Sock Knitting Patterns

How to Knit a Pair of Socks: What You Need to Know

Just like all knitting projects, there are dozens of ways to knit a pair of socks. You can start from the toes or the cuff, use a set of double pointed needles, use circular needles and the magic loop technique, and even knit them flat with straight needles.

There are knitting patterns out there for all of the methods above. As long as your pattern is written carefully, they all work equally well, too. Even a complete beginner can knit a pair of socks, but some techniques are objectively easier than others.

Whichever construction technique you opt for, socks are typically knitted in the round with thin or lightweight yarn and similarly small needles. Unless you’re going for a super chunky sock, most patterns will use 50 to 100g of DK or worsted weight yarn and 2.25mm to 4.5mm needles.

The Basics of Sock Construction

Generally speaking, the process of knitting a sock can be broken down into four distinct parts: the cuff, the body, the heel, and the toe. We’ll explain the most basic way to knit each of these segments below. Remember though: there are dozens of different ways to do it, and this is the most rudimental.

To begin with, you’ll need to work out how many stitches to cast on. To do this, knit a gauge swatch with the yarn, needles, and stitch you plan to use for your project. Measure your foot at its widest point, and then count the number of knitting rows there are for every two inches of the swatch.

If you’re knitting without a pattern, you can combine the measurement of your foot and the gauge of your knitting to work out how many stitches you’ll need to cast on.

Fortunately, if you’re following a pattern with specific sizing instructions, you can simply cast on however many stitches the pattern instructs you to in order to knit socks that will fit your preferred shoe size.

Once you’ve cast on and joined in the round, you’ll need to knit a few rows for the cuff. This is often paired with 1×1 or 2×2 ribbing to create a stretchy, elasticated texture. You can keep knitting the cuff until you’re satisfied with the length.

The body or “leg” of the sock is the next step, and it’s also the easiest. Here, you can use stockinette stitch to work the main body until you reach the heel.

There are several different ways to knit a sock heel, and your pattern designer will have chosen their favorite. The most common heel types include the traditional heel flap, the German short row heel, the afterthought heel, and the Dutch heel.

The traditional heel flap and gusset technique is the most common heel type, and it’s the easiest sock heel to knit, too. It involves some basic shaping, picking up stitches, and using short rows to “turn” the heel at the end. You’ll then knit the gusset and use decreases to return to your original number of stitches.

If you’re intimidated by this step, don’t worry – there are plenty of resources out there to guide you through it. Here’s a video demonstrating the basics of knitting a sock heel:

Finally, you’ll finish knitting the sock with the toes. Here, you’ll make each round progressively shorter until you’ve rounded the toe box off at the end. Then you’re finished – time for blocking!

The method above provides a general framework for a basic pair of knitted socks. However, you should follow your pattern’s specific instructions. You’ll find this basic format combined with more interesting techniques like cabling, colorwork, and unique stitches to create hundreds of different variations.

Can You Knit Socks With Only Two Needles?

Most sock knitting patterns are worked on double-pointed knitting needles. These needles are specifically designed for projects that are too small for normal circular needles, just like socks. Here, you can use up to 5 needles at once, with a small number of stitches per needle.

However, some knitters don’t like using more than two needles at once. If that’s you, you can also knit a pair of socks on just two circular needles using the magic loop technique – even for very small circumferences.

You can even knit a pair of socks using two straight needles. These patterns tend to look more simplistic and are less common as a result, but they do exist. In this case, you’ll knit each sock in two flat panels and then seam them together at the end of the project.

How Do You Block a Pair of Knitted Socks?

Once you’ve finished knitting, you’ll need to think about blocking your socks. This is the process of wetting the fabric, pinning it in shape, and letting it dry. This fixes the fabric in your desired shape and helps to clean up any mistakes in your stitchwork.

Blocking your socks isn’t necessary, but it can make them look and feel a lot better. Not only will it hide your most obvious mistakes, it’ll also help stretch the socks out to better meet your desired shoe size.

The easiest way to block your socks is to use a dedicated sock blocker. These are simple, foot-shaped wooden boards that you adjust to size and stretch your project over, helping it to dry in the shape and size you prefer. You can read more about this process in our guide to blocking your knitting projects.

Foot Size Chart for Sock Knitting: US, UK, and EU Sizes

Most sock knitting patterns will include instructions based on shoe sizes. By picking your preferred shoe size and simply following the pattern, you can knit correctly-sized socks without doing any measuring of your own.

However, if you’re trying to knit a pair of socks from scratch, you’ll need to measure your foot and size your socks accordingly. If your pattern designer is from a different country, you may have to convert between US and EU shoe sizes, too.

Using the shoe size conversion chart below, you can convert between US, UK, and EU women’s shoe sizes, so you can follow your chosen knitting pattern without worrying about sizing. It will also tell you the corresponding foot length and circumference for each women’s shoe size.