Knerdy Knitting
where spelling isn't as important as awesome

My path to becoming a capital K Knitter was festooned with socks.  You see, although I learned how to knit when I was eight or nine, I didn’t become a Knitter for many, many years.  Many years.  Even when friends around me were knitting, I still only made a modest effort to pick up the pointy sticks.  One such friend is Erin, who is a fabulous, crafty badass.  She was knitting multicolored socks when I was trying to figure out why my acrylic bag wasn’t felting.  (Note to self: find ginormous acrylic bag and post photos.)  Those socks were beautiful, knit on tiny needles, and I remember thinking that there was no way I could ever do something that detailed and elegant.

Another such friend is Kim, whose awesomeness is a trapdoor spider.  She stayed with my roommates and I one year to go to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon.  I mentioned to her that I knew how to knit, but that I’d need lessons because “what I really want to make are socks.”  She jumped for a pad of paper to sketch out how easy sock making is and that I wouldn’t need lessons or even a pattern because here’s how you do it.  Somehow this did not dispel the sock mystique.

I did end up taking a sock class, taught by the wicked smart Leslie Verts.  I’m pretty sure that most of the sock construction tips in this continuing series come from her, but I know them so well now that I don’t remember learning them.  I hope you find them helpful!

Sock Tip #1: How to Avoid Wearing Through Your Socks Quickly

I’m tough on store bought socks, so I knew when I began to make socks that this would be an issue.  Luckily, there are several things you can do to keep wear at bay.

One option is not to wear the socks.  Just look at them.  Don’t put them on your feet.

Another option is to make the socks out of wool with a tight twist, spun worsted if you’re really getting into it.  It’s a sad truth that softer, squishier yarns don’t wear as well.  They get all pilly, and then you want to pull off the little pills, and even if you don’t they become full of holes.  An added bonus to making socks out of tighter, rougher yarn is that it makes option one easier.

A third option is to look for yarn that has a nylon content.  Nylon wears better than wool.  This may affect the yarn’s softness and/or squishiness.  If you are already set on a pure wool yarn, you can carry nylon reenforcing thread along with the pure wool yarn.  This is particularly useful in the heel and toe sections of the socks.  Be warned, however, that this method is controversial.  Some will say that the nylon thread wears a little too well, that it cuts through the softer wool like an egg cutter through hardboileds.  Others will retort that this may be true, but that you’ll need to darn the socks eventually and it is much easier if they have a framework of nylon stitches in all the holes.

A fourth option, my personal favorite, is to work the heels and toes on smaller needles.  This creates a denser fabric that resists wear.  But it can be depressing if you are already using size US 0 needles.

Lastly, you can work the heel in a stitch other than stockinette.  Look for something thicker and denser.  Garter stitch is a simple alternative.  My favorite is this two row method:

Row 1:  *s1, k1, repeat from * to end

Row 2:  s1, purl to end

That’s it!  Tune in later for Sock Tip #2: Avoiding that Little Hole at the Top of the Heel Flap!