There is a bit of domestic upheaval today so I hope you will forgive me recycling an older posts - in which I discuss the afterthought heel - or the ninja art of cutting your knitting.
Grab a strong cup of coffee (or a fortifying glass of gin), and read one of my most popular blog posts from my archives.
They really do make a big difference to the finished look of your socks. Yes they do cost a little bit of money but compared to all the time and effort you have put into knitting them it really isn't very much. If money is tight there are some great tutorials available online to make your own.
If the socks are for you there's absolutely nothing wrong with blocking them in the time honored fashion of bunging them on your feet. But if they are for a gift or, let's face it, if you want to photograph them and Instagram the heck out of them, then sock blockers are your friend.
Whether you choose wooden or plastic or whether you make your own, the blockers allow the stitches to properly relax under just the right amount of tension. Just pop you finished socks in to soak for 20 minutes, blot them dry with a towel, slip them onto the blockers and then leave them to air dry away from direct heat.
Then you can photograph the living daylights out of them.
I’ve alluded to their use before when discussing toe-up socks and heel placement but one of the things I really recommend that every sock knitting bag has neatly stashed is a little roll of dental floss. It makes the perfect lifeline especially for socks where the stitches are likely to be very small. Using thicker yarn as a lifeline can distort the stitches and thinner yarn such as laceweight may not always have the required strength needed to stand up to being your lifeline.
A small roll of dental floss is brilliantly compact - and comes with it’s own little cutter. All you need to have to hand is a tapestry needle which your bag probably already has and you are good to go. Whenever you come a tricky point in your pattern or if you feel like you just need that little bit of extra reassurance, you can just whip in alifeleine in a matter of minutes and your sock progress is safe and secure.
If you are knitting toe-up socks achieving the perfect bind off can be a bit of trial and error. You want something stretchy and elastic so that they are comfortable to wear. Not so tight that they cut off your circulation and not so loose that the cuff frills out and is baggy. Frilly cuffs look OK when you are 5 but after that it isn't really a good look.
My personal favourite is the Russian bind off. Super simple and easy to work. Just k2tog, slip that stitch back to your left hand needle and repeat to the end...simples!
The trick is to not pull the stitch too tight as you return it to the left hand needle. Give it a bit of room to manoeuvre and you will find that the cast off edge achieves the perfect balance of stretch and firmness.
As with so many things in knitting there are a wondrous variety of different methods to try. Some swear by Judy's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off and the sewn bind off as recommended by Elizabeth Zimmerman herself also works well. I tend to go for the simplest one which gives good results and for me that is the Russian bind off.
Have a go and see which one works best for you.
The SSK is the most commonly used left leaning decrease but some people find that it never seems to lie as neat and flat as it's right leaning counterpart, the k2tog. One way to get a neater SSK (or slip, slip, knit) is to slip the first stitch knitwise and then slip the 2nd stitch purlwise, before knitting both of the slipped stitches together as usual.
And, hey presto - a nice, flat line of SSKs.
Slip as if to knit then slip as if to purl
Stripy socks in Britsock from the Knitting Goddess
Sometimes, despite all of your best efforts you find yourself with little ladders forming in your sock, where the fabric stretches between the needles. Some knitters find this is a problem for them with DPNs but less so with magic loop so it’s often a good idea to experiment with different techniques to see which works for you. It might also be worth switching between different needle types - ie between wood or metal to see if that makes a difference.
One top tip to avoid ladders is to avoid over-tightening the first stitch on the needle as this can distort the fabric and actually make the ladders worse, not better. Instead knit the first stitch on the needle normally and then pull the yarn tighter than usual when knitting the 2nd and 3rd stitches.
I am often asked “How tightly, exactly” but there’s no easy answer to that. It’s a bit like “how long is a piece of string”. In answer I usually say to pull just a little firmer than you would do normally without strangling the stitch.
Sometimes, no matter what you do you can end up with a little bit of laddering but in most cases a good wash and block will even out the fabric and it will hardly be noticeable on the finished sock. I think that sometimes certain yarns are more prone to laddering - I particularly find it with those that have a higher than 25% acrylic or non-wool content - in fact I tend to avoid bamboo based yarns for this reason.
As with so many things in knitting this is all highly personal and subjective and as ever, the advice is to find the solution which suits you best. Or just embrace the ladders - as I often say - there are no knitting police. Especially not here.
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