How do you determine how long to make the foot of your sock? Do you do a percentage of the person's foot length? Or do you subtract some number of inches?
TIA!
LauraJ
How do you determine how long to make the foot of your sock? Do you do a percentage of the person's foot length? Or do you subtract some number of inches?
TIA!
LauraJ
Well, that's a good question. Most sources will tell you to knit the sock foot 2" shorter than the actual foot length, then make the toe; the same sources will instruct you to make the toe using "decrease round, plain round" decreases to shape the toe. IMO this produces a too-long sock, especially if the heel was made adequately deep.
How long YOU make YOUR socks depends on how you want them to fit. After you've knitted a few socks of varying foot and toe lengths you'll settle on something that works for you.
When I'm knitting socks for other people I ask for two different foot measurements - back of heel to base of small toe, and back of heel to tip of longest toe. I knit the foot to the first measurement, then make the toe. The total length of the sock is then about 1/2" shorter than the total foot length using my standard toe shaping.
Pick up a copy of Nancy Bush's book "Folk Socks and Stockings". Its a great resource for the tyro sock knitter.
On Wed, 25 May 2005 14:56:58 GMT, "Laura J" spewed forth :
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Laura, I try them on with the knitting needles in them. works for me.
Els
Thanks for the advice! I will file it away for future reference. I am using the "decrease round, plain round" method for the toe. How do you do the decreases for your toes?
LauraJ
Me too, Els! Unfortunately, this sock isn't for me and I think it would spoil the surprise if I tried it on the recipient :)
LauraJ
Do you know what size feet they have in relation to yours? I made Blue's brothers socks for Xmas, and used Blue as a reference guide. One brother was a size bigger, the other two sizes smaller (yes, Blue also got a pair).
Tara
I decrease on either side of the toe, top and bottom, every other round until I've made half the needed decreases; then I decrease EVERY round as per above until I have 4 sts left on each needle. Graft. Done.
On Wed, 25 May 2005 20:37:13 GMT, "Laura J" spewed forth :
+++++++++++++Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...
They all have larger feet than I have. I have so far made 4 pairs of socks (2 for me, 2 for DH) and they all have come out short so that is why I was trying to see if there was a standard that other people used to make theirs. Strangely, my whole family (2 sisters, mother, father) all have about the same ankle circumference, give or take 1/2" but my feet are the smallest by at least 2 sizes.
LauraJ
Thanks, Wooly. I will try that out when I get to the toe of this sock.
LauraJ
Makes sense. I do find that hand knit socks don't have as much 'give' in them, so you do have to pretty close in size. My first pair were so small (circumference wise) that I ended up dropping a few inches of the toes and giving to MIL. Fit her perfectly. Then next time I made some for me, I added stitches.
I'm sure there is a formula out there (and I'm sure I found it some time) that involved size of thread, number of cast on stitches, where the decreases were and how many for different sizes). More like a chart that a pattern. I can see if I can dig that up again.
Tara
No luck yet, but this might help. Foot sizings.
Thank you, Tara. That will help a lot! And if you manage to find the other chart you were talking about, I'd love to see that too. I need all the help I can get ;)
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
LauraJ
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