Socks–Toe Up or Cuff Down?

I love knitting socks!  You would think that I would have lots of socks in that case, but actually, I tend to give away most of the good socks.  I’ve got a couple of pair that I don’t wear because of all the mistakes I made.  And I’ve got a couple of pair that have become separated in the wash – I thought that only happened with store-bought socks, but apparently not.

When knitting socks, you can either start from the top and work down to the toe or start at the toe and work up to the leg.  I’ve done both and they have their advantages and disadvantages.

Cuff down socks

Advantages

• I think these are great for a new sock knitter.  You start by knitting a tube and then make that tube turn 90 degrees when making the heel.  I think they are good to help you learn sock construction.
• You can do these one at a time on double points or using Magic Loop or you can do two at a time using Magic Loop.
• There are lots of cuff-down patterns available.

Disadvantages

• Most of the time, you do a grafted toe at the end.  This isn’t a problem if you already know Kitchener stitch, but if you are new to sock knitting, you’ll find there’s a pretty steep learning curve.  (That being said, I love doing grafting now that I’ve done a bunch of pair of socks this way.)
• You can’t try the socks on as you go (or, at least it’s more of a challenge).

Toe Up Socks

Advantages

• Judy’s Magic Cast-On.  This is one of the major advantages  of knitting from the toe.  The other cast-ons that I’ve tried for toe-up socks were so fiddly that they weren’t worth the trouble.  I always use Judy’s Magic Cast-On now.
• You can knit these with double points or using Magic Loop.  I prefer two at a time with Magic Loop.
• You can try on the socks as you go.  If it is a little too  snug across the foot, you can add some increases.  You will have the correct foot length since you can put your foot into the sock  (OK, so this isn’t a great argument if you’re making socks for someone else!)
• If you think you are short on yarn, knitting two socks at the same time from the toe up allows you to knit the leg to whatever length you want.  You may have enough yarn only for ankle socks, but maybe it will turn out that you can make the sock leg longer than expected.  Since the leg is the one part of the sock that can vary, it makes sense to do it last.

Disadvantages

• I didn’t start by doing toe-up socks, but I think that doing cuff-down socks is a better way to understand the basics of sock construction.  But, maybe that’s just me.

Whether you choose to make socks Cuff Down or Toe Up is completely your choice.  As you get more comfortable with different techniques you can start to mix and match to make the socks uniquely yours!

What is your favorite way to make socks?  Any other ideas?  Bring your socks into the shop and we’ll put the on the “Wall of Fame”.  Sometime soon, I’ll spend some time writing about the different kinds of toes and heels – so stay tuned!

Update–October 23, 2011

What’s up at The Knitting Nest these days?  Glad you asked!

• Our second session of Beginning Knitting started yesterday with two students!
• Upcoming classes include Crochet Amigurumi, Beginning Crochet, and My First Sweater.  Stop by The Knitting Nest to get signed up!
• I finished knitting my swirl jacket from Knit, Swirl.  Now it’s time to block it!  I’ll post pictures when I’m done!
• I’m currently working on a cardigan using some of our local wool and a Cottage Creations pattern.
• Christmas is coming!!  Make sure you have everything to make those Christmas gifts.  We also have some pattern books for Christmas stockings.
• We have a “Wall of Fame”!  If you’ve made something with some yarn or a pattern from our shop, send us a picture or stop by the shop and we’ll take a picture and put it on our “Wall of Fame”.  It’s a great way to show off your work and inspire other knitters and crocheters!
• Don’t forget BooFest next Sunday from 4-7pm!  We’ll be dressed up and have candy and finger knitting for kids!

Are there particular products you’d like us to consider carrying or classes you’d like to see taught?  Just let us know!

What projects are you working on?  We’d love to see pictures, too!

BooFest!!

 

The third annual BooFest in Weyauwega will be Sunday, October 30 from 4-7pm on Main Street!  There will be lots of candy and fun!!  The Knitting Nest will be open and will be handing out candy and teaching finger knitting.  We’ll see you there!!

Second Sock Syndrome

 

Yes, I am seriously afflicted with “Second Sock Syndrome”.  What about you?  Do you finish one sock and have no interest in making the second one?  Do you have single socks and/or partial second socks in your stash because you are too bored to finish the second sock?  Or, do you end up with socks of different sizes because you didn’t keep close enough track of the numbers of rows?

All of those apply to me!  I love knitting socks, but after I finish one, I don’t want to do the second one because it’s just not much of a challenge!

There is a cure, though!  And it’s not difficult!  The trick is to knit both socks at the same time.  I suppose you could have two sets of double points and knit one row on one sock then go to the other set of double points to knit the row on the second sock, but it seems cumbersome.  There are some crazy people who knit one sock inside the other!  There are not enough anxiety meds in the world to get me to try that!

No, the fix is much easier.  You knit both socks at the same time on a long circular needle, using the Magic Loop technique.  You can do the socks from the cuff down or from the toe up.  I prefer knitting the socks from the toe up using Judy’s Magic Cast-on with a flap and gusset heel.

Patrick and I are going to be teaching a class making socks using this technique, so you are welcome to join us.  The class is $60 which includes a skein of Cascade Heritage (wool/nylon sock yarn) and the pattern.  If you’re interested in this class, stop by The Knitting Nest to sign up!

Update–October 8, 2011

 

Sorry about the length of time between posts – we’ll just chalk it up to migraines.  But, now, on to the fun stuff – what’s been going on at The Knitting Nest!

• Old ‘92 is here!!  Come check out this gorgeous hand-dyed (and man-dyed!) yarn in worsted and bulky weight.
• Our first Beginning Knitting class is finished and was a great success!
• I’m almost finished with my swirl jacket from Knit, Swirl.
• A couple of customers have brought by projects that they’ve finished with Knitting Nest materials.
• We’ve got several classes coming up – Knitting 911, How to Read  Knitting Patterns, Crochet Amigurumi, Socks, and Sweater.
• Books!!  We’ve got a bunch of new books – come check them out!
• One of the new books is about brioche knitting.  I’ve made one brioche scarf and I LOVE this technique.  The book is all about brioche – single color, two color, cables, etc.  I don’t know enough about brioche to teach it, but I think a group of us could learn about it together and have some fun.  Whatcha think?
• I’m starting to work on things for our Christmas decorations and talked to Cathy from Premier Petals about some of what I want to do.  It’s going to be beautiful!!

What’s up with you?  Let us know what knitting and crochet projects you have going?

Technique Tuesday - What Kind of Needles Should I Use?

 

When I started knitting, I just picked up some regular aluminum knitting needles and acrylic yarn and started working.  It must not have been a bad combination!  But, with all the different needles around, what should you use?  Can you (and should you) use the same type of needle for all your knitting projects?  Those are the questions I’m going to tackle today.

Straight or Circular or Double Point?

The first thing to decide is if you need straight, circular, or double point needles.  The quick and easy answer is to say that you use straight needles for back and forth (flat) knitting, circulars for large-circumference knitting in the round, and double points for small-circumference knitting in the round.  But, let’s take a closer look.

Straight needles – These can pretty much only be used for flat knitting.

Double Point needles – These are generally used for small-circumference knitting projects, like socks and hats.  However, in a pinch, you can use a pair of double point needles with a cap on one end as straight needles.  Most double points are relatively short, though, so this little trick won’t work for trying to make an afghan.

Circular needles – Circular needles are the most versatile of the needle types.  You can use a circular needle to do flat knitting by just knitting a row and then sliding the work to the other end of the needle.  It also works well for knitting relatively large-circumference projects, but you are limited by the length of the cable.  For small-circumference projects, a circular needle can be used for doing the Magic Loop technique.  I’ve also been known to do knitting in the round with two circular needles when I didn’t have a cable needle with a cable the right length.

What material should I choose?

Knitting needles come in all kinds of different materials and, like fibers, most have their place.

Straight

Plastic – OK, I don’t want to be a “needle snob” here, but plastic needles just don’t feel good in my hands.  The real problem is that the plastic tends to make the yarn “stick” to the needle, an issue that is worse when using acrylic yarn.  I have trouble with finding a good use for these.

Acrylic – These are somewhat better than the plastic.  They don’t hold on to the yarn the way the plastic does, but they’re still not as smooth as I’d like.  They are inexpensive.  We had success with using these with kids in the elementary school and library programs.

Aluminum – These are the oldies but goodies.  They are inexpensive, come in several lengths, and are good with most yarns.  If you are on a limited budget, this is where I’d spend my money.

Bamboo – This is the most common wood used to make knitting needles.  It has a great texture that provides just enough “stickiness” to hold very smooth yarns, but not so sticky that it’s hard to work with.  They are generally affordable.  The only real problem I’ve had with bamboo is that my kitties have occasionally decided to chew on them.  I’m now pretty well trained to keep my needles put away.

Other wood – I have a couple of pairs of Rosewood needles that I like.  KnitPicks has some beautiful Harmony needles.  There are plenty of other wood needles available.  Overall, they are often heavier than bamboo and a little pricier, but they can be a nice luxury at times!  Hopefully, Patrick will be making some homemade wood knitting needles for us sell at The Knitting Nest – but the first pair are for me!

Double Point Needles

Aluminum and stainless steel – My issue with aluminum (and stainless steel) double points is that my stitches tend to slip.  This is more of a problem with double points than straight needles because you knit from needle to needle, leaving the other stitches hanging on the two extra needles.

Bamboo – Bamboo is the most common wood double point needle because the stitches are less likely to slide off.  The downside is that the very tiny needles (size 1 and smaller) are more likely to bend or break.

Other wood – I have one set of Harmony size 10 double points that I just LOVE!!  Honestly, I can’t say that they are any better than regular bamboo, but they look so cool!

Carbon Fiber – These are pricey little things, but I do love my size 0 carbon fiber needles.  They don’t bend like bamboo and provide a nice texture to keep hold of the yarn.

Circular

When considering a circular needle, you need to think about not only the needle portion, but also the cable portion.  Ideally, you’d like for the cable portion to be supple with a very smooth join between the needle and cable.  Generally, I prefer Hiya Hiya Stainless Steel circulars, but Addi Turbo is also nice.  (The Knitting Nest carries the Hiya Hiya brand – they’re high quality and the price is lower than others.)  Some brands of circular are now also available in a “lace” version – this means that it has a sharper tip, making it easier to do some of the complicated lace stitches.

Circular needles are also available in sets of interchangeable needle points and cables.  The set I got about 5 or 6 years ago has nice aluminum needles, but the joins between needle and cable aren’t smooth and the cables aren’t very supple.  That being said, there appear to be some more high-quality sets out these days.  If you get a chance to check them out, look specifically at the cables and joins.

I have been purchasing almost exclusively circular needles with 40 inch cables these days.  Very rarely do I need something with a cable longer than 40 inches, and I can use Magic Loop technique if the size of the item is too small for the 40 inches.  It’s not always ideal, but it’s reasonably cost-effective.

Stainless Steel – This is my favorite material for the needle portion of a circular needle.  It is generally pretty smooth and the stitches move easily, but since it’s a circular needle, there’s not the worry about the stitches falling off the back.

Bamboo – This can be nice for working a lace pattern where you might want a little more texture to the needle.  The very small needle diameters (1 and smaller) can bend – not necessarily the end of the world, but it bothers me.

Harmony wood – Again, I LOVE how the harmony wood needles look.  The feel is much like bamboo.  However, I’m not fond of the cables.  The join to the needle is not completely smooth and the cable is not as supple as I’d like to use the Magic Loop technique.

 

Hopefully, the next time you need to choose a needle for your project, you’ll have a little more information with which to make your choice. 

So, what’s your favorite knitting needle to use?  Did I leave any out?  Enquiring minds want to know, so leave a comment!

A Few of my Favorite Things–Cascade Heritage

 

I love knitting socks.  Socks are a great little project that I can carry with me.  It’s also pretty cool to start knitting a tube in one direction and then make the heel so that the tube turns 90 degrees. 

Socks can be knit in a variety of yarn fibers and yarn weights, but most people (including me) prefer a wool/nylon blend in sock or fingering weight.  Wool is preferred because it is warm and keeps feet dry.  However, nylon is often added to give some extra strength.

Which brings us to Cascade’s Heritage yarn.  This is a 75% superwash merino/25% nylon blend sock weight yarn.  What I like about it right now is how good it feels to knit.  It also doesn’t split, which is very important when knitting socks on size 0 needles and trying to do “M1R” and “M1L”.

However, you aren’t limited to socks with this yarn.  It works up very nicely for garments and is washable – great for kid’s clothes!

Heritage is available in solid colors, tweeds, and paints, giving you lots of variety from which to choose.

Next time you’re looking for a sock-weight yarn, stop by The Knitting Nest and check out our selection of Cascade Heritage yarn!