If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Ravelry, you may have noticed already that I’ve finished my first pair of knitted socks!
And boy howdy, am I pumped about these. According to Ravelry (and I’m a bit ashamed to admit it), they took over 2 years to complete!
Calling for worsted weight yarn, these socks feature Judy’s Magic Cast On and a Fleegle Heel. I was supposed to do an Invisible Ribbed Bind Off but I was so excited to be done that I didn’t want to take the time to have to learn something new and I just used a regular knit bind off with large needles. This was almost a huge mistake — I can barely get the cuff parts over my heels because of it! They do fit, though, so that’s fantastic!
If I ever get enough motivation to make another pair of knitted socks, I think I’ll use sock-weight yarn. This yarn is one of the softest I’ve ever felt but because the stitches are bigger (comparatively speaking, to the stitch size of sock-weight yarn), I can feel them on my heels and the balls of my feet when I walk. It’s a bit uncomfortable — I wouldn’t go to work or anything with them, but I’ll wear them at home all the time!
Check out my Ravelry project page to see more about the yarn and needles used, etc.
To all you sock makers out there, I had forgotten how hard it is to take pictures of my own feet! Do you have any tips? Also, do socks you’ve made with bigger yarn feel less comfortable when walking than socks made with thin yarn?
Well, that’s all for today. I’m off to do a little bit of cleaning — we have friends coming over today! Thanks so much for stopping by, see you next time!
not your average crochet 
The socks look great. I want to try some too and it could easily take me two years to finish 🙂 I like the idea of thick socks but didn’t think about the feeling of the stitching… Maybe wearing a thin pair of ordinary socks inside them would work? So they would become comfy slipper socks 🙂
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Good idea, I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks!
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Absolutely wonderful. Love this color. I’m working on my first pair too. I too wondered about the thin vs. worsted weight. I’m so excited for you. It feel so great to get something new done. 🙂
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It sure does! Good sense of accomplishment. 🙂
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They look so comfy, i have looked many times at knitting socks but i am no good on dpns. I have see some crochet ones about so maybe they would be easier, great work!
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Thank you! I actually used the magic loop method with circular needles because I was a little hesitant to try the unwieldy double pointed needles myself. They can be pretty difficult!
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Oh how lovely. Gorgeous colour too. Perfect for this weather! I am not that great at knitting; crochet is more my thing. Well done for completing them- they are awesome!
Best wishes,
Jill (catandmouse57)
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Thanks Jill! I’m much better at crocheting myself — knitting is still difficult for me and it took me ages to get this far! That makes each accomplishment important, though, so I’m excited about the socks!
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I’m looking forward to seeing the next pair!
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Reblogged this on catandmouseembroideredtextiles and commented:
Check out this amazing feat or (feet!) of knitted awesomeness!
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I became a convert to sock knitting last year so I can appreciate the sense of achievement in making them. Well done! They look lovely.
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Thank you very much Rachael!
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They look very cozy for sitting around! I have yet to catch the sock-knitting bug that seems to be so pervasive. I just frogged my first real attempt last night, in fact. It took WAY too long to barely finish the heels on size 0 needles. They’ve been packed away since last year, and I finally decided to put the yarn to better use… a very bitter-sweet unraveling business.
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They really do take forever. It’s sad because it seems like knitting other, bigger items take less time when using the exact same needle size and yarn. Maybe socks just go slower because of the DPNs or circulars?
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Or maybe it’s just because they are socks? Not that I don’t love socks, but mine were all one color and mostly the same stitch too, and I begin to understand why people love using very colorful yarn or interesting stitch patterns with them. Perhaps it makes for more exciting and therefore faster knitting?
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Good point — having an interesting pattern might keep things fresh enough to not lose motivation. I hadn’t thought of that!
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They look really comfortable!
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Thank you! They are, especially for just chilling out at home!
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Congratulations! A first wearable pair of socks is a great achievement and well worth celebrating! I’ve found the feel of the yarn matters more than it’s weight. Some worsted weight yarns are so lofty and soft, they feel wonderful on the feet. And some sock-weight yarns are so stringy, you can feel every stitch and they just aren’t comfy at all. I’ve also found if I get the gauge too loose, it changes the feel of the resulting fabric enormously and you start being able to feel all the stitches, so some yarns are terrible at one gauge and delightful at another.
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Hmm… I hadn’t thought about gauge being a potential culprit, but that totally makes sense! Thanks!
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Well done for sticking with it and actually finishing these lovely socks. If it makes you feel any better I have a half made pair in my WIP, I would love to finish them but each time I look at them I think of something else I would rather do. I love hand knitted socks but am not, it appears cut out for making them.
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Thanks! Glad I’m not alone with the indifferent feeling toward half-completed socks. I had wondered if it was just me!
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It’s a common problem – I’ve heard it called “second sock syndrome” 🙂
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That’s a perfect description!
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Well done on your first pair!
I completely understand your slight disappointment at them not being that comfortable.
I’ve made 4 pairs and only 2 of them feel to me any where near how socks should. One of them is a sock weight yarn and the other is a doubleknit. So I really think it is the softness of the yarn rather than the thickness although a finer yarn and a finer stitch will always be kinder to the soles of the feet.
I think you really need to feel the yarn against your face to gauge how soft it might turn out to be. However a softer yarn may be less durable but at least you would be able to wear them comfortably.
Maybe we just share sensitive feet?
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Good points, and I do have sensitive feet, so that might be a huge part of it! Glad to know I’m not the only one!
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Also I notice you’ve continued the k1, p1 under the feet. This is going to feel quite harsh. I wouldn’t definitely use a stocking stitch under my feet.
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Looks great! Next try 2 at a time!
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