Learning to knit/Knitting

Here is a simple sock knitting pattern that has stood me in good stead so far.
Any questions, just ask, I might be able to help out.
Just as a sense of warning, I can't knit the English way, I knit continental with my thread on my left hand and the piece growing on the right needle.

Sock knitting instructions

shaft
Cast on number of stitches that is divideable by 4 (60), divide by 4 on 4 needles (15).
Knit alternative knit and purl for sleeve-style top,
then proceed in stockinette until desired height of shaft is reached.
Keep in mind where one round ends (when reaching the starting thread again).
Heel
Now only knit parts 4 and 1 together on 1 needle (30) back and forward until middle height of heel is reached, now knit stitches 9 and 10 together, also 30 and 31, go back without taking stitches together. Leave 10 middle stitches as they are, only take together the end stitches of the middle in the next row, in this frontal row then 8 +9 and 29 + 30, return evenly, then repeat with stitches 7+8 and 28 + 29. Repeat till only middle 10 stitches are left on the needle.
Foot
Now you want to knit the foot of the sock, so that is when the other dormant two needles come back into play again.
Best way is to take up the last knit off stitch of needle 3, take up a stitch from the tie-in thread, and now take up the stitches from the side stitches of the hood you just knitted and add 5 of the stitches from the remaining 10 from the top of the hood.
On needle 1, now do the same, take up stitches from the side of he hood and add three at the end.
You will hopefully have more than 15 stitches on needles 4 and 1, which is completely fine.
Knit 2 rounds in stockinette again, then knit together the 4th and 3rd last stitch on needle 1 and the 3rd and 4th stitch on needle 4. Knit one round even,
then again take together the 4th and 3rd last stitch on needle 1 and the 3rd and 4th stitch on needle 4 until you reach 15 stitches again,
then go on knitting your foot until you reach about the middle of your pinkie.
Toecap
Knit together the 4th and 3rd last stitch on needle 1 and the 3rd and 4th stitch on needle 2, the 4th and 3rd last stitch on needle 3 and the 3rd and 4th stitch on needle 4,
insert a normal round, then repeat.
Diminish stitch count till you have about 7 stitches left, then diminish stitches on every round until only 1 stitch left per needle. This is the most fiddly one!
Now transfer all 4 stitches onto one needle, from 1 first, then 4, then 2, then 3.
Then finish off.
Finished
Tadaaa!! Done!
Now you only have to tidy up the threads and your sock is ready for action.

(this would not be me, I can't knit like that... )

Thanks for the pattern

Do you normally use double knitting wool, and what size needles?

I use sock knitting wool, the 4ply one,
and size 2,25 needles, rather very thin ones. That is the continental size measure.
Hope this helps?

Brilliant! Thanks - I have some sets of four needles which belonged to my grandmother so with a spot of metric conversion from my little conversion gizmo I should be sorted

Dandelion, you will need five needles, one for actually knitting with.

Oh yes...... (It's been a while since I used them - approximately 27 years. I think I may have made some baby clothes on them!)

I really want a 2 needle pattern. Have just spent an hour looking but not really found one.
Pol :scratch:

Seils/Dandelion I think the English convention has been 4 needles and the Europeean one to use 5 needles. I tend to knit with 4 needles despite what the patern says, but it useful to use 5 needles for the heel.

Does anyone have instructions for turning a heel using the shortt row method? I've lost my pattenr doing it that wayy and I prefer it to the flap method.

I definitely knit my socks on a total of 4 needles, but have to admit that a fifth comes in useful when it some to the heel - otherwise I run out of hands, or so it feels!

Mrs C

polgara wrote:I really want a 2 needle pattern. Have just spent an hour looking but not really found one.
Pol :scratch:

i think I saw one soemwhere while looking for my old sock pattern. I'll see if I can find it again. It may havebeen for bed socks though.

Jaded Green wrote:

polgara wrote:I really want a 2 needle pattern. Have just spent an hour looking but not really found one.
Pol :scratch:

i think I saw one soemwhere while looking for my old sock pattern. I'll see if I can find it again. It may havebeen for bed socks though.

I have one, cribbed off the internet. I used it quite successfully before I cracked knitting in the round, which I prefer because there's no sewing up!
http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/seabury_sox.txt

Thank you. Will Look tomorrow
Pol

I've started kicking myself because I've just realised that I had a brilliant book of knitting patterns in the 70s - it was quite 'out there' - a bit like the knitting version of 'Hassle Free sewing' if anyone remembers that. It had brilliant patterns for all kinds of things, including a little jerkin to go over a babygro which I knitted on a circular needle. I think it was a penguin book, but I can't remember the name of it - I must have given it away in one of my purges. I bet it had a good sock pattern it!

Thanks for the pattern saved in the right place, is worsted 4ply by the way?
Pol

No, worsted is the US equivalent of dk.

Thanks for that
Pol

My mum and her mum always knitted our jumpers so although I learned I never actually knitted an item as big as a jumper. Now I wish I could. Is it too late? How would I start? My sister started with her babies clothes...but I didn't have the time then and now my baby is 6'4"!!

Any advice?

Its never too late to learn. There are lots of sites that will show you how to do it, also lots of books, but the best idea is to find someone who can knit to show you.

Pol

Can you still remember the basics? If you can, I'm sure you'll manage a jumper - in fact, even if you can't, I'm sure you'll manage it. with help.

Hats a really good idea Angelina as I'm out side so much. I bought my sister a really lovely knitted hat (and scarf), she always wore for dog walking...now if I could knit something like that it would inspire me. It was only a varigated wool and a bowl sort of shape!

You used to be able to get a pattern from Oxfam to knit a baby/toddler jumper which you then donated to go to an area of need - as I remember it was based on squares, so no difficult shaping. Just another suggestion....

Definitely go for it! I started learning a few years ago and found that the internet makes it so easy to pick it up. There are loads of free patterns online. Try knitting pattern central, which is a searchable database of free knitting patterns available on the web. Lots of them tell you at the start of the pattern how easy or hard they are.

When following a pattern, if there are any abbreviations or knitting styles that you don't know then just do a google search and you'll find instructions. You'll very often stumble across video clips showing you how to do it.

Good luck! And yeah, I agree with the others - start small. Fingerless mittens are dead quick and easy and really useful.

Nancy

budburst12 wrote: You'll very often stumble across video clips showing you how to do it.

Now that is an awesome idea

Would anybody be interested in sourcing knitting stitch video links and posting up a new thread?