crocheting socks for the first time

[jmkrueger]

I am learning how to crochet socks and have done the cuff, this pattern is cuff down,  I am suppose

to evenly sc across top of ribbing, join to beginning sc ch2 and turn. I understand this, but the

next row is hdc in each sc across join to beginning hdc, ch 2 turn. I assumed these socks after the cuff was done I would be working in the round, How can that be when I am turning at the end of each

row??? Please if someone can explain this to me sure would appreciate the help. I know crochet stitches but reading a pattern can be quite the job....

 

 

[magiccrochetfan]

I made a couple of pairs of socks. They were toe up because I felt it was easier to adjust for fit that way.  One pair I made were these http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-heart-sole-socks

i used different yarn, a bigger hook, and changed the heel a little bit.  this pattern makes a fairly open fabric as you can see in the photo.  

 

a lot of yarns will become splitty if you have to rip out and redo more than once.  so if you have struggled with the pattern and ripped out, that may result in splittiness.  

[magiccrochetfan]

Pssst Magiccrochetfan, you need to mark your Ravelry project as public so others can see it.  I was logged out , clicked on your link, and was told to log in.  I also don't think non members can see project if you link to a Ravelry pattern  page.  Cute socks!

thank you granny Square, i didn't even think about the settings on the project page

[magiccrochetfan]

 Have you done sweaters

or do you have certain items you like to make??

...I want to learn how how make wearable

items.

 

The video I bought was from Annies and was a crochet sock video. It did come with 4 patterns

 and is okay, I am just trying to figure out how to do a gauge without wasting all my sock yarn, before

I even get a sock made. 

 

I have crocheted several sweaters and I like doing that.  I am a plus size, so of course a bigger garment takes longer to make, and i don't usually crochet for a long time on any given day, so I'm slow to finish anything and haven't made a huge number of sweaters.   Making a sweater, if it is fitted at all, requires measuring first and then a lot of trying on as I go.  There can be a lot of little details involved, like short rows for bust shaping. But some patterns are a boxy shape and really made up of rectangles, so that could be quicker...tho maybe no less boring than dishcloths lol!  

 

One thing I like to make are shawls, elongated triangle shape or crescent shape are easy to wear around my neck like a fancy scarf.  I've also given several as gifts to people who said they would wear a shawl.  Shawls don't have to fit perfectly, they can really be any size, and are a good way to show off gorgeous yarn and interesting stitch patterns.  Also, Hats are usually a fun item to make.  

 

Re your video, is it this one ?  https://www.anniescatalog.com/onlineclasses/detail.html?code=CDV04

If that is it, I looked at the preview and it looks like it is pretty comprehensive.  So instead of looking for other patterns I would sit down with the video and those patterns and take it step by step.  I don't think you will find a pattern that will be easier to follow and understand than the video.  Also it looks like you can send a message to the instructor if you need clarification on anything.  

 

Re swatching, please don't think of it as a waste of yarn.  It is the only way to know what your gauge is and is essential to achieving fit when following a pattern.  So it is time well spent.  And it is not a waste of yarn because you can always rip out the swatch and use the yarn in the project.  Also for something small like a sock you can easily just start on the sock and measure your gauge there.  (for a bigger project like a sweater you could start a sleeve, if they are made separately from the body, and use that as your gauge swatch.)

[jmkrueger]

Okay have not given up totally. Does anyone have an easy sock pattern that does not have a lot of fancy stitches

and can be worked easily?? I just want to get the first pair in sock yarn done so I don't give up. I did a pair in baby

yarn but they are more like slippers, then tried it with sock yarn and tore it out more than I crochet...Thanks again

to all of you for all your information and help

[Real Deal]

Here's how I started on my journey toward making socks. Although I have collected a lot of sock patterns, I had to figure out what I want from my socks. These are good fit, tight sts, and patterning along top of foot and up the ankle don't matter. So function matters the most to me. I don't wan't open sts or patterns I have to line up on every rnd. I can pretty them up with colors.

 

OK. Unfortunately I don't like to work with fine yarn. I'm a worsted weight yarnie. I knew that if I started right out with sock yarn, I would never get a pair finished, but I really wanted to make socks. So I decided I would make slippers that are made in the same way fitted socks are, specifically toe up socks so I could keep trying them on. And I made both at the same time by using 2 matching skeins, so each slipper had its own skein, and I would work 2 or 3 rnds on 1 slipper, then do the same on the 2nd slipper. This worked so great I was stunned!

 

I've since made many pairs of basic toe up socks, all in sc with worsted weight to make slippers, with a little fancy at the top edge. I'm another "go barefoot" indoors person, so I live all Autumn and Winter in these. Double stranded makes great ones for deep Winter. Leave the ankle off for Spring.

 

Last winter I made myself a pair using super bulky by just fitting them to myself as I went along, using the same general toe up way of working.

 

Now I'm ready to go to thinner yarn. This Winter, I'm going to try using a baby sport weight (that I already have) to make bed socks in the toe up method. These are for those freezing feet when I first get in bed. I'm going to make them somewhat loose, because I know I'll kick them off in my sleep later on anyway. These will not be for walking around the house. I want to keep them clean for in the bed. And really, who's going to care about the baby colors? They're cute!

 

Then, after bed socks, I figure I'll be ready for real sock yarn. Hmmm. Maybe.

[Granny Square]

Hang in there, I hope what we have talked you thru re: the unclear parts of the pattern will help you get thru it.  Or, maybe you could try the pattern Magiccrochetfan referenced?

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-heart-sole-socks

 

I wish that crochet had dropped stitches.  As long as you catch them within a few rows, they aren't that bad to chain up (unless you are making complex lace).  I don't drop them accidentally very often, but I drop them on purpose a lot to fix mistakes or just mis-shapen stitches--saves a lot of ripping out!  (At least crochet is easier to rip and recover...)

 

DPNs take a little practice, and are a pain to use until you get maybe about 1/2" of fabric on them, then they get less fiddly.  They are nice for socks because most sock patterns (not 2 at a time) are written with specific parts of the sock on specific needles, so you always know where you are (usually the heel on 1, the top half of the sock split over 2 needles).

[jmkrueger]

Now I am really confused, I just wanted an easy sock pattern to try and crochet. Like I said before it seems like the

knitting ones take so long to do and was hoping the crochet ones would be a little faster. What do I know, and that

is what I get for thinking. It seems like not to many people actually crochet socks, don't know why that is. I know dropping

stitches in knitting can cause heart failure and in crocheting at least you can just pick up and go....I have never mastered

the dpn and seem to always polk myself or drop stitches, seems harder to do anything in the round with them...

I am not sure what to do now, as maybe I have bit off more than I can chew, as they say...I just am maybe to new at

crocheting to jump in to doing this and I should go back to scarf making...They just get so boring....

[Granny Square]

Pssst Magiccrochetfan, you need to mark your Ravelry project as public so others can see it.  I was logged out , clicked on your link, and was told to log in.  I also don't think non members can see project if you link to a Ravelry pattern  page.  Cute socks!

 

JMKrueger, I have to admit that I've never crocheted socks (except Christmas stockings, if that counts); I started crocheting around the same time as Magiccrochetfan but I only started knitting in 2010 and have made, holy cow, 9 pairs of socks (did an inventory, I didn't realize it was that many, and I just bought more sock yarn yesterday ).  I'm impressed that you did a pair 2 at a time, I've been a little afraid to try that plus I like using DPNs. 

 

I enjoy making them because except for a couple of spots at the heel, they are a good mindless TV project.

 

Most of those pairs were with the D. Norville yarn, iand I haven't found it overly splitty (but, I haven't crocheted with it, or tried to rip it out a lot).  

 

A comment on the Cobbler Cabin socks and sock heels - I tried 1 (knitted) pair toe up, with a short row heel, and didn't like them because they didn't fit over the heel as well as the rest of my socks, which were top down and a heel flap heel - the flap heel area is deeper, and you can adjust the depth by adding rows to the heel flap (and correspondingly, more rounds of gusset) until you get back to the stitch count you need for the foot.  The Cobbler's Cabin pattern looks nice, but it has an extraordinarily shallow heel, that would concern me re:fit.

 

Back to your questions on the Cobbler sock pattern: it did indeed start not-in-the-round because you were making the ribbing, which was SC in the back loop across 11 stitches, for 66 rows.  What is annoying is that the pattern said Rnd 1, etc., when it meant row 1, which is inaccurate and unclear.  This sort of ribbing is made flat, then you turn the piece and work x stitches across the edge of the stitches you just made (your pattern's round 67 says 'across the top', which IMO is also unclear/inaccurate). Round 67 is also where it says to join, which is the the point you will be working in the round.  It leaves you with ribbing that will need to be seamed up later (it should have warned you at the beginning to leave an extra long tail for that--it doesn't tell you to sew up the ribbing until the very end).

 

Also in your pattern, the post stitches seem to be across the top portion of the sock, making that nice pattern.  I assumed so before I saw the pattern, because you want finer stitches across the bottom of the foot.  

[jmkrueger]

I do agree with you about going barefoot, I would do that all the time but living in the midwest

the winter would be a little cold on my feet. I am trying to tell myself that doing socks is fun

as I really don't know what other project to do other than blankets. Have you done sweaters

or do you have certain items you like to make?? I know my friend is making a lot of dishcloths

which I guess is alright but is just a small blanket to me...I want to learn how how make wearable

items. The video I bought was from Annies and was a crochet sock video. It did come with 4 patterns

 and is okay, I am just trying to figure out how to do a gauge without wasting all my sock yarn, before

I even get a sock made. I also did knitted socks, the ones on the Magic Loop where you make the two socks at one

time. The problem with that was it takes forever as I knit really slow and seem not to get a pair

done in such a long time...Guess I am a little impatient....

[magiccrochetfan]

I thought toe up would be easier to fit to my foot as they are so easy to try on.  I've only made 2 pair and both were toe up, so yes  my first pair were toe up.  

 

i think hook size will depend a lot on the gauge you get with your particular yarn.  Here is my project on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Kathy-crochet/step-by-step-socks    and if you click on the pattern name where it is underlined,

you can see other people's projects and comments on the pattern.  

 

What video did you buy?  Have you watched it?  if that includes an actual pattern and or guidelines, I think that might be easier to understand for your first pair than a written pattern.  

 

I learned to crochet in about 1968 and crocheted off and on for years, really got back into it in 2007.  I only crocheted 2 pairs of socks, I;ve also knit a couple of pairs but honestly I don't really enjoy making socks at all, and both the knit and crochet ones are hard to get over my heel.  I am not into wearing bright color socks and only wear socks for warmth in winter, or for comfort when I have to wear closed shoes...would go barefoot/wear sandals year round if i could get away with it!  So I may never make another pair of socks at all lol      But many people really enjoy making and wearing socks, so don't go by me!  

[jmkrueger]

You say you did the toe up socks as you found them a little bit easier, would a person who has

not done a pair of crochet socks start there? Also do you remember the size of hook you used?? I seem

to crochet loose, but my tension is not always consistent. I just would like to get started on a pair, easy pattern,

so I can understand all the parts to making a sock and be able to do it without getting so frustrated...

How long have you crochet and is socks something you do often??? I have a lot of patterns for socks and 

of course they are all different and all different stitches. So would never get bored making more than one

pair. Making a blanket I have done but it takes so long to get it completed. Have not tried a sweater as of yet.

Do you Knit?

[jmkrueger]

thank you magiccrochetfan I do appreciate your help. Have you made socks before??? If so is the

top down or toe up easier to learn?? Would like to just learn a easy pair and then be able to do some

fancy things. I think this yarn (sock yarn) is hard to use as it splits all the time...I have that Deborah Norviells

yarn and everyone says it is good yarn....

[magiccrochetfan]

link to pattern for reference https://cobblerscabin.wordpress.com/happy-hookin/top-down-crochet-socks-free-crochet-pattern/

 

I think like Granny Square said, it has you turn for each round to keep the stitches lined up.  

 

also agree with Granny Square that sometimes it's necessary to just do what a pattern says even if it doesn't seem to make sense.  

 

your video should help a lot with being able to visualize the construction of a sock.  Once you have that under your belt the next sock you make will probably be easier.  

[jmkrueger]

Again thank you for all that have tried to help me...The pattern was free found at Cobblers Cabin and called 

Top Down Socks. I am just trying to learn how to crochet socks and every pattern seems to be different even

if they are cuff down, top down what ever. I just am trying to be able to read and understand a pattern. Like I

said I need to see what they are saying and then I understand. Everyone writes differently and we all are trying

to understand what they mean....I even bought a video on how to crochet socks and am trying real hard to 

learn the correct way...

[Granny Square]

Please do post the link to your pattern if it's one you've found on a website, or tell us the name of the pattern and where you found it if it was a purchased pattern.  This might help us visualize what's going on (either by reading the whole pattern or looking at a photo of the finished sock).  And sorry, I must not have had enough coffee this morning when I read your post; I thought you had been working in the round and were now being told to work flat.

 

The sock pattern may have had you work in the round, but joining & turning each row, because crochet stitches look and behave differently if made in the round without turning (same side facing), or made in the round and turning (back and front facing in alternate rounds).  It may have something to do with maintaining the look of the stitch pattern.  Or, the 'behave' part - since you knit, you know knit stitches sit directly on top of each other.  Crochet stitches do not, so will start to 'spiral' around the piece if you don't turn every round.

 

If you are doing FPDC (front post Double Crochet), you will be doing them AROUND the posts of stitches from the row BELOW the current round.  They aren't as tall in the current round as if you had done normal DC in the current round.  Were you maybe thinking front loop, versus front post?

 

Not all rows are meant to be even, crochet is a bit more flexible than knitting that way (even knitting can have uneven rows, like drop stitches for instance).

 

I've found that when I encounter a written instruction that looks weird, the best thing is to just DO it.  I will admit that sometimes these are errors in the pattern, but more often I'm surprised and educated by a designer that has come up with a novel way of achieving something that doesn't seem like it should work (but does).  And if it is an error, by doing what it says and getting something wrong, can help you visualize what you need to do to make it work right.

[magiccrochetfan]

Quick intro to pattern reading http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/tip_crochet.html

 

Crochet Answer Book by E Eckman is a good reference book.

[magiccrochetfan]

Please tell us what pattern it is, we can probably help you understand it.

[jmkrueger]

Thank you both for the quick information, I am new to crocheting and know how to do a lot of stitches it is

reading the pattern. The frustration won on this item as I tore it all out. I just don't understand how you can

be working flat for the whole cuff and then they say to join and turn. Did not know about working in the round

but turning each row. It then had me do hdc, which I do know how to do for 19 stitches and then do fpdc in

the next 3 stitches, how does that keep your pattern even??? I need to find something to read that will teach

me more about reading patterns and how to understand what is being done...I can do a blanket or granny

squares but then I am lost....I am more of a "show me" person then I can figure it out...I have tried knitting socks

but they are so tedious that I thought maybe crocheting socks would be easier, see what I know......

Thank you

[magiccrochetfan]

welcome to the ville!

 

what is the name and location of your pattern?  if it is free online you can link to it.

 

from what you posted, you are still working in the round.  you are just turning and working the opposite direction, but it is still in the round.  turning helps keep your stitches lined up and looking straight instead of appearing to slant.  

[Granny Square]

When you get to the start of the heel, typically you switch from in the round to back and forth, then rejoin to working in the round for the rest of it. The heel is usually worked over only half of the stitches.