Socks Newbie

The only tip that I know is to cast on all the stitches on one needle and then divide them on the rest. DA

I've been doing that, but I cannot for the life of me keep the stitches tight to start.

Jenn

Hi, I just taught myself (after 34 years of knitting) to use dpn's - knitted my first sock a few months ago. It does feel strange and takes some getting used to in terms of where the darn needles go, etc, but after a day or so I suddenly felt comfortable with it. I'll bet you will, too. I didn't do anything special, just kept at it and tried not to swear. Good luck!

Susan K

I do the same as DA. My first three rounds are always quite loose, but that is actually ok with me, it seems to even itself out over a few washings... and after the 5th or 6th round, it does not even seem noticible to me. But then I'm quite forgiving...

It did feel QUITE odd in the beginning working with 4 needles, but it very quickly becomes second nature.

The first sock I ever made I stayed up till 4 in the morning after visiting my Maternal Grandma for the first time in over 10 years, and told the one thing I wanted from her in my life was to learn to knit socks. She went through the casting on with me, and I worked the 'calf' over our visit, she knitted too but a blanket, and then she went over the heel with me.

I was using a very heavy weight yarn - which dismayed her as she thought it would make a terrible sock, but I insisted it only mattered that I learned how to make a sock and they would be lovely in the house in the cold mornings...

The only tip that I know is to cast on all the stitches on one needle and then divide them on the rest. DA

Same here -- first pair on #2s, and I thought "they HAVE to be kidding!" Then I started doing some shawl-type things on size 5 and 6s, and a few months later, picked up the socks on the #2s, and it was a lot easier. Don't give up -- if you have to, just put them away for awhile and come back to them. One day you'll pick them up and go back to them (and if it helps, just remember, once you get the first four or five rounds done, it will be MUCH easier -- those first two are the tough ones IMHO, and they never seem like they look right, my stitches always seem awkward and uneven, but after four or five rounds, it suddenly seems to all come together).

Karen in MN

Are you referring to the first stitch on the needle at the join or the last stitch of the round? Slip the stitch to the tip of the needle, insert the needle on to which you want to knit,again at the very tip of the needle. Give the yarn a firm tug and knit the stitch. For a neater join of the first round, you can also cast on 1 extra stitch and when knitting from needle 3 or 4 to needle 1 for the join, slip the last stitch on needle 3 or 4 to needle 1 and K2 tog. DA

yes I do this, but I knit the first row onto the needles so if my cuff is

2x2 rib and I have 72sts On two of the four needles I cast on the 72sts then turn, next K2; P2; on first needle,for 24sts then take the next needle and do the same and then the third needle. that gives me 24sts on three needles, then you have to hold all three needles to join in the first and last needle as some finer sock yarns have alotof nylon in them and they are really slippery and will slide off.

try a size smaller needles for first row of cast on maybe

Awww, that's a very nice memory of your grandmother, Sandra Rose! Something that will always be with you. :o)

Gem

Hi Jenn:

I was having the same problem as you. Just Couldn't for the life of me get that joining tight. Till I did three things--

1. I now knit the Tail (I do a knit cast on) in to the first 4 stitches of the first round--seems to make the space disappear when I give that tug.

1. I got my self a set of Brittney(sp) 5" double pointed needles. The shorter size made it much easier to control those four needles--or three when I'm doing fingerless gloves. I don't seem to get the ends of the needles tangled in the yarn and other needles.

2. Because I do a knitted cast on, I don't seem to have much trouble with the tension part--but that first row of knitting sure helps in keeping things straight. If the bottom of the cast on row is all straight in the center I know it's not twisted and I've got something for my other fingers to hold on to and help keep things from fighting the joining.

Hope this helps from one newbie sock knitter to another.

Dorsey in VA

I've seen instructions online for the knit caston (and also seen it detailed in books), but you're losing me on the last part about knitting in the tail to the first 4 stitches on the first round. Do you mean that you are knitting the tail rather than the main yarn into those stitches? Or that you are knitting both strands? And then, when you refer to the "first round", are you referring to when you first join the cast on stitches to start working circularly?

Please pardon my confusion. I can't decide if it's because it's Sunday morning and I'm not quite "with it" yet...or if I just really

*am* confused. lol

Thanks for your help! Jenn

Hi Jenn:

I knit the tail and main strand in the first 4 stitches of the first round.

Thank you thank you thank you! I'm not able to start on them tonight, but hopefully by the end of the week... :o)

Appreciate the help, everyone! I'll let you know how it goes.

Jenn

Dorsey, Wow! I am so excited - I am also a new dpn user and Maker of Socks, but had some of the same problems as Jenn. When you gave the advice to knit the tail in, it made total sense and will - I think - eliminate that problem at the very beginning. Thanks, thanks, thanks!! Susan K

Your very welcome Susan. I learned that trick while making fingerless gloves. And now that I've found out I'm gonna be a new Grand ma--I thought baby socks would be a perfact baby gift that all of the knitters in my family forget about. LOL they like doing the sweathers, hats and booties. Booties were always cute--but the socks stayed put--and since my Grand ma isn't here to make them for this baby--I guess it's up to me.

We'll have to put up pictures when we've finished our first pairs.