yarn (?)

rcty, some knitted sock patterns call for fingering weight yarn and some for sock yarn -- are these close enough to substitute one yarn for the other? ... more: and, knitting needles size one or two ...

_ _ _ _ _ Millie snipped-for-privacy@eagle.ptialaska.net Gigi Fifi Mimi Fiji kiwi bikini WiFi

Most sock yarn is fingering weight but there is some that is heavier. It's best to check the gauge in the pattern and buy yarn accordingly. Or select the yarn you like, check the recommended gauge on the label and use a pattern with matching gauge.

On Tue, 09 May 2006 00:40:54 GMT, "The Jonathan Lady" spewed forth :

Or make up your own socks. They're pretty easy once you understand how a heel-turn works.

Or select

That doesn't always work. A lot of the European sock yarn (Opal, Meilenweit, LanaGrossa, for example) are used quite often to make sweaters "back home"; the gauge given on the ballband is usually the recommended sweater gauge and will produce socks like fishnets :)

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Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET.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...

There are books that give you sock patterns for all different sizes of yarn, from worsted weight on down.

Yes. There are over half a dozen or ways to do a heel, at least as many ways to do a toe, and the rest is just straight knitting. Lots of people invented ways to turn a heel, and they all work.

Sock yarn knitted on US size 1 or 2 needles makes a good solid sock, IMO. US Size 3 makes a comfortable but slightly loose sock.

=Tamar

knit a 2inch swatch using your chosen yarn, and needles, and then you can check the size accordingly, once you know how many stitches and rows to the inch, you can easily find out how many stitches you need to cast on decrease etc etc there are tons of sock knitting pages out there to help you work it all out. I spin my own fingering weight, which is a little over our UK 4ply size, but less than the UK double knit and for a ladies size UK five shoe, I would cast on between 52 abd 54 stitches...

hth......Cheers....Cher

I found it much easier to do my first socks out of heavier yarns. I bought a sock kit of sock yarn and skinny needles had real trouble. We were staying at my SIL's and she was knitting pretty, little, lacy socks, out of really fine yarns and really skinny needles. She could tell me what I was doing wrong, but she was not teaching me how to do it right.

I had to get some worsted weight yarn and some big ol' #6 DPN, and make 5 or 6 pairs of big, crude looking boot socks before I really understood _socks_. It was easier to see what I was doing and see my mistakes with the big yarn. (Somehow those are still much better than the commercial hiking and ski socks, even if they do not look quit as refined.) Having done that, I can knit socks. Now, I can see my problems and mistakes even with a fine yarn. I can even get "mo hair" from a frog.

If I were going to teach someone to make socks, I would have them start by making a pair of house socks or boot socks out of worsted weight.

Aaron

thank you for all the fine comments ... I've made a couple pairs of socks out of worsted weight yarn ... very nice to wear homemade socks !!! But, I'd like to knit up socks using finer yarn and smaller needles for summer-time, too.

_ _ _ _ _ Millie snipped-for-privacy@eagle.ptialaska.net Gigi Fifi Mimi Fiji kiwi bikini WiFi

Most sock yarn is close enough to fingering weight. Since you've already done heavy socks, I'd say try the finest needles you can manage - size

3, 2, 1, or even 0. Use the yarn you like, cast on enough stitches (in a multiple of four) to go around your foot at the heel when stretched, and knit an inch of ribbing. If the needles are too small, try a size larger. Try the swatch on on to test for gauge/size, and be ready to rip - it's just a swatch. If it's perfect, keep on and make the rest of the sock.

For summer weight socks, use thinner yarn and lacy patterns. Cotton is trickier than wool to knit because it has no give, but there are cotton blends with some give to them that makes them easier to knit with.

=Tamar