Yesterday, I finished my 4th pair of crocheted socks and I am fairly pleased with how they turned out. I still have some kinks to work out to make the perfect pair.
I used the toe-up sock tutorial here on crochetville. I'll take you through the steps and share my insights so you will able to make the perfect pair of socks for your feet.
Step One - Foot measurements:
I added a few xtra measurements because the socks I have made in the past were tighter as I got to the arch and knew I was would need to vary the stitches needed for proper fit.
Ball of foot: 9 inches
Arch: 10 inches
Ankle: 91/2 inches
Length of foot: 10 inches
Step Two- Gauge Swatch
I didn't worry about row gauge so much as my stitch gauge. I used Knit Picks Essentials in purple and a purple D hook- 3.25mm (it is not mandatory to use the same color hook as your socks but I found it appropriate if not a bit confusing at times)
I did a pretty slack approach, I only crocheted for an inch in length(rows) and 4 inches wide. I plan to do a bigger swatch piece next time and do it in the round as well to get a more accurate gauge.
My gauge was:
6+ stitches/inch
Then I took the 6sts-1st=5sts
5sts x 9inches = 45sts - added one to make it 46sts for my purposes.
Step Three- Crocheting the Toe and Foot
I used sc and sc back loop only for the foot.
I chained 9 then followed the instructions for the most part to complete to reach the 46st required. The tutorial suggested a 3 stitch increase in one stitch I did one sc increase on each side. I am not sure if this is a problem or not. It did take me 14 rows to get to the 46 sts required before I worked even. Other toe-up patterns I have done did 2sc increases on each side for a total of 4 increases each row.
When I reached the 46 sts I marked the sides of the foot and centered 20sts on what I considered the top of the sock. I worked sc around, when I reached the 20sts area I crocheted in the back loop only.
I like how it looks but I am not sure if I will do this again using sc. I did want to add some pattern to my sock. I might try this again with extended sc. I want expand my pattern repretiore especially for socks.
Step Three - Arch - (I added this to ensure proper fit)
Using my measurements it suggested I should increase to 50sts. I increased to 52sts and still think I needed more. I started increases at 30rows(of back loop pattern-44rows total) which was about 4 or more inches of sock.
I worked 2 increases (one on each side), worked even, increase, even , increase etc. The end result is still a bit tight around my arch, even though I did more stitches than my gauge suggested. I think there are several factors adding to the tightness. I needed to start increases sooner. The stitch pattern I was using, sc back loop only, is not very stretchy.
I continued the pattern rows until I reached the recommended 3in from the length of your foot. I think I needed to go a bit longer maybe as much as 2.5 inches from the end of my foot.
Step 4 - Short rowed heel:
I can't be much help here. I found the short rowed heel a bit tricky. I added stitches which ended up being a helpful thing! I could not figure out how to do the short rowed heel to get the same number of stitches I started with. When I finished my heel I ended up with 64sts. I decreased those stitches to 58sts.
Step 5 - Leg:
My plan was to continue with the sc back loop pattern up the leg but it was painfully slow going so I gave up and worked alternating rows of sc and extended sc. I really like how that looks and plan to use it for the foot and leg part in future socks. As I worked up the leg of the sock I decreases to 54sts total. I worked the decreases in the sc rows. I started those after I had worked 2inches or so of the leg pattern.
After I worked 4plus inches of the leg pattern I slip stitched to join then ch2 and dc around. Then did 3 rows of front post dc all around. I did a ch2 for the beginning of each round instead of a ch3. I joined to the ch2 slip stitching around.
Wove in my ends and put my socks on!
I love how they look and feel when they get on but they are a bit tight to get over my heel. I seem to have that problem with toe-up socks and I don't have it with the top-down sock I just made.
I may end up being a top-down sock maker after all to ensure I can get my foot in my sock easily. I have not given up hope yet. I may need to crochet longer before I start the heel and use a stretchier stitch pattern throughout. I think that yarn choice might be a factor as well. Knit Picks Essential has less stretch than Patons Kroy. I don't want to give up on Knit Picks yet because I love the solid colors and the reasonable price tag. I only needed 2 skiens to make my bit higher that ankle length socks. Yeah! They are sooo soft too.
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