Good morning everyone!
As we kick off the first day of this class , I want to go over the basic
materials needed.
YARN: 200 yards / 4 oz. This will make a pair of socks 8" high for a US
size 8-9 foot. If you want socks with BIG scrunchy
tops, then add 2oz more and plan on making me aware of this early on in
the class. The sock pattern that we will follow
produces socks that fit the foot like a glove IF you follow all the
directions properly.
SIZE OF YARN: 10 wraps per inch. Although thinner (12-14 wpi) will
wear better, the thicker size will make great boot and
Birk socks that knit up FAST, and for a first sock, that is what we are
aiming for!! For those of you handspinning your own
yarn......once you have a singles yarn spun (and if you twist it tightly
you make it stronger), let 12" of it twist back on itself to
see what its 2-ply state will look like. Take a pencil and place a set
of marks 2" apart. Wrap the 2-ply yarn around the pencil
and count how many times it wraps around, lightly touching the strand
next to it. You need to get 20 wraps around the pencil
between your marks to have yarn that will knit up to your foot size in
the following pattern. If your yarn has too many wraps
between the marks, then you need to draft the fiber thicker when you are
making it into a single ply ...if it has too few wraps,
you need to thin out your drafting to make a finer yarn when it is still
a single ply. Experiment!
NEEDLES: I recommend #5, 6 or 7 needles. For the fastest knitting, use
12" circular needles. You will need a set of double
pointed needles to narrow and finish off the toe. The smaller the
needle, the tighter the knitting (the harder the knitting is on your
hands) and the longer the sock wears. You can also make the sock
entirely on double pointed needles.
NOTIONS:
- A darning needle. Any needle with a big , fat and long eye will
work. Make sure you can thread your yarn through it.
- A couple of markers...safety pins work great.
For those of you needing materials, I have LOGOCAL SOCKS kits with
wool/mohair commercially spun yarn, circular
needle, fully adjustable
pattern (double pointed needles...optional) all packed and ready to ship
out to you....contact me for info.
MEASURING
Those of you new to knitting socks will need to become well acquainted
with the foot you are covering. Get out a measuring
tape and take down these measurements. Put the foot against a wall. Pull
the tape snugly before you look. Measure to the 1/4
inch (help....what is the metric equivalent????)
________________length of foot from the wall to the tip of the longest
toe
________________circumference around the broadest part of the
foot...measure 3 places and take the average
________________ height you would like the socks to reach on the leg
MAKE A GAUGE SWATCH:
This is perhaps a boring step for some of you. Get
over it and just do it. Chant or put on the
teakettle and sit down and cast on 20 sts on your needle. *Knit one row,
then purl one row* Repeat the directions between **
until your gauge swatch is 3" high. Enjoy the yarn....this is the first
time it has EVER been knit! How does it feel?
If you are you using a 12" circular needle for the first time, you will
need to acquaint yourself with its small size. Be patient with
yourself. If you have NEVER used a circular needle, keep the following
in mind: once you have cast on your stitches....you will
use the point on the opposite end of the needle to knit (and then purl)
across the stitches for your gauge swatch. One keeps
switching the point used as one works across and finishes a row of
knitting (or purling). Once we work the sock proper, that
will not happen...the knitting will be joined into a tube and gets
rather fun (and fast).
Measure across the center, from edge to edge (this will NOT be easy as
the edges curl inward....make them lay flat!) You will
need to get a measurement of AROUND 4.25-4.75 inches. Anything outside
of this measurement and you have to:
...change your needle size (if you have a collection of them!)
The Rule: if your swatch measures TOO BIG....use a smaller
needle
if your swatch measures TOO SMALL:
- ...use a bigger needle
- ...knit looser or tighter
...remember this so you can adjust the SIZE OF SOCK you are making
Since this is a practice sock, I would suggest you don't get too bogged
down about this.....the easiest thing to do is to change
the size of sock you will make, and I will remind you about this
shortly.
Once you have the gauge swatch done.....report back to the list and we
will proceed.
NOTES:
FOR THOSE USING the LOGICAL SOCKS pattern that came in your kit can
be followed for this class EXCEPT your gauge swatch will probably
measure smaller than the one made as recommended
above. That is fine and to be expected (smaller needles have been
included in your kit to improve the fit and wear of the socks
you will make). Plan on adjusting the SIZE you make in the pattern that
follows. Send me a note AFTER you have made and
measured your gauge swatch if you are confused about this.
FOR NEWBIES:
Those of you having trouble casting on: check out this great web site:
http://www.wonderful%2Dthings.com/knit.htm
Need to learn how to knit and purl? Check out these web pages:
http://marketplace.xtra.co.nz/isroot/KnittingStore/knit/round.htm
And....I gave some rather detailed info on knitting and purling in our
basic MITTEN CLASS..Lessons 1 and 2, on the
Spinfree web site
This material ©2000 Claudia Krisniski
Back to the sock lessons