Why Knit Socks?
You Could Make These!If you are a sock knitter, it is the question which is eternally asked of you. "Why bother knitting socks?" must surely be the second most asked knitting question. (Second only to "Can I take my knitting needles on the plane?" Yes, you can take your knitting needles on the plane.)
On the face of it, there are a lot of reasons not to knit socks. For one thing, it takes a ridiculously long time. A knitter I know who primarily knits socks can knock out a pair in about 20 hours. I now take about 30 hours for a pair. But my first pair took at least 50 hours to finish! (Memo to new sock knitters: you do get faster!)
The second impediment is that it seems daunting to the inexperienced knitter. Not only are you working with tiny yarn and tiny needles, but there are at least four different ways to knit socks (4 DPNs, 5 DPNs, 2 circs, magic loop) in two directions (toe-up and top-down) which gives you eight permutations to choose from before you even start.
And finally the obvious question, why knit something you can buy for, like, two bucks? Why spend all that time for something that goes on your FEET?
This was my personal opinion as a knitter, until I fell in love with a skein of sock yarn. Opal Rainforest, in the "owl" colorway. It really looked like owl! I had to have it. I had to have socks made of it. And the only way to get them was to knit them myself.
Once you have tried hand-knit socks, you will never want to go back to "the regular kind." It's the difference between a scratchy $10 Walmart acrylic sweater, and a hand-knit 100% wool sweater. The fit, the quality of materials, the infinite range of colors and patterns, and best of all the way the wool keeps you warm and wicks away moisture (no more sweaty feet!) without making your feet too hot.
Your feet deserve hand-knit socks. And you, as a knitter, deserve to give sock knitting a try. I mean, come on, have you seen some of the sock yarns out there? Gorgeous! And affordable, if you do the math! I'm working on a moderately pricey skein, which was $21 for enough to knit 2 socks. That's $21 of yarn for 30 hours of knitting fun, or $1.40 per hour. Such a bargain!
For your first pair, I recommend starting with a DK weight yarn like Cascade 220 or Patons Classic Wool Merino. It will knit up quickly, and let you practice with the basic construction. The most difficult thing about knitting socks at first is wrapping your head around the geometry.
I myself started out with Yarn Harlot's guide to knitting socks from her book, "Knitting Rules!" I know many other knitters who learned with Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock [pdf], which is a favorite with new and experienced knitters alike.
Personally I favor 5 DPNs, but I think everyone should try all the techniques before picking one.
A word on sock ladders: Please do not worry about them! If you try DPNs, you will notice a column of funny stitches that happen when you switch from one needle to the next. For one thing, your hands will gradually (and unconsciously) learn to adjust the tension on their own. For another thing, once you've worn the socks and laundered them a few times, the ladders will disappear, I promise you!
