Sock-u-lator Socks
Posted on 11.22.05 by lucia @ 9:56 am
Simple Socks from a Sock-u-lator!
This page has a sock pattern generator to create a pattern to hand knit socks in your foot size, the length you like them, using the yarn of your choice. These socks are knit cuff down and have a gusset. If you are just learning to knit socks, links to tutorials are provided throughout the pattern; click on anything red to read more. Materials:

Yarn: almost any yarn you like that might be suitable for socks. The amount required depends on your foot size and your stitch gauge. My shorty socks in women's size 6 look like they will require approximately 300 meters for a pair knit at 7.25 st/inch. (I've only finished the first sock. I'll edit when I've finished both.)1

Needles: At least one set of four double-pointed needles that are appropriate for your yarn. Some people like to use an extra set in a smaller size to knit the ribbing.

Enter Your Gauge Information Here
Enter your stitch gauge in stockinette. Stitch Gauge: st/inch.

Design Your Sock.
Select from the pulldown menu, then enter your show size in the box.

  US Shoe Size:


If you selected 'custom' from the pulldown menu, measure your foot and enter that value below.

Foot length:inches.
Foot circumference: inches.

A generic sock that can be knit from this pattern is illustrated above.

The black line shows the bottom of the heel flap. The sock foot length is shown in green. The sock length from the floor to the top of the ribbing is illustrated in dark blue. (My sock is 4" tall.) The ribbing length is show in yellow. The sock circumference is shown in light blue, but is measured all the way around the sock. (Note: for these socks, the ankle and sock circumference are identical. Also, many people like their socks to be about 10% smalle in diameter than their foot. Enter the dimensions you want for the sock.)

Enter ribbing length you want: ( I recommend 1" to 2" .)
Ribbing Length: inches.
Change the sock length to match the length you want. (When the program loads, it picks a fairly short length. You can make them longer. However, since the leg is unshaped, I recommend you pick a below the calf length. )
Sock Length: inches.

Directions:

(Click hyperlinks for tutorials.)

Leg:

  • Cast on stitches. Divide on three needles placing 1/3 of the stitches on each needle. Join and knit the first round.
  • Ribbing: Knit 1 x 1 ribbing for inches.
  • Leg: Switch to stockinet. Knit until length measures inches from cast on.

Heel Flap:

  • Place half stitches or your stitches on a stitch holder, and the other half on a needle to work the heel. There should be stitches on your working needle. Begin wrong side facing (that is, the inside of the sock should face you), working over stitches on this needle only
  • Slip 1, then purl across; turn.
    1. * Slip 1, knit 1; repeat from *; turn.
    2. Repeat these two rows times; end after a knit row. (The heel flap will measure approximately inches in length.)

Turn the heel:

  • 1st row: slip 1, purl , p2togm p1; turn; ( stitches will remain on the left hand needle when you turn.)
  • 2nd row: slip 1, knit , ssk, k1; turn; ( stitches will remain on the left hand needle when you turn.)
  • 3rd row: slip 1, purl , p2tog; p1; turn; ( stitches will remain on the left hand needle.)
  • 4th row: slip 1, knit , ssk, k1; turn; ( stitches will remain on the left hand needle.)
  • Repeat pairs of rows in pattern established until stitches remain on the left hand needle when need to turn.
  • If one stitch remained on the left needle when turned, work another pair of rows, but skip the extra knit or purl after the decrease. (That is, end with an ssk on the knit row and a p2Tog on the purl row. You'll be forced to do this because that stitch won't be there!)
  • You should now have stitches on your needle.

Pick up stitches for Gusset:

  • With knit side facing, the yarn is dangling on the left side of the heel flap. Call the needle holding the flap stitches needle "0".
  • Pick Up Stitches: With another needle, knit up stitches along the left side of heel flap; (you will be picking up one stitch for every slipped stitch on the edge). Call the needle holding the stitches you picked up "needle 1".
  • With another needle, work across the stitches you previously placed on a stitch holder. Call the needle holding these stitches needle 2.
  • With another needle, pick up stitches along the other side of the heel flap. Call this needle 3.
  • Now, still using the fourth needle, knit stitches off needle "0". (You have reached the center of the heel. I like to hang a safety pin or string to mark this.) Now, slide the stitches still on needle "0" to needle "1".

Decrease for Gusset:

  • Round 1:
    1. Needle 1: knit to last 3 stitches; k2tog, k1.
    2. Needle 2: knit stitches. 1.
    3. Needle 3: k1, ssk. Knit to end of needle.
  • Round 2:
    1. Work even -- (that is, don't decrease. Just knit all stitches on needles 1, 2 and 3.)
  • Repeat these two rounds until you are back to stitches.

Foot:

  • Work even until foot measures inches measured from the point where where you picked up the stitches on the heel. (The toe adds inches to the foot; the heel turn adds inches.)

Toe:

  • First row:
    1. Needle 1: knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.
    2. Needle 2: k1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.
    3. Needle 3: k1, ssk, knit to end of row.
  • Second round: knit all stitches.
  • Repeat last two rows until stitches remain. Knit stitches from first needle onto third needle; you will then have stitches on each of two needles.
  • Graft the two sets of stitches together.

Finishing:

  • Tidy up, make second sock, wear.
  • Take a photo, and show the world your socks.
Notes:
1. If you prefer to knit using 5 needles, divide the stitches on needle #2 and place on two needles. Then call the needles 2a and 2b. While knitting the gusset, just knit across all stitches. Later, when shaping the foot, work the decrease on 2a, knit to the end of that needle. Then, knit until 3 stitches remain on 2b, k2tog, k1.
This is filed with other patterns in pattern generators and also in sock knitting patterns, tips and techniques. 1. Added Dec. 26. I knit both, and need to weight the remaining ball to figure out exactly how much yardage I used; 300 meters may be close to what I used. I now have a sock yardage estimator on line.
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Please leave comments! 40 Comments

40 Comments »

  1. This is what i have been waiting for.

    Thank you Lucia

    Comment by Lois — 11/23/2005 @ 2:44 am

  2. You’re welcome!

    Comment by lucia — 11/23/2005 @ 7:23 am

  3. YAY!!!
    THANK YOU!!!

    Comment by sophia — 11/23/2005 @ 1:16 pm

  4. Hmm… looks like these are going to be popular!

    Comment by lucia — 11/23/2005 @ 1:33 pm

  5. This is the help that I need and was looking for, hopeful now I can get my sock done without to much problems.
    This will be a great help.

    Comment by Norma — 11/24/2005 @ 7:12 am

  6. Let me know if there is anything unclear. One nice thing about blogs– they can be edited!

    Comment by lucia — 11/24/2005 @ 8:20 am

  7. Are these for cuff down or toe down?
    You need to let folks know that other than that I think what you are doing is awesome and will help alot of people that do charity knitting

    Comment by Tonya S. — 11/24/2005 @ 10:46 pm

  8. These are cuff down.
    I could write toe up, but I’m not sure I want my next project to be socks. So, I’d need a test knitter!

    Comment by lucia — 11/25/2005 @ 8:27 am

  9. I’d love a toe-up version, too!!! I’m working on a pair right now (2 at at time on Magic Loop) that I had to rip out the heels because they were too small, now I think they’re too big. The last two pair were just right because the person was in the house to try them on as I knit. That isn’t always possible. I would gladly be a test knitter for you for the program!!! Would it work using ML? If so, count me in!

    Comment by JennyRaye — 11/28/2005 @ 7:54 am

  10. Jenny,
    Right now, I’m knitting with DPNs, so the text will say how to use DPN’s. It’s easy to convert to Magic Loop, and I’ll try to suggest how. I think if you already know how to use ML, you’ll figure out how. But, I will eventually have to show all these things with ML so people don’t have to learn on DPNs, get to the point where they understand both DPN and ML instructions and convert!

    (Admittedly, that doesn’t take that long. But why should a person who is pretty sure they want to knit on ML be forced to learn on DPNs? Or vice versa? They may as well learn on what they want to use, right?)

    Comment by lucia — 11/28/2005 @ 8:34 am

  11. [...] Remember, I decided to test my new sock pattern generators? One of my generators creates a pattern to knit a sock cuff down, the other to knit a sock toe up. [...]

    Pingback by The Knitting Fiend » Blog Archive » ABCABCABC — 12/2/2005 @ 9:52 am

  12. Thank you SOOO much! This sounds like a great first sock.

    Comment by Sarah — 12/3/2005 @ 5:12 pm

  13. I love this site I use it all the time. I would love it if you could make so we could print the pattern out. Thanks for all the work it took to make this site.

    Comment by Teri — 12/9/2005 @ 11:19 am

  14. Hi Teri,
    Could you be more specific, because if you can’t print, I may have a problem with my coding.
    I can print the patterns on my screen. I just pull down “print” on my menu, and pring. I organized the style sheets so the sidebar doesn’t print, just the pattern. (The comments also print; I was actually going to ask people if they’d prefer I change the stylesheets so they don’t print)

    So, if you could be more specific about what you can or cant’ do, I can figure out if it’s something I can fix.

    Comment by lucia — 12/10/2005 @ 10:21 am

  15. Hi, Love your sockulator! I knit my very first socks off them 2 weeks ago now I am on my 4th pair! I like a tighter cuff though so I knit my rib 2×2 so it stays up a little better! Just wanted to let you know I love it! And Thank you Much for the Sockulator!

    Comment by Cindy — 12/13/2005 @ 11:26 am

  16. [...] She gives directions for a a reverse Dutch Heel. But, when I knit my first sockulator sock” cuff down, I decided I preferred the “round heel”. Naturally, I still prefer this when I knit toe up! So, I figured out how to work the round heel turn backwards then seaming the heel flap to the gusset as I knit it. (Denise also seams as you go. The method is similar the way I work the sole of my slipper boots or felted purse, but I did have to engage my brain and think a bit about how to hide two particularly challenging wraps.) [...]

    Pingback by The Knitting Fiend » Blog Archive » Four things! — 1/3/2006 @ 11:33 am

  17. Hi Lucia, I am working down to the finish line with my first pair of socks from your soculator pattern. It is
    so elegant.
    I would like to be able to have such a custom made sock
    done toe up. I have looked ( I think, carefully ) and not
    found one. What can you recommend? Marcia

    Comment by marcia bromberg — 1/13/2006 @ 4:32 pm

  18. I now have several socklator patterns; some toe up! Look at the top of my page, and find the “socks” like. (It should be white.)

    Clicking it will lead you here:

    http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/556

    You will find 5 sockulators. Numbers 3 and 5 are toe up!

    Comment by lucia — 1/13/2006 @ 4:35 pm

  19. I love it!!! I have been looking for a plain sock pattern for my 3 year old grandson with BIG feet and this sure fits the bill!! Also for me with high arches!!

    Comment by Sarah Sharrett — 2/24/2006 @ 8:23 pm

  20. This is great, thanks!

    Pam :)

    Comment by Pam — 3/12/2006 @ 6:42 am

  21. Fabulous!

    I have knitted a couple pairs of socks for myself, from a pattern. But my youngest daughter (4 years) wanted some socks too. I plugged in her information into your Sock-u-lator and TADA! They fit her perfectly! Thank you so much for this cool page :-) Now on to other family members.

    Just a quick question: gauge – on the stitches per in, I am assuming it is the number of stitches on a single row within the inch. I don’t put in how many rows in an inch for this. correct?

    Comment by Eunice — 3/13/2006 @ 9:31 am

  22. Hi,
    Yes, you measure the number of stitches in 1″ of a single row to get the stitches per inch. (I usually measure across 4″ and divide because that’s more accurate.)

    To meaure row gauge, measure the number of rows in a column of stitches– so perpendicular to the stitches. I disucss that more here:

    Swatching

    Comment by lucia — 3/13/2006 @ 10:02 am

  23. How delightful! I have a friend whose feet are not standard size at all, as he’s a big man, and this will make it delightfully easy to make him socks … or even for him to make his own! (I taught him to knit too!)

    Comment by Tania — 4/15/2006 @ 1:13 pm

  24. I am new to sock knitting and wanted to knit some socks for my two sons. I just could not find a pattern the would adjust for their little feet. This is GREAT! Thanks.

    Comment by Debora Boykin — 9/26/2006 @ 10:17 am

  25. [...] I haven’t tried this, but it looks like this might be a nifty tool for generating sock patterns to size. Neat! [...]

    Pingback by green » Sock-u-lator — 10/1/2006 @ 1:58 pm

  26. [...] I finished Janiyah’s second pair of socks last week. I haven’t seen my model to get an action shot this time. I think she’ll be happy when she gets them. And she enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame on the internets. Again, Cascade Fixation is a great kids’ sock yarn. I highly recommend it.  I used the Sock-u-lator from The Knitting Fiend’s blog. I’m working on her third pair now. In addition to her socks, I’m also working on my fall-colored poncho, a few Dulaan items and a newsboy hat. Hmmm, that’s all I can think of for now. Pictures soon to come. [...]

    Pingback by passionknit » My Winter Wear — 10/13/2006 @ 8:46 am

  27. Thank you so much for this!!

    Comment by Julie — 12/1/2006 @ 9:45 am

  28. I’m modifying a pair of socks to fit my daughter, and had no idea how to deal with heel turns–this is my first pair of socks. This was very helpful, and I’m definitely coming back! Thanks!

    Comment by Jess — 1/1/2007 @ 8:05 pm

  29. Thank you for doing the math and sharing your sock-u-lator with all of us passionate socknitters who aren’t quite so good in math.
    Happy Holidays and Happy Socknitting
    Ronni

    Comment by Ronni — 1/2/2007 @ 4:13 pm

  30. I have made my first sock using your this pattern and was absolutely thrilled to see it taking shape, and it fit perfectly.

    I have tried to print this pattern by highlighting the pattern directions, and the instructions print, but none of the numbers print. I have to go back and fill them in with ballpoint. It seems strange to have to do this. Do you intend this to be the case?

    Comment by Vicki Williams — 1/23/2007 @ 5:24 pm

  31. Ok. I read the Yarn Harlot, regularly, but no other blogs. I am too busy really, since I home school my 6 daughters. However, knitting is a huge love for me and am always interested in learning more or sharing ideas. I happen to catch your site listed in the google search a little under Stephanie’s so I took a chance. I read your article on competing visits (or I wouldn’t be leaving this comment) and saw the comment about a sockulator. I just checked it out since I love socks and usually experiment on guage, needles yarn ect and with sixteen feet to cover are a quick and useful activity. What a great tool. In fact all of the listed articles seem to have oodles of great info in them. Apparently, you are brilliant and naturally, I am planning on rewarding that brillance with being a faithful reader of your blog too.=) Have a great day!

    Comment by mary — 11/29/2007 @ 7:34 am

  32. Thank you for including a picture with this! So many don’t have a picture of the finished product so you never know if it’s really worth knitting to begin with. Thank you thank you thank you =) I’ve been browsing all the sock calculators trying to come up with a pattern for my fiance’s large foot and this is the only one I think I feel comfortable in trying for him.

    Comment by Tara — 3/27/2008 @ 10:43 am

  33. Lucia, you are a GENIUS!!!! I am a new sock knitter, and I was just about ready to take all my supplies back to the store in frustration – trying to get the right needle size coordinated with my foot size and a GAUGE, for crying out loud, had just about done me in. What I needed was somewhere to type in my own measurements and have the pattern made for me – and lo and behold, I found your site. Thanks to you, I now have a nearly completed sock and it looks GREAT, and better yet, it FITS!!!! THANK YOU!

    Comment by Julie — 4/9/2008 @ 2:32 pm

  34. 1. How would I convert this to toe-up, and
    2. My calves are HUGE (I have lymphedema) and I don’t know how to calculate to accommodate them. However, if I was working toe-up, I would be able to try the sock on after I do the heel, and increase the leg to accommodate my calves. Any real experienced knitters out there able to help?

    Comment by Gwen — 6/25/2008 @ 9:17 am

  35. You can print this by highlighting the text you want to print and then copy it (Ctrl C), then paste it (Ctrl V) into Word. You can then save it, if you want, or print it, or both.

    Comment by Maggie — 2/6/2009 @ 11:20 am

  36. Small problem with your calculator – it does not take into account the difference between foot circumference and ankle circumference. I entered my foot circumference, and it asked me to cast on a number of stitches that would give me an ankle a full inch larger in circumference than my ankle. I have very wide feet and very skinny ankles, and I despair of finding a sock pattern that is not loose in the ankle and tight in the instep. Yours does not solve this problem.

    Comment by Victoria — 3/23/2009 @ 12:15 pm

  37. Victoria–
    Very few socks add the tweak of having separate foot and ankle widths. It’s do-able, but not easy, so I haven’t done it. The main way to deal with this is use yarn with lycra, or find someone who has charted socks with different ankle and foot widths.

    Comment by lucia — 3/23/2009 @ 12:36 pm

  38. Do you have a formula for translating double point patterns to either 1 or 2 circular needles.

    I am learning how to knit socks on 1 circular, but would like to use some existing patterns written for dbl points.

    Thank you,
    Judi

    Comment by Judi — 3/25/2009 @ 6:30 pm

  39. Judi–
    Formula’s only compute the stitch count. Changing from double points to circular has to do with how to word the pattern.

    The difficulty is the wording for the double points says things like “first needle, second” etc. You could try using stitch markers to indicate where the needle points would have been if you’d used double points. (If you used 5 needles, you need four markers.)

    Comment by lucia — 3/26/2009 @ 6:44 am

  40. Thank you so much for this site – you make it so easy to knit up a pair of socks for every size and age!

    Lately I’ve been unable to print out the instructions with the measurements on it – it comes out xx instead of the inches. It’s ok on the site, just won’t print out. Have you changed something or perhaps my computer has change somehow.

    Thanks again!

    Comment by Lynne — 3/30/2009 @ 5:07 pm

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