(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

[maegquare]

There's already lots of good advice here, so I'll try not to be an echo. Socks are my favorite thing to knit, as well. I'm sure you'll love it. :)

You could try making a plain sock or anklet in worsted-weight first, just to learn the basics, because it will go fast, and if you aren't already used to dpns, the bigger needles + the big yarn might help.

If you haven't used dpns before, the first time may feel like herding cats, but after a couple of rounds, it will be easy. Really. :) You might find it easiest to cast onto a long straight needle first, maybe even knit your first row on that, then transfer it to the dpns. But soon you'll be able to cast on with your dpns and they will seem very normal and easy to use. Just watch that first round and make sure you haven't twisted any stitches and then you'll be fine. I recently learned to use 2 circs, but found I prefer dpns. You may find the opposite is true for you. Whatever works for you, and you enjoy, is the best way. :)

Top-down and toe-up are both easy, and have different advantages. I think you might find top-down easiest for your first sock, but opinions vary widely on this (it's allowed ;D) and I only mention it because I had so many people tell me that their favorite method was the only way to go, and I usually found the opposite to be true for me. Or maybe that's just me, heh. Try both ways and see for yourself.

You can make toe-up socks with dpns, but it might be easier to try those first with 2 circs. Top-down is very easy on dpns, though.

Another good way to get used to dpns (or 2 circs), if you're not sure you want to make socks yet, would be fingerless gloves. A lot of them have thumb gussets, which are not quite like sock gussets, but might help you get used to the idea, while learning to knit seamless items. They're quite fun, fast, and addictive, as well. :)

Recently, I saw Kate Atherley's 'Training Sock' patterns on Ravelry (there are top-down and toe-up versions for both magic loop/2 circs or dpns) and think those would be great for beginners.

There are tons of help videos on You Tube. I'm sure you know about knittinghelp. Another one I really like is knitpurlhunter. They're short and to the point, easy to see what she's doing, she speaks distinctly, and there are quite a few with sock techniques.

[ambersweet]

Fingerless gloves = love. They're totally my favorite thing to make. XD

Also, make sure you haven't twisted any stitches and then you'll be fine.

This. Because it apparently doesn't matter how long you've been knitting or how many round things you've made, all it take is a careless moment. And you'll totally be all, "Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't have to tell me to be careful not to twist, pattern writer, geez, I'm not a dumb little baby knitter," UNTIL YOU DO IT and then you will cry. And bang your head against the wall. And rip back two inches of cuff, asking yourself HOW DID I EVEN DO THAT WITHOUT NOTICING.

Or maybe that's just me?

[maegquare]

No, it's not just you. :D I also learned about twisting, the hard way, after I thought I knew what I was doing. I'm still a new-ish knitter, but started getting a bit over-confident recently, and have been humbled. ;D I hope I didn't sound like the know-it-all. Just trying to pass on a few things that helped me a lot when I started.

It's probably a tie between socks and fingerless gloves as my favorite things to knit. I say it's socks, because I learned those first, but they're both great.

I'm working on my first pair of top-down fingerless mitts. It seemed really confusing at first, but it's fun, so far. I was intrigued to try the pattern, which makes the thumbs first, then insert them after beginning the hand. I'm used to the cuff-up, thumb-gusset kind, so this is really different to me. But fun. :)

[ambersweet]

I've only been knitting for a little over a year, myself. XD

Those mitts sound FASCINATING, do link?

[maegquare]

About a year and a half here. :D I don't know how I lived so long without knitting till now, because I've become obsessed. ;)

It's the August Mystery KAL in the Fingerless Gloves Fanatics group on Ravelry. A new clue every Monday this month and the pattern stays free till September, I think. So we're on clue 3 this week and just attached the thumbs. Great group, btw, if you haven't already joined.

[ambersweet]

I am a member of that group but I'm bad about checking in on it. I'll totally have to go look at that, though!