Knitting Striped Socks

By MJ on May 31, 2008 5:31 AM (GMT +1) | Permalink | Comments (5)

Koigu Striped Socks

Of course you know how to knit striped socks. Take two colors, alternate while knitting using a basic pattern, and then cast off. But. There will always be yarn leftovers. Of course. You use up more of one color than the other, perhaps because you decided that the cuff, or the heel, or the toe, or all three, should be in one color. So you put aside the leftovers and after a while you find another use for them, but what if you could have used all of it up in making those striped socks?

This is my guideline--not a pattern, because your feet, gauge, yarn, and needles will be different from mine--for knitting striped socks without any waste. It's not a perfect guideline, and it involves a bit of math and a lot of familiarity with your feet.

If you're interested, read on, then. (And please excuse me if I sound a bit bossy; remember, it's only a guideline.)

1: Learn to knit toe-up socks. Why? With toe-up, you're guaranteed to have finished the foot and the heel of both socks, with only the leg to knit up to. You're in control of your sock, not the other way around. It's probably the best way to ensure that you have enough yarn for your socks.

Pattern: Wendy Johnson's Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern is my favorite, and can be adaptable to any foot size and yarn.
Cast-on: Judy Becker's Magic Cast-On is what I normally use, but it's just preference.
Foot: Stockinette in the round, which means all knit!
Heel: I prefer a short-row heel, and this Wool Works page has a list of them.
Leg: Stockinette again. Whee!
Cuff: 1x1 rib, which leads to...
Cast-off: 1x1 rib sewn cast-off.
Options: You have tons of alternatives for each one of the above. I'm real picky about the cast-off, only because I like the finished look. But of course, a picot edge would be just as pretty...

2: Know your foot measurements. 'Nuff said. Whether you've made one pair or several, you've based your knitting on a specific set of measurements for your feet. This should include the circumference of your foot at the widest part (around the ball of the foot), the circumference at your ankle, the circumference at mid-shin, and the length of your foot.

3: Pick a favorite yarn and the appropriate needle size to go with it. This favorite yarn means you've used it before and you like the way it knits up. You like the way it holds up to frequent use and washing, and you know your stockinette gauge with it. Also, you can pick up said yarn and needles anytime and start on socks without a second thought.

Make sure you have 2 sets of double-pointed needles, because you'll be knitting your pair at the same time.
You'll be knitting the pair from both ends of the yarn. With two yarns and eight needles it'll be a bit fiddly. I recommend knitting a set of stripes on one, then a set on the other, and having a chocolate bar next to you.

4: Select your yarn colors. Good stripe pairings are solid (this includes semi-solids) colors with other solids, or solids with variegateds. With regards to the former, selecting colors shouldn't be a problem because the two colors will naturally be a contrast to each other. With the latter, take care to make complementary pairings, one that will stand out against the other. Variegated colors are quite delicious on the skein, but you know that as a knitted fabric those same colors come out as stripes. You want those variegated stripes to pop out against the solid stripe.

Ready?

Assuming that you knit the toe, heel, and the cuff with one color, you'll have used an average of 40% of that color for those three elements. This leaves you with 60% of one color, and 100% of the other. (This resulted from a bit of swatching, frogging, and a lot of math. If you want to figure it out just for fun, I'll give you my notes.)

This means that your stripes will be knit in a ratio of 60 : 100, or if you reduce that to primes, 3 : 5. You'll knit your stripes in multiples of that ratio. So, perhaps you could knit 3 rows of color A, then knit 5 rows of color B. Or 6 rows of A and 10 rows of B. Or mix it up further. Take those 6 rows of A and 10 rows of B. Divide those into 3 rows A / 4 rows B / 3 rows A / 6 rows B (3A + 3A = 6A; 4B + 6B = 10B).

Just remember this: 3 to 5.

So. Let's get started.

1: Using yarn A, cast on for both pairs of socks and knit the toe. Drop yarn A and start knitting your stripe sequence (3 of A to 5 of B, or multiples of, or mixed up sequences of that ratio) in stockinette.

2: Carry the dropped yarn up with your knitting by laying it over your working yarn every other row so both yarns are twisted around each other. Knit the foot of your socks. Note that if you're using heel flap construction with gussets, you'll have to read step 3 (below) beforehand.

3: Create the heel using yarn A. With whatever type of heel construction you're using, you must note that the color jog should be on the side facing in. Now, here's the sock symmetry part. You will knit one heel on the first half of the total sock stitches, which will end up being the left heel. Knit the other heel on the second/last half of the total sock stitches, which will end up being the right heel. Trust me on this.

4: Drop yarn A and continue with your stripe sequence on the leg. You may need to incorporate increases into the sock if yarn A lasts more than 2" up the leg. Knit until you run out of yarn A in the stripe sequence.

5: No more yarn A! But you've got enough yarn B. Knit the cuff and cast off. Weave in the 4 ends.

That's it; five simple steps. Like I said before, this is a guideline to making striped socks that use up the yarn. Another way is to use alternating colors on each sock, so that sock 1 will have toe, heel and cuff in yarn A and sock 2 will have it in yarn B. It'll be just as visually stunning, and I imagine it'll be quite eye-catching in variegated and solid. Good luck with the guideline!

If you have any comments to this, please let me know in the comments!

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