Refining the Sock

Knitting so many socks from Favourite Socks and Knitting on the Road has helped me really refine the way I knit them and now there are several tips and tricks I do as standard whenever I knit  I am adding to these all the time and I have recently discovered another tip from Techknitting to eliminate the holes which appear when you knit a heel flap or a short row heel and then rejoin the heel knitting with the main knitting after picking up all the wraps or picking up stitches down the edge of a heel flap.

So now my list of tips runs as follows:

Toe up

Use Judy’s magic cast on to start the sock but knit the second half of the cast on stitches through the back loop to eliminate the twist.

Knit a heel flap where possible rather than short rows as this give a much better fit.

If you do knit a short row heel then rewrap all the stitches as you pick up and knit/purl the stitch  and the two picked up wraps through the back loop to eliminate the holes you normally get

Cast off using the sewn bind off by Elizabeth Zimmerman for maximum stretchiness.

Cuff Down

Cast on over 2 needles to make the first set of stitches as loose as possible.

Cross over the first and last stitch of the cast on stitches passing one through the other to make it easier to start knitting in the round.

Tips for both types.

Knit a little over half the leg from the cuff down or ankle up ending with the cuff on 3.0m needle and the foot and ankle on 2.5m needles.  This means that the part of the sock circling the wider part of your leg will be slightly looser and bigger and this means it will fit better without disturbing whatever pattern you are doing.

Use the technique recommended by Technknitter of crossing over the first and last instep stitches with the first and last heel stitches when you have finished knitting the heel and are starting the round on the foot/leg.  This will eliminate the hole you normally get.

I am increasingly tempted to buy both the Eclectic Sole and New Pathways for Socks Knitters from the Knitting and Crochet Guild.  They are a little on the steep side for price but the Eclectic has two stunning stand alone patterns in it and New Pathways would be a step into doing my own stock design which is becoming very appealing.  Once I get back from the holiday in the Lake District I might make a final decision.