My first socks ever + Book Review: Sock Knitting Kit

When my buddy Star blogged yesterday that the mayor officially declared this to be Sock Knitting Week in Portland, my Sock Summit excitement reached a new level and I decided that I couldn’t be just a passive Portland knitter in all this sock madness – I need to be a participant!  So I did it, I cast-on for my first sock last night!

I had a skein of this self-patterning sock yarn (Sockotta) I got free at a craft swap awhile back, so I figured that would be a good way to start – try a super basic pattern, but the yarn will make it more interesting and I’ll be more likely to finish the pair!  As for the pattern, well that’s where the review comes in….

I was given The Sock Knitting Kit awhile back, and had it on my shelf, looking sad, like “Are you ever going to try me? Why are you such a sock hater?”  I’d opened it up and looked through everything, always planning to someday give it a shot.  So yeah, yesterday was that day!  I read through the book, checked out all the patterns – seemed like a good way to step into the big, scary world of sock knitting!

Written in a friendly, conversational tone, like your friend is explaining the process, only dealing with the basics, starting with how a sock is formed before getting into the patterns.  All the socks in the book are constructed the same way: top down, knit the leg, heel flap, turn the heel, form the gussets, shape the toe, and finish.  I know there are other ways to construct a sock, but it seems to me that this is a good basic shape to learn first, before getting more advanced.  (If you’re a visual learner, or a beginner knitter in general, you’ll probably need more than just this kit to get started, since there are no illustrations and the explanations are pretty brief.)

And then there are 6 patterns – from the basic Unisex Socks on the cover (and above), to the crazy Mukluks slipper socks pictured above!  It’s a good variety – super short Cheerleader Socks, Toddlers’ Bobby Socks, Knee-Highs with duplicate stitch embellishment, and over-the-knee Pink Stockings.  And of course, the kit includes a skein of (unknown) yarn for one pair, and a set of double pointed needles (size US 2) to get you started.

So, for my first pair, I chose the Unisex socks, but I decided to use 3×1 ribbing instead of 2×2 because I thought that would look better with the self-patterning yarn.  Then, once I was seeing how it was knitting up, I decided to stop with the leg section after only an inch and a half instead of 8 inches, for little ankle socks.

I’m using size 4 needles, which are the smallest I’ve ever used, and about 6 sizes smaller than my average size that I’m used to, so I’m having a hard time with them – I know true sock knitters are finding this hilarious because size 4’s are HUGE!  I chose 4’s because I’m a tight knitter, and since the pattern recommends 3’s, I thought I’d be good with 4’s (I didn’t gauge swatch, yeah I’m a terrible knitter, I know).  So, the gauge is a bit loose and I’m not super loving how the yarn is knitting up, which is one reason I stopped at the ankle; the other reason being that I figured if I tried making the full-sized versions, I’d never finish!  I don’t know if I’ll have a pair ready in time to wear them at Sock Summit, but at least I’ll no longer have to say the closest I’ve come to sock-knitting is slippers on size 11’s!