The Knitting Fiend

Design your sock

Select from the pull down menu, then enter your show size in the box. The to the right will fill with your foot length and circumference. Man Woman Child Custom US Shoe Size:	The sock foot length is illustrated with the blue line; it is measured from the cast on to the back of the short row heel turn. The sock foot circumference is illustrated with the green curve, which goes all the way around the sock. Note: If you customize, bear in mind that many people like their sock circumference 10% tighter than their foot. Some like them shorter than their foot.
If you selected 'custom' from the pull down menu, measure your foot and enter that value below. Foot length:inches. Foot circumference:

(Click hyperlinks for tutorials.)

Abbreviations:

L1: Lifted increase. These can be worked in before or after a stitch and are except when working the first increase round.
KFB: Knit in front and back of same stitch. (A type of increase; this is used on the first increase round only.)

Toe:

• Cast on stitches using the backward loop method.
• Knit 1 row, the yarn tail and the ball of yarn are on the same edge now. (Now, call the needle holdiing these stitches needle 1.)
• Flip over, work so the cast on edge faces "up" and the yarn is to the right. Hold the yarn you are going to knit with back and away from you.  Take cast on tail and bring it over the yarn and then drop it betweeen the yarn you will knit with and the needle. (You're just twisting things here.)  With two DPN's pick up and knit stitches from from the first four loops on the heels of the cast on row; call this needle needle 2. Repeat; call the new needle # 3.
• Optional: Hang a marker between needles 1 and 3 to indicate the beginning of the round.
• Shape Toe:
• Work an increase round as follows:
• Needle 1: k1, kfb , knit until 2 stitches remain, kfb, k1.
• Needle 2: k1, kfb, knit to end of needle.
• Needle 3: knit until 2 stitches remain, kfb, k1.
• Work another increase round as follows: (This is the "normal" method and should be used for all future increase rounds.)
• Needle 1: k1, L1 on right edge of next stich, knit until 2 stitches remain, knit next stitch, then L1 in left side of stitch just knit, k1.
• Needle 2: k1, L1 on right edge of next stich, knit to end of needle.
• Needle 3: knit until 2 stitches remain, knit next stitch, then L1 in left side of stitch just knit, k1.
• Alternate increase and plain rounds until there are a total of stitches. (There should be stitches on needle 1.)

Foot:

• Work even until foot measures inches measured from the cast on. (The heel turn adds inches.)
• Note: The stitches on needle 1 will be the instep; the stitches on needles 2 and 3 are the sole.

Short row heel: (These directions use the single wrap and turn method to avoid holes. )

• Knit to the end of needle 1 then place the stitches on needle 1 on a stitch holder or string. Transfer the stitches on needle 2 to needle 3. You will now now work short rows on the stitches on needle 3.

Decreasing short rows
• When slipping stitches, always slip as to purl unless specifically told otherwise. (That's the normal knitting convention.)
• Knit side is facing you. Knit stitches. Now wrap as follows: Bring yarn to front of work as to purl, slip 1, take yarn to back of work as to knit. Turn so purl side faces. (There are 0 stitches remaining on the left hand needle when you turn. ) Slip wrapped stitch -- note this seems to be in the next row. Don't turn again!
• Purl side still facing: Purl stitches. Slip 1. Turn so knit side faces. (There are 0 stitches on left needle when you turn.) Wrap stitch as follows: Bring yarn to front, slip 1, bring yarn to back. (Note, there is now 1 wrapped stitch on each edge of the work.)
• Knit stitches. Wrap the next stitch, turn so purl side faces. (There is 1 stitch on the left hand needle when you turn.) Slip the wrapped stitch.
• Purl stitches. Slip 1. Turn; (1 stitches on left needle when you turn.) Wrap and slip the wrapped stitch. (Note, there are now 2 wrapped stitches on each edge of the work.)
• Work in pattern established-- always working 1 stitch less each row -- until you work a row with purled stitches. There will be stitches on the left needle. Slip; turn work so knit side faces wrap and slip the wrapped stitch to complete this row.
• Note: this is where your heel will be when you wear the sock. You can measure and verify the length of the sock if you like.

• These instructions are for single wrapped heels and they instruct you to knit or purl stitches with their wraps. The purpose of working stitches with their wraps is to hide the wraps; if you don't mind wraps showing, ignore this instruction.
• Don't forget to turn and wrap at the end of the final decrease short row. This means you will be slipping what seems to be the first stitch in the next row.
• Knit stitches. Knit the next stitch together with its wrap. Turn. (Note: stitches remain on left tip. )
• Slip first stitch. Purl stitches. Purl next stitch with wrap. Turn. ( stitches remain.)
• Slip first stich. Knit stitches, then knit next stitch with wrap. Turn. ( stitches remain.)
• Slip first stitch. Purl stitches; purl next stitch with wrap. Turn. ( stitches remain.)

• Now, turn work so knit side faces you. You will pick up stitches and begin working rounds. If you aren't working some sort of fancy stitch, it doesn't matter what you do as long as you start working round and round!
• Pick up stitches on holder, and distribute stitches on 3 or 4 needles (whichever you prefer for knitting a tube around and around.)
• Optional: before starting to work around and around, do the "lift 1 and knit together technique" to avoid holes at either side of sock. This takes two rounds. Now, just work round and round until the sock is the length you like. Switch to ribbing. Bind off.
• Optional: If you want to shape the leg, hang a marker in the center of the heel to keep track of the back of the leg.

Leg: The foot and heel are shaped. Most socks are just tubes above this point. You could introduce a nifty stitch pattern if you like.

• Knit rounds until sock is as long as you like to the point below the ribbing. If you want to make a knee sock, and have chunky calves, work symmetric increases on either side of the center back of the sock. (You could also work them on the sides, but I think the center back looks nicest.)
• Ribbing: Knit 1 x 1 ribbing or 2 x 2 ribbing for whatever length you prefer.
• Bind off using some elastic method.