Tips
Our selection of knitting tips below include a beginners guide to sock knitting and information on straightening circular needles and how to get tangle free coulerwork. Plus knitting tips on spit spice, dealing with yarn shortage, measuring socks and completing an alternative and two strand cast on.

Beginner’s guide to sock-knitting, some hints and tips for new (and new-ish) sock-knitters Choosing needles. It is possible to knit socks on two ordinary needles and sew up the resulting back seam (this is how to get vertical stripes from a self-striping yarn). Most sock-knitters hate sewing up however so knit in the round. The traditional way to do this is with double –pointed needles (dpns). Dpns come in sets of 4 or 5: English sets are traditionally 4 with the stitches held on 3 needles, continental sets tend to be 5 so the stitches can be spread over 4 needles – how many you use is up to you. You can also use a small circular needle (30-40cm) but some sock-knitters find this causes their hands to cramp. Or you can use a long circular needle, and even knit 2 socks at a time – this is called the Magic Loop method. In order to get a hard-wearing fabric, socks are usually knitted on needles one or two sizes smaller than if you were making a different garment. For most sock yarns, recommended needles will be 2.25mm – 2.75mm. Choosing yarn. ’Sock yarn’ is usually 4 ply (fingering) weight). You can also use double knit (DK, worsted, 6 ply) or even aran or chunky (for thick slipper-sock styles). Modern sock yarn usually contains 20-25% nylon (polyamide), for durability and to help prevent felting. It is also usually made of superwash wool for easy care. You can use pure wool (people did for centuries!) but they may not wear as well and may require more care in washing. Sock yarn is usually predominantly wool, because that has the best stretch. There are now some fantastic blends of other yarns, including alpaca, silk, bamboo and of course cotton, all of which have been designed for socks and work well. However it’s best to avoid ordinary cotton yarn, acrylic and indeed most non-wool yarns that aren’t specified for socks, as these don’t have wool’s ability to bounce back and may not wear well. Self-patterning yarns are great fun – you just knit and watch the pattern unfold. Patterns seem to work well over different numbers of cast-on stitches and are consistent from ball to ball. Hand-painted yarns  tend to have a more random effect – colours may pool and repeat irregularly. Each skein of hand-painted yarn is unique, so to get an absolutely consistent effect you may need to use 2 skeins and alternate them every couple of rows (I’ve never bothered!). Hand-dyed, ‘nearly solid’  yarns have a lovely subtle shading in the colour from the dyeing process. Quantity. Yardage varies according to the yarn, but 100g is usually enough for a pair of adult sized socks. I’ve found 100g Opal, Regia, Socka and St Ives will make a pair of socks for a man up to about a (UK) size 10, with about a 17cm (7in) cuff. Top down, toe up. Traditionally, socks are knitted from the top down to the toe. Some sock-knitters prefer to work ‘toe-up’. This is a great solution if you’re not sure how much yarn you have – you can stop the cuff and cast off at whatever point the yarn runs out. Casting on for toe-up can be a bit fiddly – try using a provisional cast on with waste yarn. Once the sock is finished you can pull out the waste yarn, put the stitches back on your needles and graft (kitchener) the toes together in the usual way. Toe-up socks usually have a short row heel. The following information assumes top down working. Planning your sock.  Socks are usually made with a cast-on which is a multiple of 4 – 64 stitches is a good place to start for a woman, 72 for a man. You can use any number of stitches but if it doesn’t divide by 4 you may need to adjust it before starting the toe decrease and possibly the heel. Cables require more stitches, lace may require fewer. Simple socks can be either plain stocking stitch or rib – rib is more elastic and less likely to slouch. You can use any variation of rib – k2, p2 is often recommended, though I prefer k4, p2.If you plan socks with a cuff longer than about 20cm (8in) you may need to think about extra shaping for the calf. Using dpns.  If you’re new to dpns, casting on and the first couple of rows can be a bit fiddly: try casting on two needles and knitting the first couple of rows on them, then slipping the stitches onto the dpns. This will leave a tiny gap between the first rows which you can join with the cast on yarn end. Knitting in the round.  If casting on with dpns, check that you have a smooth line of cast on stitches with no twists when you join them up. In circular knitting every row is a knit row. You may want to use a marker for the first stitch of the row, especially if following a complicated pattern. The right side is usually facing when you knit – if you find it isn’t you can just push your knitting up through the needles and turn the needles over. It’s sometimes recommended to have the right side inside if you’re doing colourwork, as it helps to stretch the yarn you’re carrying. Heels and toes.  There are a number of ways of doing heels and toes and it’s good to experiment with different approaches to find out what you like doing and best fits the wearer. The heel flap with a heel turn is the traditional approach. The flap is straightforward back and forth knitting – often slip 1, knit 1 on the right side and slip 1 purl across on the back (the slipped stitches give extra strength and those along the edge make picking up easier). The heel turn instructions make no sense the first time you read them, but just dive in and follow them and they’ll work! Heel turns can be V-shaped or more rounded (even square) according to the number of stitches you knit across on the first row. Your pattern will advise how many stitches to pick up along the gusset, but you can pick up any number as long as you then decrease them back to the right amount for your design and/or foot width. It’s a good idea to pick up a stitch at each end of the needle which has held the instep stitches while you’ve been doing the heel flap to avoid holes. Gusset decreases are usually on alternate rows, but you can vary this to get a better fit around the wearer’s ankle (eg decrease more slowly for thicker ankles). Short row heels avoid the heel turn and look most like a bought sock. You may get holes at turning points, which can be cured by ‘wrapping’ the stitches. You can knit a heel flap to any length to accommodate a higher heel, while short row heels tend to fit a shorter heel better. You can use an ‘afterthought’ heel if you’re not sure if you have enough yarn, or if you think you might need to replace it. Soles are usually knitted in plain stocking stitch, to reduce bulk in the shoe, but if the wearer has high arches you can continue ribbing so they fit more snugly. Toes can be broader or narrower to fit better, depending on whether you decrease on alternate rows or more or less frequently. Your pattern will advise when to start the toe decreases, but a rough guide is when socks are 5cm (2in) shorter than the wearer’s foot (if decreasing on alternate rows). Grafting (kitchener stitch) is the traditional and least bulky way to finish off a top down sock but it can be tricky to grasp – cast off from 2 needles together as an alternative, or choose a ‘star’ toe. Further information.   For more information about the techniques mentioned here go to www.socknitters.com - a great resource for sock-knitters!

Straightening circulars Circular needles that have been tightly twisted in their packet can kink up when you go to use them. Straighten them by holding in steam, or even giving a quick dunk in very hot water. Hold them straight for a minute while they cool.

Tanglefree colourwork To keep separate balls of yarn from tangling when you're doing colourwork, try putting each one into its own ziplock polythene bag, leaving just enough of an opening for the thread to pull through. Or use an ordinary plastic bag and twist tie

Spit splice OK, it doesn't sound very nice, but it's a traditional way to join in a new ball of wool and it works! Only with 100% wool however and not if it’s superwash. When you get to about 8-10cm (3-4in) from the end of the ball, unravel the ply and do the same with a similar length of the new ball. Wrap the plys of the old and new ball together, moisten your fingers and roll them for a minute - this felts the wool, so the join is invisible. Carry on knitting - the slightly thicker section won't notice.

Yarn shortage If you find yourself running out of yarn with an inch of sock to go – don’t panic, turn it into a design feature. Knit the toes of both socks in a matching or contrasting colour. If you realise you’re tight on yardage earlier, you can do the heels in the contrast shade as well. Also makes it easier to unpick and replace worn out toes and heels (should you feel heroic enough to attempt this)

Measuring socks Checking whether your sock is long enough to begin the toe decrease either involves trying to read a tape measure on the sole of your foot (OK for contortionists) or trying the sock on with the needles still in - porcupine feet. An easy solution is to draw round your feet on cardboard and cut out the templates. You can then slip the sock onto the cardboard foot and measure easily and accurately. Also a good way to check if both feet are the same size (they often aren't) and a great help if knitting socks for people who aren't there to be measured.

Lifeline If you’re knitting a tricky pattern and there’s a risk you may need to unpick it (or frog) to fix a mistake, leave yourself a lifeline. Thread a tapestry needle with a smooth thin yarn (dental tape works well) and weave it through the stitches on the needle. You can then pull the stitching out back to your lifeline, confident the stitches will be held safely. The lifeline can be pulled out easily when the work is finished. Essential for intricate lace patterns - I wish I’d known about this one earlier. frog: delightful American term for unpicking – comes from the frog’s croak ‘rippit, rippit’. Also tink: knit backwards: to unpick one stitch at a time.

Alternative cast on This alternative cast on produces an easy to knit first row and a very smooth balanced edge. Use two needles together in your right hand while casting on. For those of you who use circular needles, fold the nylon cord and simply bring the two needles together. The stitches are tight on the two needles, but they are also very even. When you are ready to work the first row, slide out one needle thus releasing the tension of the fibre. The cast on stitches remain uniform and the first row is easier to knit and produces a smooth balanced edge.

Two strand cast on Take your needle and knitting yarn in your right hand. Holding the tail strand in your left hand catch a loop up with your left thumb, moving clockwise. Insert the needle from front to back under the loop on your thumb. Wrap the knitting yarn around your needle as if you were making a knit stitch. Pull the knitting yarn through the loop on your thumb and tighten the tension on both strands. Continue until require number of stitches has been reached.