First time sock pattern, minimal swearing?

[Gliblet]

Can any of my fellow knitting types recommend a good first time sock pattern? I've knitted in the round before but never socks so I know people refer to turning a heel like its a dark art but I don't know what it's all about.

I have a ravelry account, and I have a little stash of fingering weight yarn, some DK, and some aran. I've got double pointed needles in sizes 3.25 or 4mm (and I do have access to Hobbycraft or Amazon but if I can make my first probably horrible attempts without extra expense, all the better 😁 ).

I can crochet as well so if you've got a wonderful sock pattern that's crocheted rather than knit, please do speak up!

I find Winwick Mum socks are well written and easy to follow. I use her Candy Cane sock as my basic stocking stitch pattern. It's knitted in sock weight yarn (fingering) but in smaller needles than you have. I use 2.5mm. If you want to use the needles you have then you probably need an Aran sock pattern.

Happy to second Winwick Mum, her online site shows both photographic and written instructions and there is a really helpful Facebook page if you need help and encouragement.

This is sounding very promising, thanks 😁 Looks like I'll have to suck it up and buy some 2.5mm DPNs but sounds like it'll be worthwhile.

I've made DK weight socks using 3.25mm needles with Crazy sock lady's DK weight vanilla sock pattern, though I'm a tight knitter and knit fingering weight socks on 2.75mm to get gauge.

I use magic loop (on a long cable needle), rather than double pointed needles, but it's essentially the same thing, just a different technique.

Just a tip, if buying wool, socks are better with some nylon or similar in the wool, usually around 25% nylon and 75% wool or similar, as pure wool socks get holes very quickly.

Tin can knits also have a good starter pattern, but winwick mum is good too. Just do exactly what the pattern says, even if it makes no sense, as it will do.
use proper sock yarn with some nylon or you will be darning the heels far too soon
if you do top down, cast on twice as loosely as you think you need to. Ask me how I worked this one out.
hand knitted socks are fabulous

A third recommendation for Winwick Mum from me. Wish she had been around when I first learned to knit socks. She has free patterns on Ravelry.

I second winwick mum for cuff-down socks. Would recommend trying out a tester sock in your DK with 3.25 needles, using a child’s pattern - just to practise and see if you like it, try out the techniques etc, before investing in new needles and yarn, and embarking on a full size adult sock. Don’t worry about the tester sock being the wrong type of wool - it’s just a dummy run to get the hang of the construction

Winwick mum’s children’s sock pattern here: https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/2023/01/basic-4ply-childrens-socks-free-pattern.html

I now prefer toe-up socks and use the following vanilla sock pattern as a basis: https://www.jotorr.co.uk/knitting-patterns/vanilla-socks/. She also does a DK version

Once you’ve sorted out a basic sock, you can adapt really easily for different size feet, lace patterns, cables, preferred rib and heel/sole stitches. Sock magic…

Had forgotten about this for a practice toe-up sock: https://cushionofjoy.com/2020/10/15/baby-sock-pattern-good-for-a-practice-sock/

Really quick to make, and clear pattern instructions. I always use the Judy cast-on for toe-up

@OrrAppleCheeks thanks, I'm definitely going to try a 'disposable' one with my cheap crappy DK before I do anything with my lovely self-striping Yorkshire wool company fingering weight yarn 😆

Well, Judy's 'magic' cast on has had an informal name change 😆 but I've finally got it! I've got some 2.5mm circular needles ordered but in the meantime I've been practicing with some leftover cheapo DK

Good luck! Welcome to the fantastic community of sock-knitters!

@OrrAppleCheeks can I ask a question about the heel turn in the 'vanilla' pattern? I've been knitting it on a circular needle and I can't quite see how I'm going to do a heel flap - do you leave everything on one needle? I'm using markers so it's easy enough to see where the sole stitches are but just working on those and not the gussets or top is twisting my melon, man...

I was already a reasonably decent knitter before I tried socks, but I just couldn't get the hang of the patterns I tried from Ravelry. The heel didn't work, although I swear I was following the instructions to the letter! In the end I bought a book 'Getting Started Knitting Socks' by Ann Budd and never looked back. I've made about 6 or 7 pairs.

"Crazy Sock Lady" on Youtube has a DK weight beginner sock tutorial along with her free pattern on Ravelry.

I didn't get on with Winwick Mum's tutorials so if you need other options I would recommend Crazy Sock Lady.

Also, Very Pink Knits on Youtube has a beginner DK weight pattern as well.

Personally I would suggest starting with DK just so you can work with thicker needles to get the feel for it and they take about half the time of fingering weight so you won't get bored while you're learning the techniques. If you have average female feet, 100g will be enough for one pair. West Yorkshire Spinners and Drops both have DK sock yarn options on Woolwarehouse website.

I knit the heel flap and heel turn stitches on 2 DPN's leaving the rest of the stitches just 'hanging out' on the circular needles.

You can do the whole thing on 9 inch circulars but I find that a faff.

Thanks all, I got through the heel turn using the 'vanilla' pattern but the foot is way too short. I worked it out using her calculation, but I'm assuming I did something wrong as your foot would have to be more hoof shaped for that first sock to fit 🤣 I've ripped it and am reknitting it so I'm basically just going to add a few inches before doing the gusset increases and see if that works. I'll definitely be checking out the recommendations given here though to see if there's another tutorial/pattern that might suit me better.

Which pattern did you go for? Socks do need a bit of negative ease so they don't slide about.

The jotorr vanilla one that OrrAppleCheeks linked to - understanding the gusset increases and working the heel turn was quite a bit easier than I thought it would be once I got into it but using the calculation in the pattern that's supposed to give you the length of the section between the shaping increases and the gusset increases (sort of toes to arch) came up way too short.

In this situation, I'd consider doing a different heel type, such as one of the short row options (or as a shadow wrap heel, if you want to avoid short-row holes) so that you don't need a gusset increase. All the heel types have different pros and cons and fit feet slightly differently, but heel-flap are one of the more complicated heels to knit toe up. Top down heel flaps are much more straightforward and you can then use one you've previously knitted top down, as a template when knitting a toe up heel flap sock.

I agree with a PP that crazy sock lady and very pink knits are great alternative teachers, if Winwick mum's style doesn't gel. I also didn't find her the easiest to learn from initially, but I've knitted many dozens of socks now and used a few of her patterns, amongst those from other designers. It's just finding a style that works for you.

Sorry @Gliblet - I forgot to check back on this thread! I’m glad you sorted out the heel in the end though

I like quite a bit of negative ease in my socks but you can have too much of a good thing. You can sometimes adjust by using slightly larger/smaller needles for the heel-flap-and-turn if it’s only a little bit wrong. Otherwise, the really good thing about socks is that they’re quite small so it doesn’t take too long to undo and correct. Might be worth putting in a lifeline before the gusset so you can rip it all back easily

This is a great pattern too - I haven’t done it myself but know a few people who have as first time sock-knitters and I don’t think it has a heel flap construction: https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/bywater-socks-knitting-pattern-by-martha-mckeon?srsltid=AfmBOoplFuFkIQ8knEkOzTeQRZhF_GElXdsAdis-JtxPjdaCNBUB1xOI

Couple of other things - NimbleNeedles on YouTube has some really good sock videos, clearly explained

And if you’re picking up stitches for a top-down heel flap and gusset, a small crochet hook makes it a lot easier. Even easier is doing a garter stitch, where you knit the first and last stitch of every row of the heel flap, and then you can just run a thin needle through the bumps: . Really easy, and you don’t end up with a seam

Anyway, hope you’re enjoying your sockery!