Socks are the best, everyone should knit socks...why?
1) It's economical. You can splurge on really cool yarn and you only need a little bit of it. (Prices start at $3.50 a skein.) My two favorite sock yarns: Knitpicks Felici self-striping and Wisdom Yarns Marathon socks, a self-patterning yarn, named for cities all over the US.
2) It's not hard. They have GREAT tiny circulars nowadays that make it a breeze to knit socks, mittens, legwarmers, etc. (Favorite tiny circulars; Hiya-Hiyas, a little hard to find, but available at many yarn shops.)
3) Socks are completely transportable; small knitting that lasts for thousands of stitches, you can take it anywhere and know you'll have an ongoing project. (And for a school project, your child can stitch you a little drawstring bag to stash your stuff in.)
4) Everyone wears socks. Even should your recipient perchance NOT like the colors or pattern, they will wear them because they're so dang comfy and anyway socks are partially hidden under shoes and the other part under pants, makes for an easy-to-please project. (Alright, for almost everyone; I have still not knit socks for my father. I am not quite convinced he would wear them, cause I'm not knitting solid dark brown, Dad.)
5) Choice of patterns. I think there are more books being published about knitting socks than anything else these days and more cool, self-striping and self-patterning yarns than ever there were in the history of wool.
6) Speaking of history; socks were first knitted long, long ago. Queen Elizabeth I loved her knitted stockings so much she may have learned how to knit them herself.
Is there any sock knitting book you could recommend for someone who has never knitted socks?
ReplyDeleteHi Eva!
ReplyDeleteYes, this, I think, is the perfect book for a beginning sock knitter and a great reference to have on hand for experienced knitters:
Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd.
It has great, simple, colorful illustrations and photographs and uses the same method of turning a heel for all of the patterns, it is, by the way, the same method as used in the videos on knittinghelp.com (a fantastic resource).
When you have mastered the basic sock and feel more adventurous, she includes a stitch dictionary in full color of rib patterns, variations on the cuff and leg, even lace patterns. My sock bible.
By the way, you still get the practice with four-needle knitting at the end of your sock, when even the little tiny circulars won't make it around and around 16 stitches.
Happy Knitting to you!
Angela
Thank you Angela, I will check the library for the book. Do I understand you correctly that the pattern in this book are knitted on circular needles?
ReplyDelete