How to Make Knitted Socks (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Do you have yarn that you can't wait to turn into socks? Forget what you know and try following these steps.

You must already know how to knit, how to purl, assemble and disassemble the stitches. This pattern requires you to knit from the big toe up with double pointed needles.

Steps

Step 1. Choose the thread you would like to use

Keep in mind that too chunky yarn is not suitable for practical socks, even if you would get a nice pair of slippers!

Step 2. Choose double pointed needles that work well for your chosen wool

Since this sock pattern is symmetrical, you will need 5 needles: four to hold the work and a movable one to work with.

Step 3. Use this method to avoid sewing the big toe later

Take two needles and pull the yarn around them making an eight. Each ring will become a point. For small and medium socks, fit eight loops on each pair of needles, for large socks mount ten.

Step 4. Take a third row and work each ring on the first row

Then take the first row and work the stitches on the second. The stitches should now be on the first and third rows. These stitches can stay a little loose, so you'll tighten them up later.

Step 5. Notice how the stitches worked on each row hang between the two double pointed needles

Gradually this type of assembly will become easier!

Step 6. Using the third row (the movable one), work 1 stitch, add another one (using the ring between the stitches)

Work until you are halfway through the iron. At this point put a mark to highlight the center / back of the sock. Take a new row and work until there is only one stitch left, add one and work the last stitch.

• To make a point keep your work taut and find the thread from the previous row hanging between the needles. Take it using the tip of the needle you have in your right hand, bring it over the needle of your left hand and work it as if it were a normal stitch.

  

  Step 7. Repeat the same process on the following mounting iron

  The work must be symmetrical and all four irons should be involved, plus a movable one. If the socks are large, you will end up with six points for each iron; if you make smaller socks you should have five.

  

  Step 8. Remember this pattern to add stitches to the second and penultimate stitch of each side

  Work the first row (all four rows), and add stitches the same way on the next row. For every other row, add stitches like this. Continue until you have 11 (small), 12 (medium), 13 (large) or 14 (very large) stitches on all four rows.

  

  Step 9. Work until there is about 4 cm left to get to the heel

  If you don't have the option to have your sock measured while working, measure your foot before you start!

  Step 10. Begin to work the heel

  If you tighten the end points, you will avoid having structural holes. This method is called short row knitting.

  1. Switch to another mode: only work on two needles on each side of the mark. Leave two needles for the front of the sock, working back and forth (using straight and purl) in the back of the two needles to make the heel. Treat these two irons as if they were one; you can even pass them all on one iron if you can keep the symmetry.

     

  2. The first half of the heel systematically requires "paused" stitches. Work all but the last stitch, then pull the yarn through the front of the piece (between the rows). Pull the stitches you haven't worked on the other row yet and pull the yarn through the back of the piece again. Turn the piece and pull the stitch not worked back onto the empty needle, then continue with the purl as before. The result will be an unworked stitch in the "back row", as if the thread has gone around. It will remain "paused" until you retrieve it. It will remain on the needle where there will always be the same number of stitches.

     

  3. Purl the rest of the row apart from the last stitch, "twisting" it in the same way and leaving it unworked, waiting.

     

  4. Turn the piece and continue, until there are only two stitches left on the needle (one of which is the one waiting). Twist this stitch like you did before and turn the work. Purl all stitches except the last two; twist the last stitch and turn the work.

     

  5. With each iron, twist the next point, until you are wrong 7 points on each side. The last row of this work should be purl, then the seventh stitch needs to be twisted.

     

  6. To finish the second half of the heel, start picking up the stitches one by one. Work an iron and, when you get to the first wrong stitch, take the ring at the same time and knit it. Twist the point again. Then turn the piece and start the purl. This point is now "active" again.
  7. At the end of each row he retrieves the stitch to "reactivate it", working the ring with the stitch. Each time you do this, you twist the next inactive point like you did to deactivate it.

  8. When you have all the stitches turned back on, you should have a piece of work in the shape of a heel. The last heel of the heel should be backhand, so you should recover and reactivate the last of the wrong stitches.

     

     

     Step 11. Return the irons to their normal position, with four active (symmetrical) and one movable irons

     Work until you get to the point where the heel attaches to the main part of the sock, which you have ignored until now.

     At this point, if you continue to work, you will most likely find a small, irritating hole on the ankle, where the heel joins the sock. The next step was written precisely to prevent this from happening

     

     Step 12. Continue working all four rows as you did before starting the heel

     When you get to the point where the heel joins the rest of the sock, take the thread between the two needles and add a stitch. In the next step, work it with the neighbor stitch, two together. This will avoid the irritating hole. Do the same thing on the other side of the heel.

     

     Step 13. Keep working until you are 3 or 4 cm from the end

     Begin by knitting one row to the right and one purl to make the ribs. The ribs will prevent the sock from curling, but if you want to get a pixie boot effect, you can skip this step!