(no subject)

[avendya]

Socks! Someone tell me about socks!

Or, rather, tell me how one gets started on making them. I am a beginning knitter, about two feet into an Irish Hiking Scarf. I was playing around with some size 3 needles, and really, really liked them. It seems like socks are the most common thing made on small needles, and I would rather like a nice warm, fuzzy pair of socks. (Emphasis on warm -- my goal would be socks that can be worn in the house, instead of shoes, by a person with the world's worst circulation.)

DPNs look slightly terrifying, but they are probably manageable, right? Anyone want to give me pattern recs? The nicest looking pattern I've found is the skew sock, but oh dear god complicated stitchwork. (At least to a beginner.) A Coraline sock looks less terrifying, but also less pretty.

So: should I avoid socks for the time being, and knit a couple other things that use increases/decreases (the Saroyan scarf comes to mind), or try to make socks anyway? And, if I should knit socks: pattern recs?

Comments

[aedifica]

I like socks. They're not nearly as hard as they have a reputation for being, and since they're reasonably small you can finish them faster. (Though there is a reason why we have a name for Second Sock Syndrome. Once you finish the first sock of a pair, knitting another one just the same can be boring sometimes.)

I don't have a particular pattern to recommend, since my first socks (pictured in my icon!) were worsted-weight yarn which is way too thick for those size 3 needles you have. If you're on Ravelry, though, you might look on there for sock patterns that knitters have rated "easy".

The advice I was given at my LYS when they recommended a pattern for my first socks: "When you get to the heel, you'll think you're doing it all wrong, but just keep following the instructions and it will all come out right." And I did, and it did. :-)

And do not fear the DPNs! I like them. Their most common failure modes are poking people and sliding out of their stitches. If you find they poke you a lot, try some longer needles. If you find they slide out of their stitches, you might try needles made of something less slick and/or try knitting tighter. OTOH, DPNs are not for everyone. But I do like them, and I think there's no reason to be scared of them.