Rubbish Day, Talk to Me About Socks!

[glinda]

I've had a rubbish day at work and I'm trying to distract myself in a positive fashion.

So...knitters of dreamwidth, if you would, please tell me about your favourite sock patterns. I have a bunch of sock wool and I kinda hate the pattern that came with the wool. I'm therefore looking for recommendations for better sock patterns. What are your favourites? Why do you love them? Do you prefer starting at the cuff or toe-up socks? Magic loop or four pins? And what on earth is an 'after-thought heel'?

Comments

[domtheknight]

I do 2 circulars - never got into magic loop although really the underlying principle is the same. I do that because then I can do 2 socks at once, and if I only did 1 sock at a time I'd never do the second sock. This way they're both done together and they're identical (or nearly).

I like cuff down and toe up for different reasons. I like the way heel flaps fit better, but I really don't like doing a heel flap on toe up socks. I often have a simple toe up pattern going at the same time as a more complicated cuff down pattern and alternate depending on brain space and stuff like that. I have a pair of socks with me constantly, since they're small and easy to carry around I will work on them wherever.

Afterthought heels you put in after the rest of the sock is done - others have explained too. Some people love them, I'm not a huge fan although I've done some. I prefer to just get the heel done where I'm at and not go back later. I want to be done when I cast off or when I sew together the toe, so I can just weave in the end and then immediately put the sock on.

If you haven't knit very many socks and want to, I think it's worth trying different techniques to see what you like best. For most sock patterns you can sub in your own items - if you hate heel flaps you can pretty much always put in a short row or afterthought heel instead. There's a bunch of techniques for starting toes, etc. Life is too short and there's too much great yarn to knit something you hate with it.