Knitting basic socks

I really love a good woollen sock. They are not only for winter either. They are wonderful on rainy spring days inside wellies, and just as comforting at home in place of slippers. Knitting socks is also much more enjoyable than it might seem at first. They can look terribly complicated, but once you get the hang of the basic construction, they are quite straightforward. I knit mine in the round using five double-pointed needles, although circular needles would work just as well. This post is more of a photo walkthrough than a strict pattern, but hopefully it will still be helpful if you fancy having a go.

I must admit, this is the sort of post that makes more sense in pictures than in strict pattern language. So rather than giving exact stitch numbers for every size, I have included the measurements I use as a guide. You will still need to adjust your stitch count depending on your yarn, needle size, and personal tension.

THE CUFF

This is where the sock begins. Cast on your stitches, join in the round, and work a stretchy rib for the cuff. This helps the sock stay up nicely.

I knitted 15 rounds of ribbing here, but you can make it longer or shorter depending on your preference. The little colour change is just for fun and is not essential at all.

A LITTLE PATTERN

After finishing the ribbing, I added a small pattern around the sock leg. This part is completely optional and just for fun. If you prefer, you can carry on in plain knitting instead. The chart above shows how I worked it.

THE HEEL FLAP

Once the leg of the sock was long enough, I moved on to the heel flap. For this part, I worked back and forth on half of the total stitches, while the other half stayed on hold for the top of the foot. The heel flap length can be adjusted depending on the size you are making, and I used the measurements from the chart above as a guide.

TURNING THE HEEL

Once the heel flap was long enough, I moved on to turning the heel. This is done by working short rows across the flap and gradually decreasing in the middle, bringing in stitches from the sides as you go. That is what transforms the flat piece into a little cup shape that hugs the back of the heel. It can look a bit puzzling at first, but once it clicks, this is the part that becomes really fun. In fact, I think it is the stage that gets people addicted to sock knitting, because suddenly it all starts to feel a bit magical.

PICKING UP THE GUSSET STITCHES

After turning the heel, I picked up stitches along each side of the heel flap. These extra stitches form the gusset, which gives the sock enough room to fit comfortably around the heel.

Photos 1 to 6 show this stage from different angles. It may look a bit messy on the needles here, but this is exactly how the sock starts coming back together again.

SHAPING GUSSET

Once all the gusset stitches had been picked up, the sock was joined back into the round again. From here, I kept knitting and gradually decreased the extra stitches at the sides until the sock returned to its usual width. This shaping helps the sock sit neatly around the heel and foot. In the photo above you can see the sock just after being rejoined, and in the photo below the gusset shaping is already starting to settle into place.

THE FOOT

Once the gusset shaping was finished, I simply carried on knitting in the round until the sock reached the right foot length, stopping just before the toe shaping needed to begin. At this stage, I repeated the little pattern from earlier a few more times, just to tie the whole sock together. Again, this is completely optional, and you could just as easily keep the foot plain.

SHAPING THE TOE

When the foot was just a little shorter than the final length I wanted, I started decreasing for the toe. By reducing stitches gradually on each side, the end of the sock narrows into its finished shape. I also changed colour here to echo the cuff, but that is simply a decorative choice. Once only a few stitches remained, I finished the toe off neatly.

By the way, big thanks to Vicki’s mum, who helped me put the size chart together for these socks, even though she probably did not realise it, as all my questions went through Vicki.

Rasa xoxo