I’ve decided I need to learn how to knit socks, but have no idea where to start. Does anyone have any links for a good beginner’s guide or online resource?
I can kinda read knitting recipes, but english is not my first language - I don’t know all the english knitting terms. And I’m a learner-by-doing: I don’t learn stuff untill I’ve had the chance to thoroughly screw it up myself.
So, basic socks - no frills, no decoration, just the basic shape.
And any knitting tricks or chitchat is always fun 
Knitty.com has a few good articles going through making socks:
Socks 101:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/FEATsocks101.html
Socks 102:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/FEATsocks102.html
Between those articles, I managed to make my first pair of workable socks (I like to be pattern independent)
Basically, figure out how big the circumference of the leg needs to be, and then figure out how many stitches are needed with the yarn you are using (this should probably be in a rib to hold it up.) Cast on, knit in the round however you like (I’m a big fan of knitting with two circular needles, but do what you’re comfortable with) and knit until you think it’s about time to put in a heel.
Then decide what kind of heel you want, theres a round up of the types in the knitty tutorials. I like the short row heel, it seems to be the simplest of them, though YMMV. Also, with that method, it is possible to get gaps along the line of turning.
I use this method (and this tutorial is amazing):
http://www.cosmicpluto.com/blog/?p=585
Once you turn the heel and perhaps finish the gusset, its just knit straight until its long enough to taper for the toe. I just work decreases on the outer edges to form a point, and then when I’m done, graft the ends or, more frequently, get to the stopping point, shove my two circular needles through the sock to turn it inside out and do a 3-needle bind off, which is a direction I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a pattern, but its pretty easy if you have two circulars.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask questions. Making socks is pretty fun, in my opinion. Few basic forms, easy to adjust to what you want.
I taught myself to knit socks using Silver’s Sock Class. It only covers how to knit cuff down with a heel flap on DPNs, but there’s lots of pictures and detailed explanations. If you prefer to use Magic Loop or two circulars it’s easy to translate the instructions.
Also if you’re on Ravelry I just noticed today that they’ve added an extremely basic sock pattern to the pattern library; they also have tons of sock patterns and sock “recipes”.
Ooh, thanks. This looks just like what I need.
I’m not on Ravelry, but i asked for an invite. What are your names there (if you’re on, Rosie is Tired?)
I’m Rhiannon8404 on Ravelry as well. Feel free to friend me when you get in.
When I decided to knit socks, I went to the local yarn store, and I got the best advice from the lady who sold me a sock pattern. In fact, it was such great advice that I try to apply it to other areas of life.
“Just trust the pattern. It won’t make any sense as you do each step maybe, but just trust it, do what it says, and at the end you’ll be amazed to find you have an actual sock.”
And it worked! I love making socks.
I was coming in here to say this! I also learned how to knit socks from Silver’s.
I can offer you a bit of advice- ditch the DPNS and get yourself some Addi turbo needles. Two circs instead of four DPNs makes me happy happy.
May I be rude and ask what your mother tongue is? I’m an avid knitter and able to assist with four Nordic languages.
My own most useful sock-and stocking-knitting bible (useful because it teaches technique rather than giving patterns) is in Finnish, published by a traditional handicraft association some time in the late sixties when people started to feel concern about dying traditions, and it has a couple of general, useful tips:
First, make sure that you cast on stitches loosely, otherwise the opening will be tight and uncomfortable. Second, make sure that about a third of the shaft is ribbed, or it will have trouble staying up. Third, make sure that the heel flap and heel are long enough (their rule of thumb is that the flap should be as many rows as there are stitches on two needles minus two, but I usually let it go at minus four. The heel itself should cover the ball of your foot.)
Fourth, when you pick up stitches from the heel flap, pick up enough of them that there aren’t any holes in between, even if they turn out too many or you get a different number on both sides. On the first row, you can knit superfluous stitches together until you have the right number.
Finally, I like to shape the gusset and toe by increasing and decreasing the number of rows between the decreases. You know, decrease on the first row, one row without decreases, decrease on the 3rd, 2 normal rows, decrease on the 6th row, 3 normal rows etc. For the toe, you start with, say, five rows between decreases.
And when you post in here about knitting, please do NOT make up a second user-name, and then get into self-serving discussions with yourself about various knitting-related issues! For some reason, they really don’t like it when posters do that.
Ravelry is great, if just for the giant database of patterns. I am SeeRosieKnit there, but I’m really not active- I look through patterns and only rarely get to the forums. Feel free to friend me though, I like people!
And I will second the advise vifslan gave.
I like using one long circular needle myself. I bought a few pairs of Knitpicks circulars (almost as good as Addis, IMHO) intending to work with two circs, but soon I was won over by the Magic Loop.
You end up with fewer dangling needle ends, which is great if you’re trying to be quiet in a movie theater or something. More importantly, it frees up your second needle for another project. (This knitter hasn’t been monogamous for several years now!)
I am now Magic Looping. I’m not sure if I prefer it to two circs, but I’ll continue awhile to give it a chance.
I’ve got the same username there as here. Feel free to friend me when you get an invite! Socks are fun to knit; just watch out for the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. I’ve got it bad right now, I’ve had one and a half socks hibernating in my knitting bag since August.
I’ve done magic loop for sleeves and other round things; haven’t tried 2 circulars simply because I don’t have 2 circulars of the same size (I have a Denise interchangeable set that a friend gave me, the cords are really too thick to magic loop anything under a light worsted weight) and no way to buy any, but for socks I prefer DPNs. Try everything and see what you like!
I think I should mention that the Wunderkammer on Ravelry isn’t me. I’m Asmody there, which has more to do with my first name than anything.
Ginger, are you Magic Looping as of today? Tell me you’re not tempted to go polyknitterous and use that extra needle for something else…
Hm. How do 2 circs work? Magic looping looks…interresting, but I’ll stick with 5 needles for my first sock, I think (store is open tomorrow, and they should have a new shipment of wool coming in )
I was just about to ask what on earth you meant by this, when I suddenly got it. Well played!
vifslan, my native languages are faroese and norwegian, and I speak danish too, so you probably can help me. I’ll ask if I get any spesific language-problems.
This almost looks like English.
Okay, I’m on Ravelry know, same name as here.
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wunderkammer**, I adore those Endless Knot mittens, I will so be stealing that pattern.
I avoided second sock syndrome by knitting both socks at once–one from the outside of the ball, one from the inside. If you look at them, you can see that the stripes are reversed on each leg: http://flickr.com/photos/egamirorrim/1099092572/
Knee socks sure take a lot of stitches, though. For real.
DPNs are Double Pointed Needles, which most people use to knit socks (four needles at one time). Instead, I use two circular needles (made by Addi). Circular needles are a set of small needles with a cable in between them.
I am not, in fact, Magic Looping. I just didn’t care for it. And if I really wanted to, I have a set of Addi turbos in size 1 as well… and a whole crapload of other circs. I have a sweater, another pair of socks, and two scarves on the go at the moment as well.
YES! That is where I learned. Easy directions, good pictures. I do dpns, but I use the wood or bamboo ones, since the metal are so heavy that they tend to fall out.