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Men’s Sock Knitting Patterns

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A reader recently commented on a very old post about men’s sock knitting patterns that several of the patterns weren’t available any more, so I decided it was time to provide you with a new batch of men’s sock knitting patterns.

Knitting socks for men is not any different from knitting socks for women, only men tend to have larger and longer feet. According to the Craft Yarn Council’s standards, a woman’s size 7-9.5 is the same as a men’s 6-8.5, with a foot circumference of 8 inches and a foot length of 9.25-10 inches. Women’s 10-12.5 corresponds to men’s 9-11.5, where the foot circumference is 9 inches and a length in the foot of 10.25 to 11 inches.

The Dad Joke Socks from the Black Squirrel are a great plain sock to knit for guys, or anyone else. They feature ribbing down the front of the sock for a snug fit and come in three sizes up to 9 inch foot diameter.

The stitch pattern is a little hard to see in the multicolored yarn used on the Husband’s Favorite socks from Twin Stitches Designs, but it’s a pretty simple knit and purl pattern that gives the sock some texture. This one is also available in three sizes and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

The Atlantis Twins sock pattern from Designs by Delz (available on Ravelry) uses a slip stitch pattern on a background of reverse stockinette, but the sock is worked inside out so you don’t have to purl the whole thing. It’s available in three sizes up to a 10 inch foot circumference.

The Colonel Mustard socks from Erin Black are another free pattern on Ravelry, which was designed to fit a man with shoe size 9-11. They have a pretty ribbed design on the front that makes them hold the leg well and allows for the pattern to fit a range of sizes.

If you want to add a cabled touch to your socks, try the Hibernal Socks from Summer Lee Design Co on Etsy. These socks range from 7 to 11 inches in foot circumference so they’re sure to fit just about anyone.

Or how about boot socks? This pattern from Darling Jadore on Etsy makes a classic stockinette boot sock worked in DK weight yarn and sized for a medium to large man’s foot.

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Have you read?

Review: The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook

I know not all of you are interested in writing patterns, but for those of you who are (or who already do), The Knitting Pattern Writing Handbook by Kristina McGrath and Sarah Walworth is a great guide to things you need to consider as you are designing, writing and preparing your pattern for publishing.

While a lot of this information (such as grading patterns for particular sizes, the importance of size inclusivity in patterns and common sweater design pitfalls) is specific to designers or garments, this information is important for designers to think about and for knitters to look out for when purchasing patterns.

The book covers the basics and beyond of writing a knitting pattern, including:

  • foundations of a good pattern
  • components of a pattern
  • gauge
  • charts
  • sizing
  • common sweater pitfalls
  • working with a tech editor

The goal of all this is to get designers thinking about how they want to present their patterns, from how abbreviations are handled to when charts are used, how many sizes are included and how elements of the pattern might need to change as garments get larger (such as increasing at a different rate on raglans so the armhole is not too deep when accommodating a larger bust size).

McGrath and Walworth are professional tech editors who host the Tech Tip Talk YouTube page, and their aim is for patterns to be clear, consistent, correct, size inclusive, accessible to a range of knitters (both in terms of physical ability and skill level).

They definitely have opinions about how knitting patterns should be written, such as how to convert from inches to centimeters and that measurements for sweaters should be taken from the upper bust rather than the full chest. But they also note that a tech editor’s job isn’t to be dogmatic or make changes without good reason.

The book also covers other subjects of importance to designers such as the difference between tech editing and test knitting, why you might want to do both and in what order. Each chapter includes a checklist of things to think about when writing you pattern and questions and answers to common questions they come across in their tech  editing businesses.

The back of the book includes detailed guidelines for where and how to measure bodies, plus standard size charts for kids, women and men. There’s also a sample style sheet for use with a tech editor and plenty of resources for learning more about design, accessibility and more.

This book is a great resource for people thinking about getting into knitwear design (particularly garment design), or for designers who want to make their patterns better and their editor’s job easier.

About the book: 176 pages, hardcover. Published 2023 by Storey. Suggested retail price $20.

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