Knit A Gauge Swatch

The first step in any knitting project is to knit a swatch. The reasons for swatching are numerous but the reasons against it are compelling, so many knitters skip this step in order to get right to the fun of knitting a garment.

Select Ribbing For Your Sock

Almost any ribbing pattern suitable for cuffs or sweaters will work for socks. Frequently used combinations include 1 to 4 knit stitches followed by 1 or 2 purl stitches; that is: k1p1, k2p1, k2p2, k3p1, k3p2, k4p1, and k4p2. Irregular ribs, like k1p1k3p1 or k2p2k4p2, can also be fun to knit and interesting to look at.

It's worth the time to swatch a few ribbing patterns to see which ones you like best. Try doing 20 rounds each of a few different types of ribbing, separating each ribbed section with 10 rounds of stockinette. Evaluate your samples with an eye for both bulkiness and how much the ribbing tends to pull inward; both of these factors affect how your finished socks will look and fit.

If you are indifferent, undecided, or impatient, just use k2p2 ribbing. That's my favorite. It's a simple and fast repeat, not too bulky, and conforms well to a variety of foot and leg shapes. With a short repeat of only 4 stitches, k2p2 ribbing works for nearly any size sock.

Fill in the "Ribbing Pattern" and "Ribbing repeat" boxes in your chart for the pattern you selected. As a rule of thumb, always begin your first round after casting on in the middle of the knit part of your ribbing pattern. For example, you'd start with k1p2 if you were doing k2p2 ribbing. (Some people believe that this makes it easier to hide the join and weave in the tail.) Note this on your chart in the "On first round, start ribbing with" box.

Calculate How Many Stitches To Cast On

Start by measuring your foot in inches at 3 places: around the ball of your foot, in the middle of your foot around the highest point of your arch, and around your ankle at or immediately above your ankle bone. Pick the highest of these three numbers. This number is D; mark it on your chart. For my foot, D = 9".

Now measure the length of your foot from heel to toe. This number is L; mark it on your chart. For my foot, L is 9.5".

Now examine your swatch and check your gauge. Your stitches per inch is Gs and your rows per inch is Gr. Mark these on your chart. (If you skipped the part about doing a swatch, just use the manufacturer's suggested gauge from the yarn band.)

To find out how many stitches you'd need to to make a stockinette sock that fits around your foot, multiply D and Gs. For my sample sock,

D x G = 9 x 7 = 63

Most people prefer socks that are snug rather than loose, so most socknitters reduce this number by anywhere from 5% to 20%. With experience, you'll know what kind of reduction you prefer. I like looser socks so I'm going to use a 5% reduction (R = .95). If this is your first pair of socks, try 10% (R = .9). Mark this value in the "Reduction" box on your chart.

Now we're ready to calculate C, the number of stitches to cast on for our socks. Multiply D x Gs x R, rounding to a whole number if necessary. Make sure that C is a multiple of your ribbing stitch repeat. Adjust C value if necessary, then write it down in your chart.

Decide Length Of Leg

How long do you like your socks to be? If you have a favorite pair, measure them from ankle to edge of the cuff, multiply that number by Gr, and record the result in the "Rounds for Leg/Cuff" box in your chart. If you have a particular length in mind, multiply that number by Gr and record the result in your chart. If you want a standard crew sock, just use C. If you want a shorter sock, try 1/2 C.

Now my chart now looks like this:

You'll notice that some boxes in my chart are empty. That's okay; I know how many stitches to cast on and how many rounds to knit for the leg, so I can begin my sock. The rest of my chart can be filled in later.