Sock Knitting Guide - Formula Method

EDIT: I am in the process of putting together a series of posts that guide you from needle choice through to the various techniques of sock knitting. As I go I will update this guide to include only the formula itself. Hopefully this will be easier to follow, and will allow me to include more information on all the aspects of sock knitting than I can in a single post.

Well, I caved. I cast on the socks. I kept looking over my shoulder at the beautiful blue skeins and finally I couldn't take it any more - it was time to fire up the swift and winder and get my tiny sock circulars out again. Unfortunately my normal stitch count ended up a little too tight with the stranded colourwork and I've had to rip them out and begin again, but it reminded me of how much trouble I had finding information about how to knit socks to begin with, so I'm going to see if I can collate some of that in here. Read on below for a guide to sock knitting - everything you need to know to make socks (well, my way at least) is included below, as well as a bunch of links to some of the excellent knitting help resources around the web.

The Joy of First Harvest (Updated)

Today I harvested my first home grown vegetable! It was an exciting moment and as I washed the ants away and beheld the glory that was my misshapen little ear of corn I could only smile at its... irregularities.

My Fickle Knitting Heart

The Aperture Science square is going well (only twelve rows left to go) and I'm looking forward to the next one - Tetris! - but there's been a sort of a snag. Do you remember how I quit the Geek-A-Long last year to the undeniable urge to knit socks instead? Well, today I looked over at the sock yarn shelf beside my desk, and... I mean, it's been like ten weeks since I knit on a pair of socks! That is a long time in knitting hours.

Weeds or Wanted?

Why do baby plants and weeds look so identical?!

Lately, the first thing I do in the morning is go outside to check out the garden and see what's changed since I was last out there (ie yesterday). And the great thing is that there's usually something to see - a new sprout here, more leaves there, buds opening everywhere. It isn't all great, though. Maybe it's just my inexperience talking, but... I can't tell the difference between weeds sprouting and the seeds I planted coming up.

Grass? Spring Onions?

Getting Knitty With It

It's summer here and that means long days full of hot sunshine. The garden is loving it - the corn especially seems to relish the heat - but my skin does not, and that means keeping gardening to the early evening. Once the heat goes out of the afternoon I can prune and weed and potter to my heart's content but in the meantime I need ways to spend my time. When I'm not reading or gaming (or, I mean, at work) that means knitting.

My grandmother tried to teach me to knit when I was younger but it didn't really stick at the time. It was only years later, after a childhood spent marvelling at the things my mum created, that my dad showed me how to crochet. It was easier to get into, the work grew at a more satisfying pace, and I was happy. Even better - the stitches could easily become mindless, and I was able to work without looking most of the time. I spent one summer (WHY SUMMER) making my first throw blanket: I took the biggest crochet hook I could find, lined up my entire acrylic stash by colour, and crocheted with three strands held together at a time. There are some things I'd do differently if I were to make another (the cast-on chain is much too tight, for example) but the bold colour progression is still delightful and I love how warm the blanket's sheer weight makes it feel. When it was finally done I washed it and the water it soaked up made the thing so heavy I had to get my brother to haul it to the clothes line for me. It's the size of a double bed (with plenty of overhang on the edges).

Branching Out

I've always loved the home- and base - building part of video games. Since the SNES I've followed the Harvest Moon games, one of the first things I played on my own PC was The Sims and the settlement construction feature of Fallout 4 has sucked up a huge amount of my playtime. And, now that I'm an adult, I've kinda become obsessed with the idea of doing some base building of my own - specifically some gardening.

I'm a little wary of some of the catchphrases of the 'organic' movement - it seems to often be associated with some stuff I disagree with, like the fear of 'toxins', praise of all things 'natural' and the distrust of medicine - but I don't deny there are some ideas that appeal to me too. I like the thought of reducing my impact on the world, providing for myself, creating things instead of just consuming them.