A stripy sock in yarn from The Yarny Octopus
It’s no secret that I love knitting stripy socks. Give me a self stripe yarn and my book or a Netflix series and I’m definitely in my happy place. For socks such as this there is no rush, I’m happy just to proceed at my own pace and let the socks be finished when they are ready.
But, let’s face it time and birthdays wait for no man. So there are times when deadlines press and a pair of socks need to be done, with ends woven in and everything.
So here are my top 3 tips for speedier sock knitting:
Sharp tips. These needle tips are Hiya Hiya sharp interchangeables and I love ‘em, especially if there are any cables or twisted stitches to be knit.
Magic loop. Being able to scoot staright across 32 or 36 stitches in one swoop without having to stop and readjust definitely saves me time. Yes, there is a little cable wrangling at the midway point but I find I can get up quite a head of steam as I work my way across each needle tip.
Continental knitting. Keeping the yarn as close as possible to the left needle tip and wrapping it tight around my tensioning finger helps me to keep excess movement to a minimum. This keeps each movement efficient and reduces the potential for RSI.
What’s your best tip for speedy sock knitting? I know some people swear by DPNs for speed but for me I always seem to get in a tangle.
Feel Better socks
Most of my sock designs are written with magic loop in mind - such as these colourful, slightly cabled Feel Better Socks. Tap the button below to see the full range of sock patterns I have for sale.
