Any sock knitters here?

[ashfern]

I'm ready to try knitting socks. I have yarn & needles. I have been looking at patterns on ravelry and borrowed a couple of books from the library. I found one pattern that is knit toe up with an afterthought heel. Would that be a good one to start with? I want to do something simple for the first pair. Thoughts, suggestions, tips would be greatly appreciated.

[HomeAgain]

I was scared of trying socks until I actually did it.  The whole heel turning thing is not stressful.  Weird, but not stressful.  I would suggest looking up the magic loop method so you can do two socks at once and keep them even.  I tend to get bogged down in remembering how many rows when I do one sock at a time.

[Miss Tick]

I've never done an afterthought heel, but if you are brave enough to cut your knitting it sounds totally doable! Also nice that you can just knit, knit, knit until you are done, no hassles of remembering when to start increases for the instep. Give it a go!

[Home'scool]

The best way to knit socks is to just start knitting them! You will learn as you go whether you prefer magic loop vs. dpns, what type of heel you like better, etc.

I personally knit two at a time, toe up (using Judy's Magic Cast On) on magic loop. There are a ton of youtube videos out there. I basically learned how to knit courtesy of youtube! 

I think the afterthought heel might be confusing. I never tried it but it just seems overly fussy to me.

 

[Cinder]

Every sock knitter has their own favorite way of knitting socks. Mine is cuff-down, one-at-a-time on dpn's with a heel flap. (I do not suffer from Second Sock Syndrome. lol) I've tried other techniques and this one works best for me for the knitting and how it fits. You may have to try a few different techniques before you find the one that clicks for you. There is a sock challenge in one of the Ravelry groups I'm in, and one knitter calls out for help on knitting her first socks. There are quite a few suggestions there that might be helpful. (There is also a lot of chatter to wade through.)

A lot of the new-to-socks knitters in the group started with Rye by Tin Can Knits because it covers all the basics and goes quickly as it uses worsted weight. A similar cuff-down ankle sock in fingering weight is Rose City Rollers. Vanilla Latte is also similar but with a longer cuff and a little patterning.

Folks were suggesting David's Toe-up Sock Cookbook for toe-up. I've never used this pattern so I don't have an opinion on it. For the few toe-up socks I've done I've used the Fish Lips Kiss heel technique. The pattern costs $1 and is loaded with her discussion of how the pattern came about. Just flip to the back where she actually tells you how to do the pattern. Or you can probably find a free short-row heel pattern as FLK is a type of short-row heel.

I personally don't care for afterthought heels. A lot of people use it with self-striping yarns to keep the stripe pattern consistent down the length of the sock. You don't *have* to cut your sock--just use a waste yarn to hold the stitches on that part of the sock. I just don't like the whole bit about picking up the stitches to set up the heel. I found this video helpful for eliminating the gap that typically results with this type of heel.

Good luck with your socks!

[catz]

I don't think socks are as hard as advertised either.   I actually think an afterthought heel would be harder.  I much prefer doing small circular objects on 2 circular needles rather than double pointed.  2 at once is a nice way to go, but if that feels overwhelming, using a counter to keep track of rows and writing them down as notes on your pattern works fine too.  Jump right in!  

Here's a video on knitting on 2 circulars

 

[lavender's green]

Heels are weird, but if you just trust the pattern and follow it to a T, you should be fine!

I personally prefer a small-circumference circular needle with some DPNs for the heel and toes. I know how use DPNs, magic loop, two at a time, and 2 circs, but for me a single small-circumference circ is the least finicky (some people get hand cramps from them, so I don't necessarily recommend them for everyone).

[Sammish]

I love knitting socks - they're my favorite on-the-go project. I would say that for your first pair, you get a simple pattern, and knit them one at a time. (I feel like knitting two at a time just adds an element of complexity you don't need while you're first figuring out how everything goes together. JMO :)) Pick whichever method of knitting in the round you're most comfortable with - I used to do all of mine on double pointed needles, but have recently changed my knitting style, and now find two circulars more comfortable. But it doesn't really matter!

This looks like a nice, simple pattern with lots of pictures and instructions for a first-timer. Once you've got the basics down, you can branch out to try other variations, like two-at-a-time. My personal favorite is toe-up (this is a great explanation of the method I use) and a Fish Lips Kiss heel (funny name, but great fit :)). 

Go slow, look up YouTube videos if you get stuck, and just follow the directions. They're not actually that difficult, just different.

Good luck!

[Mothersweets]

I'm a sock knitter and everyone's given you great advice! Jump in and do it - it isn't as scary as it seems. Be sure to come back and show us your socks!