Your Ultimate Guide To Crocheting Socks

Hello! Over the last few weeks, with my Lazy Days Shortie Sock CAL on the horizon, I've received quite a few questions from subscribers and followers about crocheting socks. So, with this in mind I've created a round up blog post: a resource you can use if you need any information about crocheting socks. It pulls all my years of knowledge & experience, all my techniques & skills together in one place for you. 

Sock it to Me: Measuring Feet for the Perfect Fit: Let's start at the beginning with how to properly measure feet for socks. I pulled my dad in to help with the video to accompany this blog post! This step is super important to get right if you want to create a sock that fits well and feels comfortable all day long. Read post here.

Demystifying Sock Crochet Terms: No More Head-Scratching!: You have your pattern, but help! What on earth do all these terms mean? Don't worry, this blog post demistifies them all for you, no more struggling to decipher abbreviations or confusing techniques. Read post here.

My Pro Crochet Sock Tips: Here's a blog post with my top 5 tips for crocheting socks, a good one to refer to for some sound advice. These tips will help you avoid common mistakes and make the sock crocheting process a smoother and more enjoyable one. Read post here.

Designing Crochet Socks that Fit: A Resource for Designers: If you are a crochet designer, or a budding crochet designer, I have a blog post dedicated to designing crochet socks that FIT. It has some useful pointers for crocheters too about achieving the fit you want. Read post here.

Choosing Colours and Yarn for Perfect Crochet Socks: My oldest crochet sock blog post is from a blog hop back in 2018 (yes, I've been blogging a LONG time!). The topic is choosing colours for socks and has lots of useful tips in it. Read post here.

5 Must-Try Crochet Sock Patterns: Looking for more crochet sock patterns to try? I have a round up blog post with 5 of the best, all tried and tested by me! My top 5 feature a variety of sock styles and difficulty levels, so there's something for everyone. Read post here.

I really hope this round up is useful for you! If you'd like to receive my weekly wisdom on all things crochet, consider subscribing to my mailing list here.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

my Fiddle Sock pattern

My 5 Tips For Crocheting (or knitting!) Socks

Hello! Today I'd like to share my experience with you and give you my 5 top tips for crocheting (or knitting!) socks! Maybe you've never tried making socks before or perhaps you're a sock addict like me? Either way, there should be something here to help you on your crochet sock journey.

my Banjo Sock pattern

1.  Take each step as it comes. 

Don't go diving in, looking ahead at what comes up next and freaking out about how you're going to manage that heel! Simply look at row 1 or round 1 and take it from there. Follow that round exactly as the instructions tell you and then work onto round 2 and so on. I think when we leap ahead and see the big scary heel - that's when we're more likely to second-guess ourselves and make mistakes early on.

2.  Wind your yarn into two balls (or cakes). 

This is really easy if you're starting with a skein of sock yarn; I simply wind and when I reach the about halfway I pop the yarn on the scales and make sure that I end up with two balls, roughly 50g each. I've shared this tip before and it's one that I find very useful because then I know exactly how much yarn I have for each sock and I'm not panicking about running out of yarn.

3.  Choose yarn with 20 or 25% nylon content. 

This will ensure your socks are durable and washable. There are lots of different types of sock yarn on the market! Commercial sock yarn is a great choice and is typically 75% superwash merino/ 25% nylon. It's especially good for a beginner because it's less expensive meaning you're less likely to be upset when mistakes happen. There are lots of indie yarns dyers out there too, producing all sorts of gorgeous colours to choose from. These tend to have a 20-25% nylon content, perhaps with Blue Faced Leicester instead of merino. There are also smaller yarn companies producing more traditional sock yarn if you want to go for something fancier. At the moment I'm using a sock yarn with 80% Blue Faced Leicester/ 10% Yak/ 10% silk - it's gorgeous to work with!

4.  Work socks two at a time. 

I've shared this tip before and it's a good one to keep your motivation up. It's especially easy to do if you have measured your yarn into equal balls too! If you choose not to work two together it's a good idea, while your motivation levels are high, to jump straight in and start sock no. 2 as soon as you have finished sock no. 1. You can add the hashtag #nosecondsocksyndrome on Instagram - it's a popular one!

5.  Try on your sock as you go. 

This way you will have the perfect fit - you can get the length and width exactly right. Although most sock patterns are customisable you may need to make adjustments and this is easiest to do if you can try your sock on as you work.

my Synthesiser Sock pattern

Did you know that I have multiple crochet sock patterns available on my website and on Ravelry if you're curious and would like to give crocheted socks a go! Check them out today and remember that I'm always here to help if you have any questions.

I hope you found my 5 top tips for crocheting (or knitting!) socks helpful. Why not share with a friend who would find them useful too - help me spread the word.

Don't want to miss my posts? Subscribe to my mailing list today and have them delivered straight to your inbox. There's a FREE pdf waiting for you when you sign up too, with 25 of my best crochet tips!

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

 

5 of the best crochet sock patterns!

Hello! I'm here today to share 5 of the best crochet sock patterns - tried & tested by me! I love crocheting socks, they're one of my favourite things to make - partly because they're a small project so they work up fast, partly because there's such a beautiful range of sock yarn out there to choose from. Some of these patterns I have Ravelry links to, others require a bit more tracking down as you will see. All the photos below are my versions of them, let's have a look ...

No.1  Tipping The Scales by Joanne Scrace. This pattern was released on Boxing day 2020 as a 5 part mystery crochet along and I remember starting straight away on that day! It's now available as a complete pattern on Ravelry. Written for 7 sizes (baby to adult) this pattern is a fantastic stash buster. I made mine in a UK2, they're tiny! 

No.2  Brickyard Socks by Rohn Strong. One of my favourite sock patterns - I've made about 5 pairs of these! I love Rohn Strong's sock patterns, they're easy to follow and often combine more than 1 colour throughout the sock which keeps things interesting. I had a look online and can only find the pattern in Rohn's book 'Step Into Crochet'. I've crocheted about half the socks in this book, I'd definitely recommend it.

No.3  Sparkler Socks by Vicki Brown. I had a hard job choosing my favourite Vicki Brown sock pattern, I've made quite a few of these too! This design uses linked half trebles (UK terms) to create a lovely flat fabric - perfect for socks. Available in 3 adult sizes, you can download it from Ravelry on its own or as part of a 6 sock pattern bundle which is excellent value. Popping Vicki's website here too, although this pattern isn't on there, many other good ones are!

No.4  Everyone (Needs) Socks by Kat Goldin. This is the first pair of socks I ever crocheted so they're very special (on that note, please excuse my photography - this was back in 2017 and my photography skills have come a long way since then!). I can't seem to find this pattern anywhere online, but it is available in Kat's 2nd crochet book 'Hook, Stitch & Give' - another book well worth investing in. Amazingly it's written for 12 sizes, from baby throught to UK12 and it's very adaptable for different widths.

No.5  is one of my own designs - Fabulous Socks! This is my most purchased pattern and an excellent choice for the first time sock crocheter. It's a toe-up design with extended double crochet stitches for stretch and finished with a ribbed cuff. Designed using Paintbox Yarns sock wool, 100g is enough for each of the 3 adult sizes available. The pattern is downloadable from Ravelry and from my website.

I hope you've found this mini guide useful! I send regular emails to my list covering topics like this, together with discount codes, free patterns, crochet tips & advice. If you'd like to subscribe to my list please sign up here.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx