Beginner's sock

[snakeling]

I've got cotton yarn and needles and I'm ready to knit my first sock. Except that I'm kinda overwhelmed by the choice available, so could you recommend a good beginner's pattern?

I've only one circular needle, but on the other hand, I actually like double-pointed needles (actually I like them better :D).

Comments

[james]

Honestly, my usual recommendation for first socks is to make felted slippers with worsted weight wool. That way you can do all the usual sock construction things, but with fewer stitches and they knit up faster (because you're using thicker yarn and bigger needles) and then you get to felt away all the imperfections! :-)

Also, do you know that cotton yarn won't be elastic, unless it has elastic either blended in, or you're knitting it with a strand of elastic thread? Cotton socks will stretch, and won't bounce back into shape, so they will start getting loose as you wear them (even with ribbing to help keep them tight). I do have cotton socks, and they are fine for what they are - I'd just hate for your first socks to be a disappointment if you didn't realise how the yarn is going to behave.

[damned_colonial]

Wrt sock patterns, I find that different people respond to different patterns in different ways, and you need to find one that matches how your brain works. I quite like the Yarn Harlot's recipe from "Knitting Rules" (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sock-recipe-a-good-plain-sock), but there are many others out there.

I don't know if you know or not, but socks come in a variety of flavours. The old-fashioned traditional sock pattern is knitted top-down, with a turned heel (you knit a flap for the back, then "turn the heel" by doing a short row thing, then pick up stitches to form a gusset, then decrease down to the body of the foot). I like this kind of sock knitting and can now do it without a pattern, to make simple plain socks. Other people hate it, and prefer doing a different kind of heel (such as a short row heel), or knitting from the toe up, or even less common styles like moccassin-soled socks (which let you replace the sole) or afterthought heels.

What I'm saying is... the Yarn Harlot pattern I recommended is a traditional top down sock with a turned heel, and by all means you should try that and see how it works, but if you hate it, don't give up on socks, but try another way -- maybe toe-up with a short row heel, which is the next most common.

Oh, also, I always knit socks on DPNs, but there are techniques for knitting them on two circulars, which you could look into if you wanted. But if you like DPNs, I say stick with them!

[rainkatt]

I like the Ann Norling Adult Sock pattern #12. It's got variations for several different yarn weights, clear explanations, and descriptions of how to get the different looks shown. It's a pamphlet, usually about $3, and you can get it online or at a local yarn store. It's for dpns, top down.

I have a pair of machine-knit cotton socks, and they fit fine--but they are "small" when I put them on. Maybe not the best for your first sock, but once you get going, you try the cotton yarn and go down a needle size, maybe?

Good luck! Socks are fun!

[seryn]

Not sure about the yarn being right for these, but this was the first sock pattern that made sense to me:
http://media.wendyknits.net/knit/featherandfansock.pdf

[ironed_orchid]

I knit my first sock using Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's basic sock recipe, which is great, but it's in her book, so probably not free on the webs.

I would look for things labeled "simple" or "easy" sock patterns. I've been doing that now that I'm leaning how to do toe up socks.