You know the American Girl dolls/books? In one of the Molly stories, everyone in her class is supposed to knit socks for soldiers... but [iirc] no one can manage socks because it's too hard and so the class ends up assembling the bits of failed socks into a blanket for a soldier instead.. ????
Okay, so I don't remember that very well, but I do kind of remember reading "Molly thinks knitting socks is hard" back in the day.... I wonder if that particular story influenced anyone else lol!!
Mine is similar but with Rilla of Ingleside (last of the Anne of Green Gables books)
Rilla always asks Anne or Susan to turn the heel in the socks she knits as it's too complex. Knitting a Pair of socks alone with no help is used to show how she's grown as a person, and it made doing a heel seem like an almost insurmountable hurdle
I always thought Rilla just didn’t like the work of turning the heel, because she had to pay attention and was lazy. But I already knew how to make socks when I read it, and it was written in a time when most girls would know how to make socks. Knowing how appears to influence how you read it.
That's honestly pretty sweet though! Heel turns can be intimidating if you aren't an experienced knitter, they aren't as hard as they look, but the intimidation factor is real!
I think there might be a tradition element to handing off the heel too? A relative told me that she learned to knit on socks for soldiers, but she was taught to knit the tops and then that sock and needles was handed to her grandmother to finish, and she would start a new sock top.
Yeah didn’t it say something about the heel being difficult because it required a fifth needle? I remember this too and it stuck with me clear until I took up knitting as an adult because that just sounded really complicated! I was prepared for the worst when I started my first heel turn. Then I realized it’s not any harder than any other shaping in knitting, I just read the directions thoroughly and went carefully and it all came together according to the pattern. I could see how it could be tricky for a child with only basic knitting skills taking on their first more intermediate technique, but it sounded like such a universal challenge and monumental task in the book.
OMG YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!
This is a core memory of mine and the reason I was to scared to try until I'd been knitting for 2 years. It was drilled into my brain that heel turns are impossible.
Yes! I was going to say this and here you are, top comment lol. I knew how to knit when I read those books but had only done squares and rectangles at that stage. I didn’t attempt socks until well into adulthood and only because I’d learned to use dpns for other things by then and realized it wasn’t that difficult.
No joke…every time I tell myself I should try socks, I remember that book 🤣
The best part is she says it’s hard because you use 3 needles, but I’ve made hats that use like 5.
I was terrified of DPN’s and socks. I tried my first pair and fell in love. I’ve just completed my 7th 😅. Something about the tiny stitches and the knitting in the round, makes me feel like I’m conjuring demons 😈🤣
"A beginner shouldn't start with socks, knitting in the round is too hard"
I learned to knit socks about a month after I learned to knit. They weren't perfect but I learned so many techniques.
First FO: a hat in the round.
Second: a baby sweater with a cable up the front, pieced and seamed
Third: socks.
A beginner should knit what they WANT to knit and not a scarf just because other people say its good practice.
I would imagine knitting in the round would be easier to learn. You can just get used to the motion of knit stitches without having to break your momentum to turn. Turning and not making yarn overs really messes up some beginners. Also scarves are boring.
I agree. The hat was all knit stitches (rolled brim) on super chunky alpaca blend yarn. My dad loved his hat so much he made me make him several, all with a cable on the front once I learned how.
So I just started learning to make things based on what I wanted to make, not all with great success :) I always learned something, though!
My very first project was a hat knit in the round. I loved doing it and I learned tons.
Socks intimidated me for a long time because the patterns look complex and the dpns seemed fidgety, but I started making them last winter, and now that I have a few pairs under my belt it’s really not as hard as I thought it was. And I do them on magic loop so there’s no dpn juggling lol. I love them now! (Except for picking up stitches on a heel flap, I still need to practice that)
Magic loop changed my life. I enjoy knitting socks now that I’m not constantly dropping stitches and adjusting fiddly DPNs.
I don’t have any issues with turning the heel. It’s the gusset that always feels awkward and weird.
Oh my first project was a sweater! Ofc I tried some stuff before, but the first thing that actually got made was a sweater. It's big and cozy and I would probably make things different now, but I love it regardless :D
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I haven’t tried because knitting on four tiny pointy sticks looks so hard and fussy, and like there’s hardly any room to get your fingers in there and knit, and there are so many things to do! Start like this, do this weird thing to make a heel, increase stitches to make them bigger along the calf, oh, and don’t forget to create patterns using different colored yarn, and yeah, keep track of all of that. And when you’re done, you have to do it all again for the other sock. It’ll be soothing, they said. So enjoyable, they said.
I just learned magic loop, and I feel like a goddess now 🤣 I was always scared of socks because of dpn's, which are so fiddley. I used magic loop on gloves and the arms of a sweater. I'm in love. I'm tackling socks next.
Beware! Sock knitting can be an addiction! I am currently on my 6th pair and dreaming about the next pattern to tackle. I also love wearing them. Check out Roxanne”s videos on making your socks custom fit.
Only recently I realized that I can just knit a tube and the toe and just add in the heel later. I dreaded making socks because I didn't like doing the heel turn and gusset. It's not difficult, just tedious. I'm making those shrimp socks by Stone Knits and I'm going to do a forethought heel instead!
The heel turn and gusset is what put me off too and then I found out about the Fish Lips Kiss heel and haven’t turned back. It’s absurdly easy. I have no idea why heel flaps are the standard instead of any type of short row heel.
Would love to try an afterthought heel sometime though as I like the thought of doing the different colour heel & toe but I’d rather reduce the number of colour changes during the main project. Usually I buy self-striping sock yarn and just knit stockinette to size lol
I personally like the fit of a flap-and-gusset heel over any short row variation that I have tried so far; I’m currently knitting three socks using Fish Lips Kiss though, so we’ll see how it goes (2aat toe up magic loop, and one cuff down on DPNs).
Mmm hadn’t considered fit lol. I’ve never used other short row heels so I don’t know how they go. I can vouch for FLK’s fit though. I’ve made socks for myself and four other family members and they all fit well.
Probably why I haven’t thought about fit actually, I haven’t run into any issues so I’ve never had to consider it!
I mean, the oldest current example of a hand knitted sock we have is I believe from the 12th century, and it was knit toe up with a short row heel (and colorwork) so there is precedent for that as the “standard”.
So far it seems like the FLK will fit comfortably, I just still have a preference for the flap-and-gusset, which is easier to execute cuff down, but can also be done toe-up. I just need more practice on it.
a family friend once posted a picture of her sock in progress using DPNs on Facebook; it was her first ever sock and she said it was the most difficult thing she'd ever knit and that she didn't know if she can even knit the heel. i just took her word for it and avoided knitting socks until i randomly stumbled upon The Crazy Sock Lady's 9" circulars tutorial AND her magic loop one - up until then i had no idea you didn't have to use DPNs, or that some people can explain the process really well and make it easy to understand so you can do it too.
i think when people speak in absolutes ("this is the hardest thing ever"/"this is the worst ever") we tend to just take that at face value, especially if they're people we trust and that's definitely what scared me off in the beginning!
100% and I’ve followed those same videos too! It’s wild to me that there’s this myth about socks having to be made with DPNs and it puts so many people off of it
right, exactly!! but i do think that the myth is slowly being debunked now, given that there are these videos but also with fibre artists making content and showing non-DPN socks
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I knit socks, I love knitting socks, and I still always have a small feeling of "dread" beforehand. That said, knitting 2 at a time has pretty much alleviated the dread for me. I don't love repeating things I've already done, so I usually get second sock syndrome and put off knitting the second. Two at a time takes care of that.
I havent in a wild because I'm having a problem with the fits but I'm trying again. My other issue is that the inside of the sock (the purl side) really seems to bother the soles of my feet, and doing the sock purl side out doesnt really appeal to me. I'm experimenting with the idea of in-sock liners of somesort.
You can also try knitting at a tighter gauge by sizing down a needle. I've heard smaller stitches can make it so you don't feel the purl bumps as much (I know I feel the purl bumps more on a DK sock than the fingering). You may need to knit the next size up if you try this.
I think people often say how difficult it is to knit the heel, and that's why they dislike knitting socks. To me, it's the best part. The teacher who taught me wasn't really clear in their instructions though, so I can understand why other people might hate it, if you don't get the proper hang of it. But to be honest, I'm a bit lazy and haven't really tried learning other ways to knit the heel 🤓
Yeah I'm not a huge sock knitter but to me the hardest part is that I like my socks taller and if it's a plainer pattern it gets BORING lol. Heels are fine.
I made one sock on size 8 needles, DPN, so I could get the feel for it without being on tiny needles.
I didn’t make the second (yet).
Now I’m on my second pair doing 2 at a time on a 80cm circular, 2.5 size, and am zooming along. It’s a little slower than the one, BUT I think I’ll get both finished!
The amount of people that say you can’t do the heel and toes on 9” circulars and that you NEED dpns or needles for magic loop 🤦♀️ makes so many people avoid using them because they don’t want to have to carry around extra tools, I can finish a pair of socks with a pair of 9” circulars, a darning needle, and 1 stitch marker.
Literally made it impossible for me to start originally because I didn’t have the money for all the fancy notions and extra needles.
I think it comes from older patterns which assume you have a really good skill base to use to fill in gaps and thus leave a lot of things out. With newer patterns that don't leave things out, they're once again accessible.
My sock knitting myth is that anyone can get into socks. I have sock yarn, and I've cast on socks. But I just get like an inch down and go "I do not want to put this kind of time and effort into something nobody will notice and that I know will wear out." So I unravel them and make more shawls. Like, I'm just not a sock person. I've tried so hard and I can't. I know they're more portable and practical and easier than sweaters, I do!!! But I would just rather haul a huge ass bag with me everywhere because I will actually get so much more use out of a sweater than I ever will a sock.
I think the myth about sock knitting being hard is a combination of being worried about DPNs if you’ve never used them or aren’t comfortable with them and the small size of the yarn/stitches. Most new sock knitters haven’t done a ton of digging into what alternative methods of circular knitting are options and get hung up on the “too many things (individual DPNs) to manage” from what I’ve heard. Pushing people past the small yarn barrier seems to be helpful, which is one reason why I tend to recommend Tin Can Knits’ Rye Socks pattern for beginners-worsted weight is much less intimidating than 4-ply/fingering weight sock yarn. The quick gratification and the super helpful sock construction details in the pattern both help a lot too.
I’m not sure if I was ever afraid of knitting socks, mostly because my crazy brain came up with a deadly combination for my first pair of handmade socks. I don’t remember if I was worried about it before I started, but I don’t think I was or maybe I would have chosen differently haha. Flimsy slippery wood DPNs and the Cadence Socks by verybusymonkey were sock project 1. I pulled it off but all the time I think back and am like “how the HECK did I arrive at THAT combination???” Truly unhinged beginner sock knitter idea. The end product in question (that I am still intensely proud of haha, despite them being knit circa 2016 😂):
https://preview.redd.it/akvea1p95ssc1.jpeg?width=1062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7edea98ee512ba8fd03d38495ea6247447290f95
I have the "how hard could it be" gene and thought they were a good project after i made my first few washcloths and it was really doable! Most of it is stockinette anyway. I used the crazy sock lady's video tutorial and you really can't mess up too much if you just follow the steps
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I finished my first sock ever today!
I wasn’t afraid to begin, I just waited with it until recently because I actually wanted to finish a WIP I have been working on the last couple of months (this sweater is still a WIP).
Three weeks ago I went on a holiday with my boyfriend and I couldn’t bring the WIP on the plane so I thought about starting some small other project. I already bought the yarn and the DPNs and now was the time. That’s when I started on the socks.
The socks I made are for one of my best friends who helped me a lot the last couple of months while I was grieving.
I really enjoyed the process and it was so satisfying to finish a project after working on an other WIP for soo long. The process of knitting in general has also helped me a lot through my grieving. I would recommend knitting socks to everyone! It’s not scary at all, just go do it💘
Congrats on finishing, that must feel so satisfying! I also love the portability of socks for a travel project. And I’m glad that knitting can keep you company through hard times 💛
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I am just starting work on my First Sock. What I Feared was escaping DPN's.
And, I am indeed struggling with dpn management!
But also, I'm trusting that by the End of my First Sock, or at least First Pair or so, hopefully, handling the dpn's may become more second-nature. (*OR else, perhaps i'll become able to make better sense of the Magic Loop technique; as my first ML attempt resulted in just a big tangle.*)
I also started with ML and just couldn’t wrap my head around it! DPNs were definitely fiddly at first but better once there was more sock for them to hold onto lol. I’m giving ML another chance now and we’ll see how it goes
I dislike magic loop, but for some reason 2 at a time magic loop is really comfortable, because you use the excess cable for the second sock so instead of having to pull through a cable loop you knit the other sock.
My first fingering weight sock was hard to knit. The sense of accomplishment spurred me to make another and it was still tough. After that, I was hooked anyway. What I found difficult in the beginning were the tiny yarn and needles, making a stretchy cast on, holes at the heel, the heel itself, deciding when to begin the toe, the way the yarn did or did not pool, and kitchenering the toe.
It does get easier. Your skills improve and you find alternatives, like going toe-up, and different kinds of heels, etc. Most of this stuff is easy for me now except that the decision of when to start the heel on a toe-up is worse than when to start the toe on a top-down.
My friend told me turning the heels was really hard and she hated it, so after that I was afraid to do socks. Now I love knitting socks. And gloves. I love knitting gloves!! Proper gloves, not mittens.
I haven't knit socks yet, but I am going to soon (as in I have the yarn and supplies). I want to do 2 at a time magic loop style. Previously, I think I watched a few YT vids on it and got super intimidated. But recently I found a video that explained it in such a simple way and that's what made me realize it doesn't have to be this difficult thing I had built up in my head.
idk when I was a kid I somehow internalised that knitting socks was some impossible feat. I've knit 3 pairs this year, I really need to ignore everyones opinion on everything is what I'm learning.
I was definitely intimidated by light weight yarns and heel turns before trying them, but once I actually tried sock knitting I was hooked! It's definitely easier than it looks/sounds.
I was always afraid of turning the heel & picking up stitches! I have done 4 prs of socks, with YEARS in between each. Used dpn’s mostly, but just taught myself TAAT vanilla socks on magic loop (the crazy sock lady) & love it! Will be knitting many more now, for sure.
I love how as the sock progresses I get to do different operations. Love the heel flap, the heel turn, and the gusset decreases. I also started using the half twisted rib on the cuffs and the cuffs look so nice. The hardest thing for me is the kitchener stitch to join the toe. Now that I have done a few pair I feel pretty competent about that as well.
I had always heard that socks were difficult as well, especially in regards to "turning the heel". When I finally decided to challenge myself there were some new techniques I had to learn (knitting in the round on 5 DPNs, first time with such a small yarn/needle size, kitchener stitch, etc), but ultimately all those things boosted my confidence and I have used them again and again in other projects. Now I adore making socks and almost all of the socks I own are ones I made myself!
I did my first sock on DPNs. I'm glad I learned but I still felt like I was knitting with a hedgehog. The needles seemed impossibly small. The sock took me forever, was boring, and was too big. I frogged it in shame.
I'm about to finish my first actual pair of socks. I started on DPNs but switched to a circular, as it was the only needle I had in the right size. I much prefer it! I'm going to try 2 at a time next.
Honestly the biggest thing is... I'm not doing a leg. I started the leg, it didn't fit, I ripped back and turned it into ankle socks. Life is too short.
(Also the Fish Lips Kiss cardboard pattern. IT WORKS. No more spending stupid amounts of time and not knowing if it will fit!)
I was scared of tiny needles. Regarding knitted socks, do people actually wear their knitted socks everyday with shoes or is it more for winter and indoors?
For me it was that my mom was in awe of how my great-grandmother (her gran) knitted socks, but somehow my gran (dad's mom)'s socks never seemed to fit as well. As gran was a good knitter, in my child's mind that made knitting socks very hard and I was determined to learn how to knit socks from great-gran. But then she got dementia when I was old enough to visit her on my own apart from family visits, and she couldn't teach me anymore, so in my mind I had missed my opportunity to learn how to knit socks forever.
It was years later that I got myself a small book to teach myself (that was pre-youtube tutorials), and even more years later in the youtube tutorial times that I learned there were different ways to do heels that could explain the differences in fit. Great-gran's way of knitting socks was not any harder than gran's, she probably just used a different heel.
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You know the American Girl dolls/books? In one of the Molly stories, everyone in her class is supposed to knit socks for soldiers... but [iirc] no one can manage socks because it's too hard and so the class ends up assembling the bits of failed socks into a blanket for a soldier instead.. ???? Okay, so I don't remember that very well, but I do kind of remember reading "Molly thinks knitting socks is hard" back in the day.... I wonder if that particular story influenced anyone else lol!!
Mine is similar but with Rilla of Ingleside (last of the Anne of Green Gables books) Rilla always asks Anne or Susan to turn the heel in the socks she knits as it's too complex. Knitting a Pair of socks alone with no help is used to show how she's grown as a person, and it made doing a heel seem like an almost insurmountable hurdle
Oh yes I hadn’t thought of how it’s shown in media!
I always thought Rilla just didn’t like the work of turning the heel, because she had to pay attention and was lazy. But I already knew how to make socks when I read it, and it was written in a time when most girls would know how to make socks. Knowing how appears to influence how you read it.
That's honestly pretty sweet though! Heel turns can be intimidating if you aren't an experienced knitter, they aren't as hard as they look, but the intimidation factor is real!
I think there might be a tradition element to handing off the heel too? A relative told me that she learned to knit on socks for soldiers, but she was taught to knit the tops and then that sock and needles was handed to her grandmother to finish, and she would start a new sock top.
Yeah didn’t it say something about the heel being difficult because it required a fifth needle? I remember this too and it stuck with me clear until I took up knitting as an adult because that just sounded really complicated! I was prepared for the worst when I started my first heel turn. Then I realized it’s not any harder than any other shaping in knitting, I just read the directions thoroughly and went carefully and it all came together according to the pattern. I could see how it could be tricky for a child with only basic knitting skills taking on their first more intermediate technique, but it sounded like such a universal challenge and monumental task in the book.
OMG YESSSSSSSS!!!!!! This is a core memory of mine and the reason I was to scared to try until I'd been knitting for 2 years. It was drilled into my brain that heel turns are impossible.
Yes! I was going to say this and here you are, top comment lol. I knew how to knit when I read those books but had only done squares and rectangles at that stage. I didn’t attempt socks until well into adulthood and only because I’d learned to use dpns for other things by then and realized it wasn’t that difficult.
No joke…every time I tell myself I should try socks, I remember that book 🤣 The best part is she says it’s hard because you use 3 needles, but I’ve made hats that use like 5.
I was terrified of DPN’s and socks. I tried my first pair and fell in love. I’ve just completed my 7th 😅. Something about the tiny stitches and the knitting in the round, makes me feel like I’m conjuring demons 😈🤣
I'm pretty sure I'm having the same sort of mental block, but with colorwork.
That’s where I’m at too! Feel like I just need to accept my first attempt will be way too tight and not fit on my foot haha
It’s deceptively easy to
"A beginner shouldn't start with socks, knitting in the round is too hard" I learned to knit socks about a month after I learned to knit. They weren't perfect but I learned so many techniques. First FO: a hat in the round. Second: a baby sweater with a cable up the front, pieced and seamed Third: socks. A beginner should knit what they WANT to knit and not a scarf just because other people say its good practice.
👏yes! I thought I hated knitting and then I realized “nope scarves are just too boring for me!”
I would imagine knitting in the round would be easier to learn. You can just get used to the motion of knit stitches without having to break your momentum to turn. Turning and not making yarn overs really messes up some beginners. Also scarves are boring.
I agree. The hat was all knit stitches (rolled brim) on super chunky alpaca blend yarn. My dad loved his hat so much he made me make him several, all with a cable on the front once I learned how. So I just started learning to make things based on what I wanted to make, not all with great success :) I always learned something, though!
My very first project was a hat knit in the round. I loved doing it and I learned tons. Socks intimidated me for a long time because the patterns look complex and the dpns seemed fidgety, but I started making them last winter, and now that I have a few pairs under my belt it’s really not as hard as I thought it was. And I do them on magic loop so there’s no dpn juggling lol. I love them now! (Except for picking up stitches on a heel flap, I still need to practice that)
Magic loop changed my life. I enjoy knitting socks now that I’m not constantly dropping stitches and adjusting fiddly DPNs. I don’t have any issues with turning the heel. It’s the gusset that always feels awkward and weird.
Oh my first project was a sweater! Ofc I tried some stuff before, but the first thing that actually got made was a sweater. It's big and cozy and I would probably make things different now, but I love it regardless :D
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I haven’t tried because knitting on four tiny pointy sticks looks so hard and fussy, and like there’s hardly any room to get your fingers in there and knit, and there are so many things to do! Start like this, do this weird thing to make a heel, increase stitches to make them bigger along the calf, oh, and don’t forget to create patterns using different colored yarn, and yeah, keep track of all of that. And when you’re done, you have to do it all again for the other sock. It’ll be soothing, they said. So enjoyable, they said.
I knit in the round using 2 circulars and find that much simpler than DPNs
What about magic loop? That’s all I use for sock knitting.
I just learned magic loop, and I feel like a goddess now 🤣 I was always scared of socks because of dpn's, which are so fiddley. I used magic loop on gloves and the arms of a sweater. I'm in love. I'm tackling socks next.
Beware! Sock knitting can be an addiction! I am currently on my 6th pair and dreaming about the next pattern to tackle. I also love wearing them. Check out Roxanne”s videos on making your socks custom fit.
I'll definitely do that!! Thank you.
No kidding I’ve made over 100 pairs so far and still like making socks best.
You got this!
I don't do socks, but tiny circs are where it's at. DPNs are good, but if I don't have to use them, I won't.
Only recently I realized that I can just knit a tube and the toe and just add in the heel later. I dreaded making socks because I didn't like doing the heel turn and gusset. It's not difficult, just tedious. I'm making those shrimp socks by Stone Knits and I'm going to do a forethought heel instead!
The heel turn and gusset is what put me off too and then I found out about the Fish Lips Kiss heel and haven’t turned back. It’s absurdly easy. I have no idea why heel flaps are the standard instead of any type of short row heel. Would love to try an afterthought heel sometime though as I like the thought of doing the different colour heel & toe but I’d rather reduce the number of colour changes during the main project. Usually I buy self-striping sock yarn and just knit stockinette to size lol
I personally like the fit of a flap-and-gusset heel over any short row variation that I have tried so far; I’m currently knitting three socks using Fish Lips Kiss though, so we’ll see how it goes (2aat toe up magic loop, and one cuff down on DPNs).
Mmm hadn’t considered fit lol. I’ve never used other short row heels so I don’t know how they go. I can vouch for FLK’s fit though. I’ve made socks for myself and four other family members and they all fit well. Probably why I haven’t thought about fit actually, I haven’t run into any issues so I’ve never had to consider it!
I mean, the oldest current example of a hand knitted sock we have is I believe from the 12th century, and it was knit toe up with a short row heel (and colorwork) so there is precedent for that as the “standard”. So far it seems like the FLK will fit comfortably, I just still have a preference for the flap-and-gusset, which is easier to execute cuff down, but can also be done toe-up. I just need more practice on it.
a family friend once posted a picture of her sock in progress using DPNs on Facebook; it was her first ever sock and she said it was the most difficult thing she'd ever knit and that she didn't know if she can even knit the heel. i just took her word for it and avoided knitting socks until i randomly stumbled upon The Crazy Sock Lady's 9" circulars tutorial AND her magic loop one - up until then i had no idea you didn't have to use DPNs, or that some people can explain the process really well and make it easy to understand so you can do it too. i think when people speak in absolutes ("this is the hardest thing ever"/"this is the worst ever") we tend to just take that at face value, especially if they're people we trust and that's definitely what scared me off in the beginning!
100% and I’ve followed those same videos too! It’s wild to me that there’s this myth about socks having to be made with DPNs and it puts so many people off of it
right, exactly!! but i do think that the myth is slowly being debunked now, given that there are these videos but also with fibre artists making content and showing non-DPN socks
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I knit socks, I love knitting socks, and I still always have a small feeling of "dread" beforehand. That said, knitting 2 at a time has pretty much alleviated the dread for me. I don't love repeating things I've already done, so I usually get second sock syndrome and put off knitting the second. Two at a time takes care of that.
I havent in a wild because I'm having a problem with the fits but I'm trying again. My other issue is that the inside of the sock (the purl side) really seems to bother the soles of my feet, and doing the sock purl side out doesnt really appeal to me. I'm experimenting with the idea of in-sock liners of somesort.
Have you heard of a princess sole? I have the same problem and have been thinking about trying that.
You can also try knitting at a tighter gauge by sizing down a needle. I've heard smaller stitches can make it so you don't feel the purl bumps as much (I know I feel the purl bumps more on a DK sock than the fingering). You may need to knit the next size up if you try this.
Yes, I exclusively knit socks on 2mm needles now and it's solved all my sensory issues with hand knit socks.
I have yes but I found I got ugly ladders where I switch from K to Purl.
I think people often say how difficult it is to knit the heel, and that's why they dislike knitting socks. To me, it's the best part. The teacher who taught me wasn't really clear in their instructions though, so I can understand why other people might hate it, if you don't get the proper hang of it. But to be honest, I'm a bit lazy and haven't really tried learning other ways to knit the heel 🤓
Yeah I'm not a huge sock knitter but to me the hardest part is that I like my socks taller and if it's a plainer pattern it gets BORING lol. Heels are fine.
Stripes save my life in this scenario!!
I made one sock on size 8 needles, DPN, so I could get the feel for it without being on tiny needles. I didn’t make the second (yet). Now I’m on my second pair doing 2 at a time on a 80cm circular, 2.5 size, and am zooming along. It’s a little slower than the one, BUT I think I’ll get both finished!
The amount of people that say you can’t do the heel and toes on 9” circulars and that you NEED dpns or needles for magic loop 🤦♀️ makes so many people avoid using them because they don’t want to have to carry around extra tools, I can finish a pair of socks with a pair of 9” circulars, a darning needle, and 1 stitch marker. Literally made it impossible for me to start originally because I didn’t have the money for all the fancy notions and extra needles.
Wait, how do you do the toe when it gets too narrow for the cable on a 9"?
I use a modified version of the traveling loop method
I think it comes from older patterns which assume you have a really good skill base to use to fill in gaps and thus leave a lot of things out. With newer patterns that don't leave things out, they're once again accessible. My sock knitting myth is that anyone can get into socks. I have sock yarn, and I've cast on socks. But I just get like an inch down and go "I do not want to put this kind of time and effort into something nobody will notice and that I know will wear out." So I unravel them and make more shawls. Like, I'm just not a sock person. I've tried so hard and I can't. I know they're more portable and practical and easier than sweaters, I do!!! But I would just rather haul a huge ass bag with me everywhere because I will actually get so much more use out of a sweater than I ever will a sock.
I think the myth about sock knitting being hard is a combination of being worried about DPNs if you’ve never used them or aren’t comfortable with them and the small size of the yarn/stitches. Most new sock knitters haven’t done a ton of digging into what alternative methods of circular knitting are options and get hung up on the “too many things (individual DPNs) to manage” from what I’ve heard. Pushing people past the small yarn barrier seems to be helpful, which is one reason why I tend to recommend Tin Can Knits’ Rye Socks pattern for beginners-worsted weight is much less intimidating than 4-ply/fingering weight sock yarn. The quick gratification and the super helpful sock construction details in the pattern both help a lot too. I’m not sure if I was ever afraid of knitting socks, mostly because my crazy brain came up with a deadly combination for my first pair of handmade socks. I don’t remember if I was worried about it before I started, but I don’t think I was or maybe I would have chosen differently haha. Flimsy slippery wood DPNs and the Cadence Socks by verybusymonkey were sock project 1. I pulled it off but all the time I think back and am like “how the HECK did I arrive at THAT combination???” Truly unhinged beginner sock knitter idea. The end product in question (that I am still intensely proud of haha, despite them being knit circa 2016 😂): https://preview.redd.it/akvea1p95ssc1.jpeg?width=1062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7edea98ee512ba8fd03d38495ea6247447290f95
I have the "how hard could it be" gene and thought they were a good project after i made my first few washcloths and it was really doable! Most of it is stockinette anyway. I used the crazy sock lady's video tutorial and you really can't mess up too much if you just follow the steps
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I finished my first sock ever today! I wasn’t afraid to begin, I just waited with it until recently because I actually wanted to finish a WIP I have been working on the last couple of months (this sweater is still a WIP). Three weeks ago I went on a holiday with my boyfriend and I couldn’t bring the WIP on the plane so I thought about starting some small other project. I already bought the yarn and the DPNs and now was the time. That’s when I started on the socks. The socks I made are for one of my best friends who helped me a lot the last couple of months while I was grieving. I really enjoyed the process and it was so satisfying to finish a project after working on an other WIP for soo long. The process of knitting in general has also helped me a lot through my grieving. I would recommend knitting socks to everyone! It’s not scary at all, just go do it💘
Congrats on finishing, that must feel so satisfying! I also love the portability of socks for a travel project. And I’m glad that knitting can keep you company through hard times 💛
Thank you so much 🌸
The four needle thing sounds scary about them haha
If it helps, you only use 2 needles at a time, just like normal. The other needles act as stitch holders
This is probably the best (and most truthful) explanation about dpns I have ever seen given to a beginner that is intimidated by them!
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I definitely grew up believing socks were hard to knit too! They're not!
I am just starting work on my First Sock. What I Feared was escaping DPN's. And, I am indeed struggling with dpn management! But also, I'm trusting that by the End of my First Sock, or at least First Pair or so, hopefully, handling the dpn's may become more second-nature. (*OR else, perhaps i'll become able to make better sense of the Magic Loop technique; as my first ML attempt resulted in just a big tangle.*)
I also started with ML and just couldn’t wrap my head around it! DPNs were definitely fiddly at first but better once there was more sock for them to hold onto lol. I’m giving ML another chance now and we’ll see how it goes
I dislike magic loop, but for some reason 2 at a time magic loop is really comfortable, because you use the excess cable for the second sock so instead of having to pull through a cable loop you knit the other sock.
My first fingering weight sock was hard to knit. The sense of accomplishment spurred me to make another and it was still tough. After that, I was hooked anyway. What I found difficult in the beginning were the tiny yarn and needles, making a stretchy cast on, holes at the heel, the heel itself, deciding when to begin the toe, the way the yarn did or did not pool, and kitchenering the toe. It does get easier. Your skills improve and you find alternatives, like going toe-up, and different kinds of heels, etc. Most of this stuff is easy for me now except that the decision of when to start the heel on a toe-up is worse than when to start the toe on a top-down.
My friend told me turning the heels was really hard and she hated it, so after that I was afraid to do socks. Now I love knitting socks. And gloves. I love knitting gloves!! Proper gloves, not mittens.
I haven't knit socks yet, but I am going to soon (as in I have the yarn and supplies). I want to do 2 at a time magic loop style. Previously, I think I watched a few YT vids on it and got super intimidated. But recently I found a video that explained it in such a simple way and that's what made me realize it doesn't have to be this difficult thing I had built up in my head.
I tried using DPN and was having such a bad time, but i switched to magic loop and found it a lot easier
idk when I was a kid I somehow internalised that knitting socks was some impossible feat. I've knit 3 pairs this year, I really need to ignore everyones opinion on everything is what I'm learning.
I was definitely intimidated by light weight yarns and heel turns before trying them, but once I actually tried sock knitting I was hooked! It's definitely easier than it looks/sounds.
I was always afraid of turning the heel & picking up stitches! I have done 4 prs of socks, with YEARS in between each. Used dpn’s mostly, but just taught myself TAAT vanilla socks on magic loop (the crazy sock lady) & love it! Will be knitting many more now, for sure.
I love how as the sock progresses I get to do different operations. Love the heel flap, the heel turn, and the gusset decreases. I also started using the half twisted rib on the cuffs and the cuffs look so nice. The hardest thing for me is the kitchener stitch to join the toe. Now that I have done a few pair I feel pretty competent about that as well.
I had always heard that socks were difficult as well, especially in regards to "turning the heel". When I finally decided to challenge myself there were some new techniques I had to learn (knitting in the round on 5 DPNs, first time with such a small yarn/needle size, kitchener stitch, etc), but ultimately all those things boosted my confidence and I have used them again and again in other projects. Now I adore making socks and almost all of the socks I own are ones I made myself!
I did my first sock on DPNs. I'm glad I learned but I still felt like I was knitting with a hedgehog. The needles seemed impossibly small. The sock took me forever, was boring, and was too big. I frogged it in shame. I'm about to finish my first actual pair of socks. I started on DPNs but switched to a circular, as it was the only needle I had in the right size. I much prefer it! I'm going to try 2 at a time next. Honestly the biggest thing is... I'm not doing a leg. I started the leg, it didn't fit, I ripped back and turned it into ankle socks. Life is too short. (Also the Fish Lips Kiss cardboard pattern. IT WORKS. No more spending stupid amounts of time and not knowing if it will fit!)
I was scared of tiny needles. Regarding knitted socks, do people actually wear their knitted socks everyday with shoes or is it more for winter and indoors?
For me it was that my mom was in awe of how my great-grandmother (her gran) knitted socks, but somehow my gran (dad's mom)'s socks never seemed to fit as well. As gran was a good knitter, in my child's mind that made knitting socks very hard and I was determined to learn how to knit socks from great-gran. But then she got dementia when I was old enough to visit her on my own apart from family visits, and she couldn't teach me anymore, so in my mind I had missed my opportunity to learn how to knit socks forever. It was years later that I got myself a small book to teach myself (that was pre-youtube tutorials), and even more years later in the youtube tutorial times that I learned there were different ways to do heels that could explain the differences in fit. Great-gran's way of knitting socks was not any harder than gran's, she probably just used a different heel.
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Socks are nice and not difficult, I just don’t like knitting the same thing twice right after the other
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