Sock Tips

Here at Have a Yarn, we love to knit socks. It's the kind of easy project you can always have on the go. The array of sock yarns available today make knitting socks quite addictive. Just step into our store and you will see that sock yarns are available in just about any colour you can imagine. But probably the biggest allure to knitting socks, is the feeling of handknit socks on your feet. There is nothing more comfortable. And there is nothing more heartbreaking than finding a hole in the toe or heel of a beloved well-worn pair.
Reinforcing Socks
You can vastly imrove the lifespan of your socks if you reinforce the heels and toes. Just knit a reinforcing thread along with your sock yarn when you knit the heel and toe. Some brands of sock yarn provide little spools of matching reinforcing thread. One of these brands is Jowoll (available at the shop). Another very effective method is to use wooly nylon serger thread. This is an inexpensive stretchy thread used in sergers for sewing and is usually available at fabric stores.


Joining 4 Needles in the Round
Many people find it hard to not only cast onto 4 needles but also join the stitches without creating any twists. One simple way of doing this is to knit some of the ribbing flat (back and forth) for a cm or 2, then divide the stitches up onto the 4 needles. It is much easier to handle that way and you just use the end from casting on to sew up the little gap.


For additional sock tips, click here for some heel and toe formulas, and here for the very stretchy Channel Island Cast-on.