How to Knit Socks That Fit: Techniques for Toe-Up and Cuff-Down Styles. A Storey BASICS® Title

by Donna Druchunas

Overview

Whether you’re working socks from the toe up or from the cuff down, designer Donna Druchunas’s complete, step-by-step instructions make sock knitting easy, enjoyable, and successful. You’ll learn several approaches for getting started, and you’ll also discover how to shape comfortable toes, create heels that fit, and ensure stretchy cuffs that can be counted on to keep your socks up. Druchunas’s useful tips and tricks include working confidently with double-pointed needles, knitting socks on one or two circular needles, and even knitting two socks at the same time. Once you’ve mastered these basic techniques, you can adapt them to create your own custom sock designs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612125411
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	10/20/2015
Series:	Storey Basics
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	490,870
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

Donna Druchunas, author of How to Knit Socks That Fit, is the author of six knitting books, including Arctic Lace, Successful Lace Knitting, Kitty Knits, and Ethnic Knitting Exploration. She teaches knitting workshops in the United States, Canada, and Europe and has three online sock-knitting classes with more than 25,000 students on Craftsy. She lives in Vermont with her husband, mother, and three cats, who all help her test the usability and comfort of her finished knitted items.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Why Knit Socks?

Chapter One: Yarn for Knitting Socks

• Yarn Weights
• Fiber Content
• Yarn Colors
• Why Twist and Spin Matter
• Yarn Amounts

Chapter Two: Needles for Knitting Socks

• Needle Materials
• Knitting in the Round
• Tips for Arranging Stitches on Different Kinds of Needles

Chapter Three:  Sock Fit and Sizing

• Taking Foot Measurements
• Working a Gauge Swatch
• Choosing  What Size to Make

Chapter Four:  The Parts of a Sock

Chapter Five: Cuff Down or Toe Up?

• A Little History
• Structural Differences
• Pros and Cons

Chapter Six: Knitting Cuff-Down Socks

• Basic Cuff-Down Sock Pattern

Chapter Seven: Knitting Toe-Up Socks

• Basic Toe-Up Sock

Chapter Eight: Heel and Toe Variations

• More Ways to Work a Heel
• More Ways to Work Toes

Chapter Nine: Knitting Two Socks at Once

Chapter Ten: Stitch Library

My Favorite Knitting Resources
Abbreviations
Metric Conversion Chart
Index

Editorial Reviews

11/15/2015
Sock knitting is among the many areas of expertise for Druchunas (Arctic Knits), and it's her focus here. Each chapter covers a different step or technique, including choosing yarn and needles, basic sock construction, and each step of the knitting process from cast-on to bind-off. Druchunas covers both toe-up and top-down styles of sock knitting, discussing the benefits and drawbacks of each. She also discusses varying methods, such as knitting on double-pointed needles, the magic loop method, and using two circular needles. Basic patterns for toe-up and top-down socks are provided, along with stitch patterns suitable for sock knitting. VERDICT Like other installments of the series, this book includes ample information presented in a concise, no-frills manner. Knitters who prefer textual instructions with basic illustrations, or knitters looking for a textual accompaniment for an in-person or online class will find this book useful.

Library Journal