Making New Knitted Socks

If you’re familiar with knitting and have extra yarn, why not make this a warm sock for yourself or someone you love? Follow these steps to learn how to knit socks. This tutorial assumes you know the following knitting techniques: how to knit, turn inside out, put on and take off. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, you will need to learn what they are and how to do them before trying to knit your own socks.

Step One: Choosing Your Yarn

Choose the yarn you want to use to make your socks. It is useful to be careful when choosing, as using a thick yarn will be a better slipper than socks.

Step Two: Choosing Your Needles

You will need double-pointed needles to work with this particular sock pattern. You will need five needles because the symmetrical nature of this pattern requires four needles to hold the work while you do the sock and one needle to work to make the sock.

Step Three: Use the Toe of the Sock So You Don’t Have to Sew

Using two needles, wrap the yarn around them in a figure eight shape. All the loops you will create here will then turn into the sock loop. If you are making a small stocking, use eight loops, but for larger socks use 10 loops.

Step Four: Adding a Third Needle

You will need to use a third needle to knit all the loops in the first loop. After knitting all the loops on the first needle, take it and knit all the loops on the second needle. The result of this step should show all your stitches on the first and third needles. Don’t worry about the stitches coming loose as they will tighten up later.

Step Five: Creating More Socks

With the third or floating needle, follow the knitting, making a pattern until you reach the midpoint of the needle. Now you will want to add a marker to indicate the back center point of the sock.

Step Six: Inserting the Fourth Needle

Add another needle to the mix and continue knitting, make a pattern until one loop remains, knit the last loop flat.

Step Seven: Continue the Pattern to Make the Sock

Repeat these steps with a second cast on the needle. If you’re knitting a large sock, count on having six stitches in each. If you are knitting a small stocking, make sure that there are five loops in each. Continue this knitting pattern until you have made the entire length of your sock. You should continue knitting until the sock is about 2 inches from the back of the heel. If you are making socks for someone else, be sure to measure your feet.

Step Eight: Build the Heel of the Sock

Knit short rows using only two needles. Using knitting and inverting techniques, knit tightly back and forth to prevent large holes in the sock.

Ninth Step: Returning the Needles to Normal to Finish the Sock

Return to your five-pin stance to finish the rest of the stocking, the area that goes around the ankle and above the leg.

Step Ten: Take it

When you’ve finished making the sock and made your two or two purl ribs, you’ll want to throw the sock loosely to allow for easy on and off. If not, you may end up with an uncomfortable sock.

Handmade socks, especially those that are soft, fluffy and warm, are a great stocking stuffer!