Simple Sock Making

Hook: 2.25mm
Gauge: 5.85 sc=1″

I made these for my mother, for her birthday, so there are no photos of them being worn. Her foot dimensions are 8″ total foot length and 8″ around the ball of her foot. The sock is 7″ wide but because of the shell pattern, it is very stretchy.

I called them “Bistro” because I designed the pattern, doodled it up, fiddled with the numbers, and then started and finished the bodies of the socks- all in 90 minutes while I was overseeing a written government trade exam. Bistros are common in France and there are one or two nice ones in my hometown of Halifax as well. The word comes from Russian and showed up during the Russian occupation of Paris. In that langauge, it means “quickly” and the Bistros became known as cafe establishments where you could order simple meals served fast.

When I got home, I worked the toes and heels, so I believe that the total time for making these came to about 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Très bistro!!!

SHELL: 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc in same st or ch space

Note: You will work the main body of the sock (leg and foot) back and forth in the round. An opening will be created for the heel. The toe will be worked in continuous rounds, joining the beginning and end with a ss, and chaining one, but not turning. The heel is worked the same way.

Fsc 41. Sc count must be multiple of 4+1

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 1 dc in first sc (beginning 1/2 shell made), sk next sc, sc in next sc, sk next sc, SHELL in next sc, repeat across to last sc: work 2 dc, ch1 in this st then join with ss to top of ch 3 at start of row (these two 1/2 shells form a complete shell). Ch 1 and turn. You will now work in rounds, back and forth, with turning chains.

Row 2: Sc in ch space of shell, work shell in next sc, work sc in next ch sp, continue around, join last shell to first sc with ss. Ch 3 and turn.

Rep these two rows for pattern.

Heel Opening:

At about 3″, flatten widthwise (your start/end point is a side edge) and skip across half the shells, working 20 fsc. Now depending on your size and st count, you may be working into half of a shell. I did not count the ch sp as sts when I did this. Divide your original fsc number in half and use that number to determine how many sts wide your opening will be (with a 4+1 multiple you won’t get a nice even half so decide now if you’ll use the larger or smaller number, in this case 20 or 21 sts and I went with 20 sts). Make full use of split ring markers to mark this off, so there is no guessing where you begin your round and where you will be reattaching your new chain. Attach with a ss and continue working in pattern around. Work your ss somewhat loosely so that you can treat it like a regular st when you come back around because it will feel tight and lumpy otherwise.

Please note: I forgot to mention this and while surfing, it dawned on me that it might be an issue with some folks. When you work an afterthought heel, much like any other heel, there can be an issue with little holes peeking around the sides of your heel, where the top and bottom of the opening meet. This can be exaggerated in shells, so you may end up forming your two side sts as sc2 or sc3tog, to draw up that little bit of area so that there isn’t a hole. If I think of anything else, I will surely let you know:D

Foot:

Carry on in established pattern until the foot is 4″ less than the total length of your foot. Complete round 1 of pattern, ch 1 and turn.

Toe: working in sc from now on, work the original amount of ch sts minus 1 (in my case, that would be 40 sts). Work these as evenly as possible into your shells. Join round with ss.

Next row: Ch 1, turn, work even on these sts in sc. Join round with ss.

Begin decrease rounds:

Isolate side sts. Mark them.

Decrease round 1:

Ch 1, do not turn. Sc in first st, sc2tog over next two sts, work to within two sts of marker, sc2tog over these sts, work marked st, sc2tog over next 2 sts, work to within two sts of next marked side st (which is your beginning st of the round), sc2tog. Join with ss. Ch 1. Do not turn.

Decrease round 2:
Work even around in sc, join with ss, ch 1, do not turn.

Work this sequence, decreasing by 4 each time, until you have 20 sts. Cut a long tail, turn sock inside out, and ss opening closed. Fasten off.

Heel:

Attach yarn to one side of the opening and work the same amount of sts around the hole. You may have to work some of them as a sc2tog over a few sts just to accomodate the nature of the shells. Work an extra st on each side and mark these. 42 sc. Follow the toe decreases until you have 18 sc. Ss closed in same manner and then fasten off.

Weave in your ends, and make the next sock!!!!

I have been playing with knitting and crochet in the same sock. A lot of people have been e-mailing me to ask if they can knit a sock flat, not round. Yes, you can. In fact, there is a 2-needle pattern at Bev’s Country Cottage that lends itself well to fiddling with gauge and pattern stitches. I just finished the foot portion of one on UK 10 needles today with sock weight yarn. I wasn’t making the leg portion, so I knit it in a slightly different way than she suggests. However, the sewing part is PAINFUL and so very wrong. I will knit the second sock, but I’m doing it Magic Loop style because I know that if I have to sew up another sock again, I will be making socks for some one-legged woman out there – guaranteed.

This is the second time this year that I’ve tried to do a flat sock, and the second time I’ve broken out in hives over it. Well…maybe hives is a slight exaggeration but you get the idea. Knitting in the round is not horrible, but I will post my flat numbers for you when the time comes, for those of you who love yarncrafting when it hurts.

😀

Someone left a comment on one of the other entries in regards to how comfortable these socks are to wear.

Every pair that I’ve posted on this blog has been made for me and they all get worn. I work a twelve hour day in many cases, even when I’m not scheduled to do so, and other days I end up on my feet and/or running around much longer.

Thus far, my feet have not suffered as a result.

That being said, I believe I’ve mentioned the comfort factor in another post, but I’ll redress it here. Crochet stitches do not lie the same way as knit stitches. Knit v’s lie completely flat. Crochet stitches have more bumpiness and texture to them. You have to be selective about your stitch and the yarn. The ability to know straight off the bat what will work and what won’t comes with time and practice.

As a rule, sock yarn is softer than most other yarns because it goes on our feet. If our feet hurt, everything else about us is knocked off balance. It used to be that the bulk of crocheted sock patterns were done in worsted weight cheap old acrylic yarn. I’ve got some pattern books on my shelf that are real doozies. After making a couple of pairs of those socks, I swore off crocheted socks for year because those bad boys HURT.

So far I am really sold on Kertzer yarns. I used the Bamboo yarn for April’s sock and they’re on my feet right now. This is the second time I’ve worn them and I’m liking them. I’ve got another skein of Kertzer yarn, this one made from wool. I don’t know if they’ll be a sock of the month, but this yarn has aloe in it (other brands also make sock yarn with aloe now) to help keep feet happy. In fact, you can buy store bought socks that have been treated with moisturizers, too, now.

When making socks, choose the thinnest sock yarn you can find, with the softest texture, no matter how you are planning to make your socks. Work in the smallest gauge you can muster. Tiny stitches are always more comfortable on your feet than big clunky ones.

Some people, though, do not like homemade socks. Period. I know people who have complained that homemade socks are too bulky (whether they are knit or crochet) and that they don’t fit properly in their shoes. If someone has sensitive feet, I would probably not bother making them socks. In fact, most of the time, I give scarves as gifts. LOL. They don’t require as much effort and if the recipient does not like it, I don’t take it as personally as I might if I’d gone to the trouble of customizing something for them (like a sock!!).

What else you wear on your feet is important, too!!!

One of the things that I’ve noticed in my career as an esthetician, is that many people don’t wear properly fitted shoes. The days of going to a shoe store and having the salesperson actually fit you are almost long gone. Most of us head into gigantosaurus department stores where the teenaged staff stock shelves but don’t actually interact with customers and we fit ourselves. 99.9% of the time we are wearing footwear that is the wrong size and/or width. After twelve years of giving pedicures, I can honestly say that bad shoes do a big number on your feet.

What does this have to do with socks? If you try to jam your sock-covered foot in a shoe that already does not fit, then your bumpy crocheted sock is not going to feel so shit hot. That’s what it means.

Also, too, take into consideration the use of your sock and the use of your footwear. You aren’t going to wear wooley hiking socks in dress shoes, to go to work, are you? If you do, your nice little dress shoes are going to pinch because your socks are too thick. Likewise, silky trouser socks in a pair of cross-trainers are going to make your feet burn when you exercise because they will be slipping around and your feet will feel too small for your sneakers.

In the months to come, what I will do – and what I’ve been working on anyway – is blog patterns that are:

1. A combination of knit and crochet. When I first thought about doing a Sock blog, I’d intended (in my head, anyway) that there would be both knit and crochet patterns. I’m working on them.
2. Crochet patterns that use stitches which behave more like knit stitches. They do exist and I am developing patterns that exploit them for our benefit.

Since I assume that at some point winter will end, many women will be out in droves getting their feet de-hooved for spring. You can make any of these socks into a pedicure sock by simply not working the toe cap. Just start off with a ring of single crochet that are as wide as the measurement around the ball of your foot and continue upwards from there. If you want to get fancy, then slip stitch a couple of stitches together at the edge so that you have a hole for your big toe and a hole for the other four. I’ve also made flip-top pedi-socks because I get my feet done year round, winter be damned!!! Coley’s not missing out on chocolate or pedicures. To do that, simply crochet the toe cap, then work one side of your stitches and chain the other, just like you would to make the hole for an afterthought heel. Put a little piece of velcro on your toe cap and some on the top of your sock, and voila!!! A convertible sock that will flip up to keep your toes from smudging, but that you can put loosely over your toes to get you through the snow and out to the car. Get yourself a pair of flip flops with a velcro closure across the top of the foot and you’re good to go, ladies 😀

To add to my “Why you should make socks” list:

Socks will never make your ass look big. No matter how loud the colour or how crazy the pattern, they will never, ever make you look like you eat a panful of brownies while the kids are at school.

In all reality I have no idea who sees this blog but in the short time since I started doing a sock of the month, I’ve gotten letters from everywhere, mostly the USA, encouraging me to continue my sock-making efforts. In the last 24hours I seem to have picked up some subscribers. So, welcome!!!

I love crochet. I have a knitting blog as well, but 99% of what I do these days ends up being done in crochet. Either that, or I start knitting, get frustrated, and then that little voice in my head says, “You know, we could’ve been done this already if we’d crocheted the darn thing.”

LOL

I love knitting, too, but these days I don’t have much time for it.

There is always time, however, for crochet 😀

Besides, there are approximately eleventy billion knitting patterns out there for people to browse and only a fraction of the same in crochet. Now that crochet is being viewed as a craft for something other than Barbie doll toilet paper covers, nice patterns are starting to pop up. This is a good thing. Four years ago, knitting took up an entire display shelf at my local bookstore and crochet had one shelf in the display beside it. Now it has four shelves, LOL, and hopefully the number of books keeps on growing. I am especially pleased with the patterns for things like socks and men’s fashions – two things that have been terribly underepresented in crochet.

Now if I could just get the men in my life on board so I could make them socks and sweaters.

DECEMBER 24, 2013: THIS PATTERN HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM THE ORIGINAL VERSION POSTED IN 2009. THE HEEL AND TOES PROCESSES HAVE BEEN ALTERED TO BE EASIER TO WORK.

These are a quick pair of socks to make, owing to the fact that the yarn is much bigger than normal. Ordinarily I believe that fingering weight and lace weight yarns are the best for crocheting socks, but this is the exception to that rule. Keep the yarn soft and loose – a tightly spun bulky weight yarn will feel awful on the soles of even the toughest feet. Lofty soft spun yarn is ideal.

I can make a pair of these while watching a movie because the large gauge means that they work up quickly. These would make a great last minute gift for someone with a cold floor!! Since yarn can be slippery sometimes, putting dots on the bottom with textured puffy glue (from Michael’s or another crafting store) can help to increase the grip on the floor. Unless you like sliding from room to room.

Gauge: about 3.25 sts/inch in sc blo.
Hook: 5.0mm
Yarn: Bernat Roving, two skeins.

I used to recommend Sean’s Sheep “Armytage” because that is what I had made the first few pairs with, when I first posted this patter in 2009. That yarn has since been either discontinued or ninjas have hidden it. Bernat Roving is a good substitute. Look for a #5 weight yarn that is soft and lofty, and not tightly spun. This would be a great project for a nice hand-painted bulky yarn.

Chain 7, flip the foundation chain over, and starting with the second chain from the hook, work 6 sc across. Pivot the chain and work 6 single crochet into the top loops, for a total of 12 sc. Place split ring markers into the side edge stitches of your work.

First increase round:
Work 2 sc before and after each marked stitch.

Second increase round:
Repeat as before.

Third round:
Work even.

Repeat rounds two and three until the sock, when flattened width-wise, measures just shy of half the measurement around the ball of your foot.

Example: if the ball of your foot measures 9″ around, the toe cap should measure 4.25 to 4.5″ across.

When you are ready to work in even rounds, keep one marker to show the beginning of your round, moving it upwards as the work progresses, drop the other marker, and work even in a spiral (not turning or joining), working your single crochet through the back loop only (sc blo). Work in rounds until the sock, from the beginning, measures 2″ less than the total length of your foot.

Working the heel:

Flatten the sock width-wise and mark the side edge. Work in pattern  (sc blo) over to this marked stitch. This marked stitch is the beginning of your heel. Work this stitch and all other heel stitches as normal sc, in both loops of the stitch.

Example: if your sock is 28 sts around, you will work the very first row of the heel on 14 sts. The rest of the heel instructions proceed as though you are working on 14 sts – but you substitute your numbers if they are different and proceed in exactly the same fashion:

First row (RS): sc in 14 sts, ch 1, turn.
Second row (WS): sc across, leaving last stitch unworked.  Ch1 turn. 13 sc
Third row (RS): sc across, leaving the last stitch unworked. Ch 1 turn. 12 sc

Continue as established, leaving one stitch unworked until you have 6 sc.

Next row: ch 1, turn, sc 6 sts, sc2tog over side edge and skipped st in row below. Ss in next side edge. Turn. 7 sc
Next row: skip ss, sc in 7 sc across to end of row, work sc2tog over side edge and skipped st in row below. Ss in next side edge. Turn. 8 sc

By picking up stitches in this manner, you create a short row heel that is shaped like a cup.

When you have picked up 14 sc in this manner (or whatever your number was), continue working in rounds of sc blo to work the leg of the sock. Make the leg as short or as long as you wish. In this example, we work 5 rounds.

Leg:

Work 5 rnds in sc blo.

Round 6: work 4 decreases (sc2tog) evenly on this round. 24 sc.
Round 7&8: work even, sc blo, on 24 sts.
Round 9: Work hdc in both top loops of each sc around.
Round 10: Work front post dc around each hdc. Join first st to last with a ss and turn.
Round 11: Work back post dc around each fpdc. Join beg to end with ss and turn.
Round 12: Work fpdc around each bpdc. Join with beg to end with ss, fasten off.

Weave in ends and enjoy your socks.

I was inspired by Lamb’s post about loving stockings. Unfortunately, I was inspired to make stockings and inspired to do a sock o’ the month activity about four days before the month began. I also don’t have the budget for the yarn I’d like to do stockings in, so that pattern will have to wait for another month. When I went looking for a yarn that I could afford, to make a pair of socks for February’s sock, I fell in love with this pink and green camoflauge yarn. I ordinarily don’t like this stuff, so maybe it was a mix of equal parts of desperation and inspiration, with a liberal dose of poverty that made this yarn stand out. I am pleased, though, with my socks. They are not the slinky stockings that I had envisioned for a February 14th roll in the sheets, but they are bright, pretty, flowery, and they remind me of spring -which is actually where my head is these days. I think we’re all pretty fed up with winter up here in Canada.

Depending on how you look at it, these socks took me either two days or 24 hours to make. I started them after supper last night and finished them after supper this evening. Mind you, I have the basic pattern in my head, and I work like a machine until this stuff is done. A beginner could probably do these in about a week. My suggestion is to wind the one skein into two balls of yarn and do both socks at once. Break them up into sections: toes, foot, heel, leg. This way you don’t end up with two socks that are both different sizes because your gauge will change depending on your speed, mood, and the weight of your project as it gets bigger. A happy hooker crochets a sock that fits. A pissed off one who was just stuck in traffic, lost her credit card, and has to listen to a sentence that starts with “Mom don’t hate me but…..” will produce a substantially tighter (and smaller) sock.

3.5mm hook
3.25mm hook
1 skein Bernat Sox in pink camoflauge
1 darning needle
split ring stitch markers
Cost: About $6.
Note: you may want to buy some elastic thread to crochet with on the leg. Just use the thread and your yarn together, working them as one unit. You do not need to twist it together. It’s just a suggestion, if you happen to like wearing your socks pulled up, because this yarn is not elastic. Otherwise, you can crumple them down a bit, or fold the leg as a cuff. I didn’t put any elastic in mine, but I also like pushing down my socks and wearing loose little cuffs – what can I say, the 80s were good to me:)

Special stitches:
V-stitch: 2 double crochet in one sc or in between 2 dc of V-stitch below
Shell: 5 dc in V-stitch or stitch indicated

Follow pattern for Basic Sock through heel shaping, using larger hook. After the heel is done, mark a side stitch as beginning of pattern round and work three rounds of sc. Switch to smaller hook. In next sc after marker, work V-stitch. Skip next sc, place V-stitch in next sc, and so, to end of round. Join last V-stitch to first V-stitch with a slip stitch, and then slip stitch into the centre of the first V-stitch to begin the next round.

Next round:

Chain 3 (counts as dc, now and always), dc in between 2 dc below for starting V-stitch, place V-stitch in V-stitch around, ending round and beginning next round as before.

Continue for 25 more rounds or until sock is as long as you like. If you find the bottom portion of the leg is too loose, you can decrease like I did by placing a dc where the centre back V-stitch would be, for 5-10 rounds, trying on as you go. Just keep placing a dc in that dc, instead of a V-stitch. When it starts to feel snug, put a V-stitch in it and treat it like the rest.

Last round:

To begin, slip stitch into the centre of the V-stitch as per normal. Do not work this area, though. Instead, place a Shell in the next V-stitch, a sc in the V-stitch after that, and carry on across the round, alternating shells and sc until you get to the last V-stitch. Work a sc2tog over the first and last V-stitches (depending of course, on your original numbers – your stitch count may vary from mine because your foot may be a different size so you may not have to adjust the last two stitches). Fasten off, weave in ends.

OK….I’m changing up this pattern.

I’m leaving the old version as is. For years now, I’ve been quietly sharing a different pattern. It works, it’s comfortable, and it is a bit different than this one. It is toe up, but the toe is wider and the heel is more generous. The heel is a toe up flap, instead of short rows.

Here is the link. 

This is my master pattern for crocheted socks. It is quick and easy, and uses one skein of Bernat Sox! sock yarn, which has enough yarn in one skein to do a pair of socks whether they are knit or crochet, unless your feet are really big. Then you have to buy two skeins, but it’s still a $10 pair of socks. You can get this yarn at Zellers. It is 50/50 acrylic and nylon, so although it is preferable to handwash your socks, they can be accidentally (sometimes on purpose!!) thrown in the washing machine and dryer with the rest of your clothes and they won’t come out looking like some sad sodden lump of compost. Still, though, if you machine wash your socks, at least do them the dignity of air-drying them. For some reason, machine dried knit and crocheted socks made from synthetic yarn just get so soft and LOOSE that they become little more than odd-looking dish rags.

Anyway – on with the pattern!!!

Hook: 3.50mm
Gauge: about 5 sc/1″
Yarn: Bernat Sox

This hook with a smooth, synthetic sock-weight yarn like Bernat produces a sock that fits comfortably with little negative ease. If you want a bit of stretch in your sock (you want it smaller than your foot) then use a 3.25mm hook. This is what I have been doing lately, although I like the nice fit the 3.5mm hook gives. It’s like the difference between boot cut and slim fit jeans. Both are nice, both are comfortable, and I like them on different days. Make a pair with each hook size and see what you like best. However, this pattern is written around a 3.5mm hook, so you will have some fitting to do.

To make any sock in any method, you need three measurements: the length of your foot, the measurement around your ankle, and the width at about the widest part of your foot; around the ball of your feet. For me, I make my socks about an inch shorter than my foot and an inch narrower than the ball of my feet. This gives me just enough stretch to be happy. You will figure this out by using the gauge measurement. If you can’t get 5 single crochet to one inch using a 3.5mm hook, working in the round without chaining or turning, then use whatever hook you need, to give that measurement if you are using this pattern.

To start off, chain 10. Flip the foundation chain over and working the bottom bump of each chain, instead of the top loops. Starting in the second chain from the hook, work 9 slip stitches across the underside of the foundation chain. Turn the chain over and keep on going across the top loops, except that you will work 9 single crochet in those. Continue on the underside, working 9 single crochet into the the 9 slip stitches you made earlier. Stop and have a look at what you’ve made. You’ve gone right around your foundation chain and should have something that looks like an oval with two short sides on either end. Take split ring markers and mark those side edge stitches. As you shape the toe, you will be removing those markers, putting a single crochet in that stitch and replacing the marker before you carry on. There should be 18 sc. If not, slap yourself on the knuckles and start over.

In this example below, the yarn is bulkier and the hook is bigger, but the idea is still the same:

Shape toe:

Please note: do not join and turn your work. You will be crocheting in a spiral, not a circle, so make full use of stitch markers to know where your place is, during toe shaping.

Round 1:

I start my “round” (because up until now it has had no official beginning or end) on the closest marked side stitch to my hook. Work this stitch, replace the marker, then in the next stitch work 2 single crochet. Work even in sc to the stitch before the next marked stitch and place 2 sc in that one. Place 1 sc in the marked stitch, replace the marker and place 2 sc in the stitch right after it. Work even in sc up to the last stitch of your round (the one before this marker coming up) and place 2 sc in it.

What you are doing is increasing before and after each marked stitch. This means that you will have four increases per round.

Round 2:

Repeat Round 1.

Round 3:

Work even in sc around, replacing markers as you go. “Work even” means no increasing or decreasing, just work for stitch for stitch.

Repeat rounds 2 & 3 so that you are alternating: one round is an increase round and one round is a work-even round. For a shoe size 8-9 (that’s me!!!) work up to 42 stitches – that’s a shade over 8 inches. This gives a little stretch around the ball of my foot, which is larger than that. This is where that measurement comes in. For every size smaller or larger, add or subtract 4 stitches. So, if you are a size 7, work up to 38 stitches. And remember, if you like your sock a little tighter than I like mine, go another size down.

For the rest of this pattern, I will assume, for the sake of brevity, that you and I have the same sized foot. I will also assume that you are bright enough to fill in your own numbers based on your own measurements:)

Your markers will move. One will appear to go up and one will move down, just like a yin and yang symbol. Don’t sweat it. If you flatten out your toe, you will see that it still looks like a toe.

When you get to your proper amount of stitches, discontinue the increases and work even in a spiral, crocheting around and around. Try on your sock as you go and when it gets to be about 6 inches or 6 1/4″ long (if you happen to be a US size 8-9) – OR almost to your ankle bone OR 1 1/2 – 2″ shorter than the length of your foot – there are different way to gauge this. Try it on. If it looks like half a sock and it’s getting close to where the heel would begin on your foot, it’s time to start shaping the heel. This sock is ready for heel shaping:

Shaping the heel:

I prefer a short-row heel. I also like “afterthought heels” but I dislike cutting yarn partway through and I hate sewing. Short row heels require no cutting yarn, no fastening off and no reattaching anything, unless you want to switch colours for the heel. If you do your sock like me, then you have two ends to weave in: one at the toe and one at the cuff, and that’s the way I like it!!!!!

To begin shaping the heel, flatten out your sock and isolate the side edges. Mark one side edge and work your way to it. Work the marked stitch and then count off 24 stitches. Sc in each one of them, chain 1, turn, and single crochet back across just them. Chain one, turn, and sc across 23 stitches. Chain 1, turn, and work your way back across 22 stitches. Do this, reducing the amount row by row, until you have 11 stitches.

If you want a narrower heel then dvide your total stitches in half and work the heel on them, down to about 9 stitches. I like a little bit of a roomier heel so I divide in half and then add a couple of extra. Most sock patterns are very predictable: the body of the sock is 100% of the stitches and the heel is 50% of the stitches.

Easy enough!!!!

Once you have 11 stitches, begin the process of building them back up. Chain one, turn, and sc back across these 11 stitches. Work a sc into the side edge of the “stair step” formation that you have created with your decreases, and work a sc into the next unworked stitch. Now slip stitch into the side edge below that, turn, do not chain, skip your slip stitch and sc back across your 11 sc plus the 2 new ones you created, for a grand total of 13 sc.

Now I work a slip stitch into the next side edge below that, and turn:

But don’t stop there….now the fun is just beginning!!!!

After you’ve turned and worked your way back to the other side, do the same that you just did to get two new stitches previously: single crochet into the side edge, single crochet into the next unworked stitch, and then slip stitch into the side edge below that. Turn, do not chain, skip your slip stitch, and work back across that row, for a total of 15 sc.

When you get to the end of that row, instead of increasing by two sc now, you will only be increasing by one. Keeping your work firm to avoid holes, place a sc into the next unused stitch in the row below, slip stitch into the side edge below it, turn, and carry on across as before.

If you find that there is a hole forming in your heel because you are not increasing by twos now, don’t fret. Here is what I do when I start picking up one stitch at the end of each row:

You can’t increase by twos now because you’ll pick up too many extra stitches. To compensate for this, most pattern designers tell you to do what I just did: keep the tension firm and make sure you work that stitch somewhat tightly. This can backfire though, because it makes it difficult to maneuver in what is already an odd spot. Instead of increasing by two then, and instead of increasing by one but chancing a hole in your “seam” where the cup-shaped heel is being created, insert your hook into the side edge and yarn over, drawing up a loop as if to make a single crochet, then insert your hook into the actual stitch you are supposed to work, yarn over and draw up a loop, and then yarn over and draw through all the loops on your hook. This is called a “single crochet two together” (sc2tog) and its a way of making one stitch take two spots so that you have a nice, neat diagonal line where the two halves of your short-rowed heel come together.

If your eyes are crossed that’s okay. At some point I’ll have pictures, but for now just trust the pattern, take a deep breath, and do it. It’s not rocket science. Give yourself permission to take my name in vain (my name is Nicole, by the way, for future curse-throwing reference, although I prefer to be called by my traditional Cape Bretonese Clan name “That one”), curse, throw the sock across the room, and have a shot of something strong.

Then, haul up your Big Girl Panties and get back to it.

Pictures!!!!

In this image, I am working a sc into the side edge:

In this image, I am working a sc into one of the skipped stitches that created the stair steps that were the first half of my heel:

When you start working one increase per side and you are doing a sc2tog over the side edge and the next skipped sc after it, it will look like this:

When you’ve put picked up all 24 (insert your number here) of your original heel stitches back up, work a sc3tog (single crochet three together) in that mystical, magical no-man’s land where the heel ends and the rest of the sock begins. Its a maddening little corner-shaped area that frequently has holes in it because many people don’t put anything in there. Don’t be that person, damnit!!! If you find, as I sometimes do, that I have one “extra” stitch to pick up, yet I’ve already increased the right amount, then again, don’t fret. One of the joys of crochet is that you can fudge without it being terribly obvious. Do a sc4tog or sc3tog, do what you have to do, LOL, to make sure that once you are working in the round again, you are working on your original amount of stitches (in my case, 42).

If you look at what you’ve made now, it should resemble a medieval shoe belonging to a peasant that toils in the fields for his feudal overlord.

🙂

By now you’ve probably figured out that crocheted socks aren’t like knitted socks – no, no. Knitting in the round produces a fabric that is much more tubular than crochet. In the round, single crochet is very sturdy and structured, but not as stretchy as knitting, so your sock can not have several inches of negative ease. In most cases, you are keeping close to your actual measurements when you crochet a sock, so they look a little like……

……elf shoes.

Keebler Elf shoes.

This is something that the crochet books don’t tell you, hee, hee, hee. You see dandy pictures of happy feet wearing beautiful looking socks and when you see yours, you start to panic a little. Don’t cry. They will fit your feet nicely. No one will think you’re a hobbit wearing floppy boots.

If you’ve gotten this far then you’re working on the leg. The first sock will take a while but once you get going, the nice thing about crocheted socks is that like crocheted mittens, they can be made very quickly. Crochet works up much more quickly than knitting, so what takes you all week to knit can take just a few hours with crochet, hence it has become my yarnwhoring technique of choice over the last few years.

Work the leg in a spiral, stopping to try your sock on. You may want to do some decrease stitches so that the leg portion isn’t really baggy. Do these by doing four sc2tog at evenly spaced intervals, so that you decrease by not quite an inch. Work a few rounds even, and then try it on. Decrease some more if you like but don’t make the hole so small that you can’t get your foot into it. When the leg is as long as you want it, stop. I did February’s socks with one skein of Bernat Sox. The leg was somewhat lacy owing to the V-stitches, but I still had yarn left over. The average sock has a leg that is about 5-7″ long. Most of the time I make ankle socks or I stop about three inches above my ankles because my socks will only end up getting folded down anyway.

Cut the yarn, fasten off, weave in your ends, and put your sock on!!!! Yay, you did it!!! Now make the other one before your other foot gets cold:)