Handy Tips for Choosing the Right Sock to Knit

Sock knitting is so fun. They’re great travel projects and I like to have one on the needles all the time to work on wherever I am.

But one thing that can be tricky for people who are new to sock knitting is choosing the right size to make a sock that will actually fit your (or the desired recipient’s) foot. When I knit my first socks I just assumed the pattern would make a good size for me but they came out way too big.

Kate Atherley has some great tips to help you choose the right sock knitting pattern (excerpted from Custom Socks at Interweave). It even covers the problem I had — assuming that one size fits all.

She runs through the basics of how to measure your foot and what you should look for in a sock pattern that will actually fit your foot, as well as when to be wary about a sock pattern.

Do you knit socks? I’d love to hear your sock-knitting tips!

[Photo via Interweave.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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