I've just done scarves, shawls, hats, and a couple of cushions, but you've inspired me to try socks next. I'm going to need a set of those short 16-in circulars too. Love the colorful stripy socks!

[Julie Hodges]

I have numerous pairs of socks using this wool. I first got the bug, when I met someone at quilt group who was showing off her new socks. I had never use dpn, so went and spoke to my Mum who had used them. I now have 6 pairs, what I like is that each sock is different to its partner. They are lovely and warm when the really cold weather gets here, and so very bright and cheerful.

[LemonDrizzle]

And you thought crochet was addictive (teehee)......
Lovely socks Lucy!

[Jesa]

Waouh ! Congratulation for your socks ! You won't have a footaache this winter !!! Thank you for your blog : it is my little window in England. I appreciate it everyday form France.

[Clare]

Wow they are fab, me and knitting are not natural friends, but they look so warm and cosy, maybe just maybe, plus that yarn amazing
Clare xx

[Jo Kneale]

Oh my Lord!! I love the socks, but I just don't know if I can.... perhaps I should set myself a 2016 challenge to knit a pair of socks at last!! It must be about 4 years since I last had a go. And the yarn looks lovely....

[Kimmy]

I was wondering when you would rekindle the knitting bug! Such a fabulous pair of "first socks"!! I'm sure you know that DPN's (double point needles) are not at all necessary for knitting socks. I almost never use DPN's for any knitting in the round. Instead, I use two circular needles like Cat Bordhi. Just search Youtube for her method of knitting in the round with two circular needles. I prefer this method to the DPNs for many reasons. First of all, your knitting will NEVER slip off the longer circulars as it might with DPNs. Then there's the fact that you only have to deal with TWO circular needles instead of 3 or 4 DPNs. But in between the smaller parts of socks, hats and gloves are the larger round sections where those single short Addi's work wonders as you've discovered. Congrats for rediscovering the wonderful possibilities of knitting. I bet you'll be knitting some lovely ripple or lace blankets before long. Yes, you can still socialize while knitting! Hugs, Kimmy

[Linda]

Your socks are so, so beautiful. I love knitted socks and even though I have made loads it always gives me such pleasure turning heels and grafting toes!

[jill cole]

Don,t know what happened there just got this IPAd. I meant socks Lucy.

[jill cole]

Beatiful docs. l icy. I haven t tried the little circulars yet -it looks fun. I love knitting so sad but also crochet. I am nearly at the end of my coast blanket - double bed size 256 stitches my goodness it,s huge!
Jill Cole

[Linda from Boston]

I'm so glad you are now a knitter!!! I love making socks and also enjoy the surprise of what pattern will arise!! That's the best part. I don't want the socks to match. Here in the States, mismatched socks are the rage. Can't wait to see more knitting things that you come up with!

[Alhana]

Gorgeous socks!! I am also a slow sock knitter and usually make a pair a year but nevertheless I greatly enjoy knitting them. LOVE the yarn you used, Lucy! Very colourful and pretty. :-)