Hand-knitting socks/hose

[ShaunMaxwell]

As a non-knitter, non-engineer and non-mathematical type, I'm impressed!

You're a man of many talents, Tobus.

Cheers,

SM

[Tobus]

As a non-knitter, non-engineer and non-mathematical type, I'm impressed!

You're a man of many talents, Tobus.

Cheers,

SM

Eh, thanks, but I'm probably more aptly described as a man of a few acquired skills. If it took talent to knit, I wouldn't be able to do it! I have little to no artistic ability, natural skill, or even good fine-motor control. The cool thing about knitting is that it's pretty much just learning to do two types of stitches. Everything else is a variant or combination of those, applied in certain patterns. Granted, there are hundreds of ways to make those stitches with different knitting styles or techniques, and it takes a while to figure out what works best for each person. But with a little practise, anyone can do it. A lot of people, apparently, spend their knitting lives just following pre-written patterns. The fun part for me is customising and experimenting for perfect-fitting finished products.

But - I'm just getting started, I have a lot to learn, and I could see spending many years at it. So again, if any of the more experienced knitters here would like to share their preferred methods and their reasons why they prefer them, I'm all ears!

Here are a few failed or abandoned projects that I learned some valuable lessons on. Sometimes I unravel projects to re-use the yarn, sometimes I just give up and throw them in the drawer of failure.

[MacKenzie]

Sometimes I unravel projects to re-use the yarn.

Frogging.

https://rowhouseyarn.com/blogs/news/...or-not-to-frog

[MacKenzie]

Tobus, when you get past the "practice" phase, this place has some really nice yarn.


https://o-wool.com/

[Tobus]

Tobus, when you get past the "practice" phase, this place has some really nice yarn.


https://o-wool.com/

Thanks! I've bookmarked it for future shopping.

What are your favourite yarns? I'll be trying Rowan felted tweed soon, and I'm keen to try Malabrigo that I've heard (and seen) so much about. But I'm always looking for personal recommendations.

[MacKenzie]

What are your favourite yarns?

I only know yarn by association. Mrs. MacKenzie crochets. I will ask what her favorites are.

I just know that something made with yarn that is spun from natural fibers has a much better feel than acrylic (all or partially). And I'm told is a LOT easier to work with... it's not as "slippery", whatever that means. She generally won't spend the $ for the really nice yarns, so I gift her with some occasionally.

[Tobus]

I only know yarn by association. Mrs. MacKenzie crochets. I will ask what her favorites are.

I just know that something made with yarn that is spun from natural fibers has a much better feel than acrylic (all or partially). And I'm told is a LOT easier to work with... it's not as "slippery", whatever that means. She generally won't spend the $ for the really nice yarns, so I gift her with some occasionally.

In my limited experience, I agree that natural fibers are much better to work with. In my photo above of partial socks, those are all with aran-weight wool. I use stainless steel needles, and don't mind the slipperiness of the yarn on the needles. Everything glides and stretches, helping me not to knit everything too tight. But the camo sock I posted was with an acrylic yarn, and it's very sticky on the needles as well as on itself in the stitches. It has no loft and no stretch, so it's pretty unforgiving. It's like knitting with cord rather than yarn. I feel like I'm fighting with it the whole time. After I finish the second sock to match that one, I'm going back to wool/merino/alpaca/viscose blends.

[Pleater]

[Tobus]

Anne, that is a very interesting way to do socks! Like a reverse heel-flap sort of setup. I sort of like the way the lines of stitches continue from the bottom of the foot up through the ankle and to the leg, rather than other methods where the stitches change directions around the ankle.

Is that a common way to do them in the UK?

So, I finished my second camouflage boot/hunting sock last night. I changed a few details from the first sock I made, so they aren't exactly the same in the details but still go together as long as they're hidden under trousers (which they will be). I deepened the heel pocket by a couple of stitches to make more room since the eye-of-partridge stitches around the heel tend to compress it. I also changed the manner in which I did the increases around the back of the leg.

There are still some details I'm not 100% happy with, but will apply the lessons on the next pair of socks that I'll cast-on tonight. Getting a neat and tidy closed cast-on and tubular bind-off are still things I'm working on. And despite stepping down several needle sizes for the top cuff and going to 1x1ribbing, it still doesn't reduce the size as much as I had hoped. They still stay up, but I'd like it a bit more snug. So I guess on future tall socks that I don't intend to wear garter ties with, I'll need to do some decreases for the top ribbing.

[Pleater]

Knitting is something which tends to evolve over time - the more you do the more you find better ways to achieve things.
I have never seen any pattern done the same way as I do my hosen (my grandmother spoke a rather old dialect and also knitted socks) but I don't seek out patterns because I have never needed one, though they turn up from time to time.
I have knitting needles which are very small indeed, so never have much difficulty with reducing the stitch size - I'm working with size 2.5mm at the moment.
When making long socks I make them long enough to fold over, so that if necessary a ring of elastic can be put under the turn over.
I find that hand made socks are so very comfortable. When I was younger I often used to go walking in the Pennines and later on the South Downs and never got rubs or blisters.
One thing I do is start the toe by making a rectangle about 2 inches of stitches and enough rows so that there are 3 or 4 long stitches showing on the edge on both sides - the 3 is for thicker yarn, 4 for finer. I then use double pointed needles and knit around all four edges doing yarn over knit the long stitch at the short edges, so the 4 long stitches becomes 9. I make a temporary cast on so that when it is pulled out there is no hard edge and it is almost impossible to tell which was the first row except for the tail of yarn.
I also make a left and a right sock, increasing a few st at the inner edge and more on the outer. The increases are done on the short sides, 5 or 7st apart every other round.

Anne the Pleater

Anne, that is a very interesting way to do socks! Like a reverse heel-flap sort of setup. I sort of like the way the lines of stitches continue from the bottom of the foot up through the ankle and to the leg, rather than other methods where the stitches change directions around the ankle.

Is that a common way to do them in the UK?

So, I finished my second camouflage boot/hunting sock last night. I changed a few details from the first sock I made, so they aren't exactly the same in the details but still go together as long as they're hidden under trousers (which they will be). I deepened the heel pocket by a couple of stitches to make more room since the eye-of-partridge stitches around the heel tend to compress it. I also changed the manner in which I did the increases around the back of the leg.

There are still some details I'm not 100% happy with, but will apply the lessons on the next pair of socks that I'll cast-on tonight. Getting a neat and tidy closed cast-on and tubular bind-off are still things I'm working on. And despite stepping down several needle sizes for the top cuff and going to 1x1ribbing, it still doesn't reduce the size as much as I had hoped. They still stay up, but I'd like it a bit more snug. So I guess on future tall socks that I don't intend to wear garter ties with, I'll need to do some decreases for the top ribbing.