Hecate's Guide to Knitting Socks on Double-Pointed Needles

[turra21 10]

I don't work on a Wednesday so today has been a knitathon, I've knitted the heel flap and turned the heel, shaped the heel and instep and am now knitting the foot. Thanks for your welcome I look forward to a long and happy time here. It's good to "meet" like minded people where you are not regarded as peculiar or off the wall because you KNIT!!! Shock horror. I think I may be going the other way with pulling the stitches because I do have a ladder (not very big) but there is a lump on the purl side of the work and I think it may be too tight. I also need to work hard on the turning of the heel when I joined the flap to the rest of the knitting ther is a hole at the join.

 

It's a steep learning curve eh?

[Guest]

I don't work on a Wednesday so today has been a knitathon, I've knitted the heel flap and turned the heel, shaped the heel and instep and am now knitting the foot. Thanks for your welcome I look forward to a long and happy time here. It's good to "meet" like minded people where you are not regarded as peculiar or off the wall because you KNIT!!! Shock horror. I think I may be going the other way with pulling the stitches because I do have a ladder (not very big) but there is a lump on the purl side of the work and I think it may be too tight. I also need to work hard on the turning of the heel when I joined the flap to the rest of the knitting ther is a hole at the join.

 

It's a steep learning curve eh?

Ah, yes. That can be another problem. If you pull too tightly on the yarn while trying to avoid the laddering, you can sometimes get a little bump on the purl side.

 

All I can say is have a look at this photo and this photo from the post above. If you can try to pull the yarn just tight enough to close the little gap between the purl bumps, and no more, then it should work. Fingers crossed. Try to pull the yarn just enough to get the little purl bumps to meet, but no harder. Does that make sense?

 

I wouldn't worry about the comments. Many people still think that knitting is still all about Grannies knitting baby clothes (not that there's anything wrong with that of course). I tend to just point them in the direction of a few of the American knit bloggers' web sites, or maybe to a copy of Vogue Knitting, perhaps a knitted bikini or two. Tends to keep them quiet. Maybe that's just the blokes though... .

[turra21 10]

Hecate, Are you there? I'm so excited, I've just finished my first sock:D Just another one to go but first I must make tea!! Oops does anyone else's husbands get forgotten if the fever of knitting or am I a bad wife?

[Guest]

Part VIII – Shaping the Heel Flap

 

First, I must apologise for a) the delay in posting this installment, and b) the relative lack of photos. The ones I took of the process of turning the heel flap were dreadfully blurry. However, I now have a little tripod, and I will take more photos of the heel-turning process when I knit the second sock .

 

Shaping (or ‘turning’) the flat heel flap into the three-dimensional, cup-shaped heel can seem unduly complicated at first, particularly when you consider that there are several different types of heel you can give your socks. Although it’s nice to be aware of the fact that different types of heel exist, especially if you later want to customise a sock pattern to perhaps give you a better fit, the important thing to note is that all the heels are worked using basically the same technique. Once you’ve mastered this technique, it’s very easy to adapt it in order to knit a heel which looks and fits a little differently.

 

The basic method I’m going to describe here is the one I use all the time, and one which gives a fairly narrow, triangular-shaped heel.

 

The feature common to all different types of heel is that a series of short rows and paired decreases are used to shape the flat heel flap into the three-dimensional heel.

 

Working short rows is straightforward. It simply means that you knit only part way along a row, stopping ‘short’ of the end of the row. After you’ve knit the number of stitches in that row designated by the pattern, you literally stop, turn the work, and carry on knitting in the opposite direction.

 

So, if you were working in stocking stitch with the RS facing, you’d knit along the row for however many stitches your pattern indicates. You’d then stop, turn the work so that the WS (the purl side) is now facing, and work your way back, purling back along the row. It can seem strange at first, because you’re turning the work before you get to the end of the row, and so while there are still stitches on both needles.

 

The following is the method I use to turn the heel, and it is also the one indicated by the Jaywalker pattern. You can see that the paired decreases are the ssk on the RS, and the p2 tog on the WS. Remember that the number of stitches indicated is what is specified for the Jaywalker pattern, and for the size I'm working on. Although the stitch count might be a little different for your pattern, the method will be similar, if not identical.

 

Row 1: RS facing. Sl 1 knitwise, k 20, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 2: WS facing. Sl 1 purlwise, p5, p2 tog, p1, turn.

Row 3: RS facing. Sl 1 knitwise, knit to within 1 stitch of the gap, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 4: WS facing. Sl 1 purlwise, purl to within 1 stitch of the gap, p2 tog, p1, turn.

 

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all heel stitches are worked. There are now 22 Heel stitches, and the RS should be facing.

 

You can see that the paired decreases are used to close the little gap left by working the short rows.

 

Here is what the completed heel looks like.

 

The next section will deal with picking up the stitches along the sides of the newly-completed heel to work the sock gusset.

 

More soon... .

[Guest]

Part IX – Picking Up Stitches.

 

If you followed the instructions in Part VII - Knitting The Heel Flap, the heel flap stitches should be on one needle, with the rest of the stitches divided equally between the other two needles. In this photo, you can see the heel stitches on the horizontal needle, the two edges of the heel flap with their chain-like border, and the remaining stitches on the other two needles. The arrows indicate the direction in which the stitches are picked up.

 

The first step in forming the sock gusset – the section of the sock which connects the heel with the top and sides of the foot section – is to pick up stitches along the edges of the heel flap. If you look back to this picture from Part VII, you’ll remember that slipping the first stitch of each row as you knit the heel flap resulted in a chain effect along the heel flap edges. It is these chain-like stitches you’ll be picking up.

 

Your pattern will indicate how many stitches should be picked up at each edge of the heel flap. For the Jaywalker pattern I’m using here, I have to pick up 16 stitches on each side.

 

So, taking a new DPN (Needle 1)and starting with the first chain-like stitch, work in the direction of the arrow picking up the required number of stitches.

 

To pick up a stitch, insert the needle underneath the two strands which form the sides of the chain stitch. In this photo, you can see that I have already picked up the first six stitches, and have just inserted the needle underneath the two strands forming the seventh stitch.

 

I then take the working yarn and wrap it around the needle, just as if I was working a knit stitch, as illustrated in this photo.

 

Finally, pull the working yarn through the chain stitch and onto the needle. You can see in this photo that this step has just been completed, and the needle now has seven picked-up stitches.

 

Continue in this fashion along the edge of the heel flap, picking up the required number of stitches.

 

When you reach the end of that edge, take another new needle (Needle 2) and, continuing in pattern, knit all the remaining stitches onto it, in the direction of arrows 2 and 3. These stitches will form the top of the sock foot. For the Jaywalker pattern, the stitches which form the top of the sock are divided equally onto two needles (Needles 2 and 3).

 

Then, take another DPN (Needle 4) and pick up the stitches along the other edge of the heel flap in exactly the same way as before, working in the direction of arrow 4.

 

Finally, knit half of the heel flap stitches onto Needle 4, and slip the other half of the heel flap stitches onto Needle 1.

 

The sock is now at the starting point for all subsequent rounds. The next step will be to begin the decrease rounds to form the sock gusset, and it is this which will be the subject of the next instalment.

 

More soon... .

[Guest]

Part X - Knitting the Sock Gusset

 

Before the relative ease of knitting the sock foot, the next stage is to knit the gusset. The gusset is the triangular-shaped section of the sock which joins the two edges of the heel flap – where you’ve just picked up the stitches – to the main body of the sock. You can see from this picture, and from this close-up view, that I have already started to knit the gusset, and the triangular shape is beginning to form.

 

The gusset shaping is formed by knitting repeats of two rounds:

- a round where the stitches on Needles 1 and 4 are knit plain,

- a round where a single decrease is made one stitch from the end of Needle 1 and one stitch from the beginning of Needle 4.

 

Making the decreases one stitch in simply makes the site of the decreases a little neater. Not all patterns specify this, as it's purely cosmetic.

 

The right-slanting knit two together (k 2 tog) is used at the end of Needle 1, and the left-slanting slip, slip knit (ssk) is used at the beginning of Needle 4. By making these decreases at either side of where the gusset will join the top of the sock foot, the fabric is made to form the sloping edge of the triangular-shaped gusset. How the decreases form this shape is apparent in this photo.

 

Your pattern will clearly state how many repeats of these two rounds to work. It will probably say something along the lines of ‘repeat these two rounds until there are x number of stitches on Needles 1 and 4’. For the Jaywalker pattern, I repeat these two rounds, alternating the knit round and the decrease round, until 16 stitches remain on Needles 1 and 4.

 

The stitches on Needles 2 and 3 form the top of the sock foot, and your pattern will instruct you how to knit these stitches. For the Jaywalker pattern I’m using here, I continue in the pattern used to knit the sock leg.

 

To Knit the k 2 tog decrease on Needle 1: In this photo you can see that I've knitted the stitches on Needle 1 until the last three. I then insert the needle knit-wise into the next two stitches, and wrap the working yarn around as if to knit, as illustrated in this photo, so knitting these two stitches together. I knit the last stitch on Needle 1, then work the stitches on Needles 2 and 3 - the top of the sock foot stitches - according to the pattern.

 

To knit the ssk decrease on Needle 4: You can see in this photo that I've knit the first stitch on Needle 4 and slipped the second stitch knit-wise. The photo illustrates that I'm just about to slip the second stitch in the same manner. Then, I insert the left-hand needle through the front of both of the slipped stitches. You can see in this photo that the left needle is in front of the right needle, and that the working yarn is wrapped around, ready to knit the two stitches. This photo shows how the two slipped stitches are now knit together.

 

Knitting the sock foot is simply a case of following the set pattern until the foot is approximately 2 inches shorter than what you want the finished length to be.

 

The next step will be to knit the toe, and it is this which will be the subject of the next instalment.

 

More soon... .

[Lucy-Lastic 10]

They are looking brilliant:D What yarn are you using btw?

 

LisaH xxx

[Guest]

They are looking brilliant:D What yarn are you using btw?

 

LisaH xxx

Thank you .

 

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in 'Old Rose'. It's lovely and soft and has a gorgeous sheen to it. I bought it from Get Knitted a while back, when they had it on sale, but I notice that they've sold out of that colour now.

 

I've also got a skein of the 'Martha's Vineyard' colourway too, so I'm on the look out for another sock pattern. I'd like to do Hedera, but I think they might look better in a plain yarn. Decisions, decisions .

[Lucy-Lastic 10]

Thank you .

 

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in 'Old Rose'. It's lovely and soft and has a gorgeous sheen to it. I bought it from Get Knitted a while back, when they had it on sale, but I notice that they've sold out of that colour now.

 

I've also got a skein of the 'Martha's Vineyard' colourway too, so I'm on the look out for another sock pattern. I'd like to do Hedera, but I think they might look better in a plain yarn. Decisions, decisions .

 

It was the shine and the jewelled colours that I like:)

 

I like Hedera - didnt when I first looked but think that was the hideous strappy sandles:gag: The lace pattern is actually really pretty - I think Id opt for a solid. BTW been looking at blogs for the Elfines and most people opt for varigated yarns strangely.

 

LisaH xxx

[Guest]

It was the shine and the jewelled colours that I like:)

 

I like Hedera - didnt when I first looked but think that was the hideous strappy sandles:gag: The lace pattern is actually really pretty - I think Id opt for a solid. BTW been looking at blogs for the Elfines and most people opt for varigated yarns strangely.

 

LisaH xxx

Those sandals are hideous aren't they? It's art though...

 

I've been looking for examples of the finished Elfines too, and they do tend not to be in sold colours. I like these, as the colours are very subtle - just a bit of a shade change really.

 

I reckon that these are definitely going to be my first toe-up socks. Not entirely sure if I'm brave enough to give the magic loop method a go though.

[Lucy-Lastic 10]

I've been looking for examples of the finished Elfines too, and they do tend not to be in sold colours. I like these, as the colours are very subtle - just a bit of a shade change really.

 

I reckon that these are definitely going to be my first toe-up socks. Not entirely sure if I'm brave enough to give the magic loop method a go though.

 

They are nice - Im wondering about something like the Lornas Laces solids - as they its not truely solid IYKWIM - but its quite expensive. I think these look quite nice. Did notice that the Elfines have short row heels too - something else Ive not tried.

 

BTW are you doing your Jaywalkers with 2.25 or 2.5 dpns?

 

LisaHxxx

[Guest]

They are nice - Im wondering about something like the Lornas Laces solids - as they its not truely solid IYKWIM - but its quite expensive. I think these look quite nice. Did notice that the Elfines have short row heels too - something else Ive not tried.

 

BTW are you doing your Jaywalkers with 2.25 or 2.5 dpns?

 

LisaHxxx

I like the idea of the Lorna's Laces solids. It is worth spending a little more on good sock yarn, because the cheaper stuff can sometimes be a bit rough. The Chery Tree Hill sock yarn is 100% merino wool, hence the softness and the sheen. I know the nylon that some sock yarns has is there for strength, and to make the yarn a bit more hard-wearing, but I do prefer the pure merino.

 

The short row heel thing is something I've always found confusing. The method to knit the standard heel uses the short row technique (without the wraps), but as I understand it, the short row heel is something different again . More impetus to have a go at the Elfins to see what the method is like.

 

I'm knitting the Jaywalkers on 2.5 mm dpns. The pattern specifies 2.25, but when I knit the first pair, I couldn't get hold of any 2.25 mm so I went ahead and used the 2.5 mm ones I had, and they worked fine. It makes them a little bigger, but I didn't noticed any problem with the fabric being any looser as a consequence.

 

I've noticed that a lot of the American designers specify 2.25 mm dpns. Maybe it's the way their needle numbering system works, such that their most useful dpn size converts to the British 2.25 mm size - if that makes sense.