Step-by-step tutorial on how to knit socks for beginners the traditional way with double pointed needles and an easy stripe pattern that fits everyone
So you’re looking for a tutorial on how to knit socks for beginners? knit socks? Do you want a simple, beginner-friendly Upper City pattern that you can finish fast and without years of experience? Well, then you’ve come to the right place!
I’ve been knitting socks for as long as I can remember. If you look around my blog you’ll find plenty of (free) sock patterns (like my Bavarian socks, my basic ribbed socks or socks with a beautiful braid detail) that you might want to save for later. Even as a child I always wanted to wear hand-knitted socks, much to the joy (and sometimes dismay) of my grandmother.
These are the socks we are going to knit together
Now, there are many ways to knit socks. Toe-up, two at a time, even flat using two needles, and then of course using the magic loop. This tutorial shows you how to knit a pair of socks in the traditional way. Why? Because this is a proven method that fits anyone, regardless of their shoe size or gender.
Later, and once Once you’re familiar with the process, I recommend experimenting a bit and finding techniques that suit your knitting style and body even better. But for now, I think it’s best to start with a super simple sock pattern suitable for advanced beginners. And don’t really be afraid of double-pointed knitting needles. You just need a little practice and a few tips and you’ll never look back!
My design is striped but you can also knit it in one color. I recently knitted naturally dyed, plastic-free socks in the exact same pattern.
So, let’s get down to business! And don’t forget to download these instructions in case you want them in pdf.
1. Materials you need to knit a sock
Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through the links in this article.
Most sock patterns use very fine thread and equally fine needles. If you want to wear your sock every day (and not just in winter), then you really don’t have a choice in producing a lightweight, breathable fabric that won’t turn your shoes into a sauna. Still, this sock recipe will work just as well with DK weight yarn (and 3.00mm needles).
You’ll need:
100 – 150 grams of fingering weight sock yarn suitable for 2.5mm needles. I am using a very nice yarn from Samelin Dyeworks.
2.50mm double pointed knitting needles. I am using these Knitter’s Pride Karbonz needles. The best sock needles on the market, in my opinion. I feel like they are quick to weave AND have a lot of grip. There are 6 and 8 inch dpns. For socks, 6 inches is much better.
A tapestry needle and scissors
Tape measure
(optional) 2.00mm crochet hook to collect the points for the heel. I used Knitter’s Pride Waves here.
(optional) Stitch Markers
(optional) Needle Stoppers
Please note that I will be knitting these socks using three different colors. I’m doing this to teach you how to knit the popular stripes. If you like how it looks then you need one ball of 100 grams and two balls of 50 grams of the same yarn base (don’t mix brands!!!). But you can also knit with just one color and it will actually be easier.
Tip: I used the scraps from this project to cable my socks.
2. How many stitches to cast on for socks
The first thing to do is calculate how many stitches you need to cast on. And THE ONLY WAY to find the answer is to knit a swatch and then do some simple math. While there are sock charts (or patterns), you’ll need to knit a swatch to check your gauge (and reknit if you haven’t). So I think it’s much easier and more reliable to do it yourself.
I have a very detailed tutorial that shows you how to figure out your sock cast requirements, but here’s the short version:
Step 1: Cast on 30 stitches and knit 30 rows of smooth stockinette stitch with the same yarn and needles with which you want to knit your socks. Then finish off.
Step 2: Wash and block your finished sample (important!)
Step 3: Count how many stitches you need to cover 5 cm / 2 in.
Step 4: Measure your feet at their widest point (usually around the ankle/heel).
Step 5 : Do some simple calculations:
Divide the number of p spread you counted by the width you measured.
Multiply the resulting factor by the circumference of your foot.
Subtract ~15% to account for the negative ease of the st st.
Round to the nearest number divisible by 4.
And that’s the number of stitches you need to cast on.
Note: This is a version simplified. Normally you would have to knit a suitable swatch in the round, find out the ease of your swatch, etc. Since this is quite difficult to get right, I think it’s much easier to check your results by trying on your socks as you do them. after round 30. As a beginner, that’s even faster than trying to knit the perfect swatch.
3. Knitting the Cuff
Once you’ve figured out how many stitches you need to cast on, grab your double-pointed needles and you can start knitting the cuff. Look at this tutorial, if you still don’t know how to knit in the round with double-pointed needles. And here is a post with 10 tips for better results with dpns.
Place as many stitches as you need plus one using two needles to create a truly springy edge using a standard long tail mount. Then distribute these stitches on four needles. For reference: I’m casting on 68 stitches for a men’s size 8.5 (US)
Join in the round by slipping the first stitch on the first needle to the last needle. Then pass the (now) second stitch on the last needle over the first (a bit like a zipper). Slip the remaining stitch back onto your first needle (and pull the ends through). (See this tutorial on how I join knitting in the round for more details)
Knit 2×2 rib about 5 cm/2 in. The repetition is: *d2, p2* on all rows and points. For reference: I am knitting 24 rows of rib.
Depending on your shoe size, you may want to knit a shorter or longer cuff.
Note: The first 1-4 rows on double pointed needles will always feel extremely precarious. That’s normal (even for me), and I urge you to persevere. Once you’ve covered an inch or so, things will stabilize tremendously!
4. Knit the Leg
Once you are happy with your cuff, you can move on to the leg. While you can also choose any other knitting stitch pattern, the stockinette stitch is a very simple and effective stitch for the leg.
You may want to change the colors here, but either way, the instructions for the leg remain the same. same:
Knit in all rows and stitches
IMPORTANT: After 30 rows or so, you should try on your sock in progress. You can slip all the stitches onto a spare circular needle, or thread a piece of leftover yarn onto a tapestry needle and pull it through all the stitches (to create a makeshift stitch holder).
That way, you can check if your cuff fits as it should and if you can get it through your heel or not. If things don’t fit (they feel tight or slide off on their own), try to figure out how much more (or less) fabric you’d need, unravel and adjust your cast accordingly.
Don’t try on your socks after only 10 rows. Ribs behave quite differently before they cover a significant stretch. From here, I urge you to try your socks on frequently after each major step to check the fit.
4.1 How long should you knit the leg? h4>
Do you remember the measurements of your feet at their widest point? You need that number again. So, take Take your tape measure, wrap it around your calf and go up to the point where you have exactly the same circumference, and then measure the distance to the ankle knuckle.
Now, obviously , you already covered 5 cm for the cuff (or the rows you have knitted), so, you have to subtract that number.
In my case, I measure 20 cm so I have to knit 15 cm in stockinette stitch.
Note: if you have very strong calves (or very narrow ankles) your stockings may be a little short, to combat this, you would have to cast on more stitches and then decrease to the original calculation as you go down.
4.2 Adding Stripes
Stripes can be a really fun way to make your sock look less plain without adding much of the complexity of the weave. Basically, you just have to join a new thread every other row. However, there are some rules to observe:
If your stripes are only 4 rows or less, then you can wear the yarn in the back.
If your stripes are above 5 but below 10, then you can wear the yarn on the back but you need to create floats on the back. back every 2-3 rows across the thread (as in Fair Isle; or watch the video in this post).
If your stripes are more than 10 rows, I recommend cut the thread after finishing each stripe. You’ll end up with a lot of weaving tails, but it’s the neatest and safest option.
Knitting stripescan be quite conspicuous if you do it wrong . Then definitely read my guide on how to knit jogless stripes in the round.
One important note: Do not place the “jog”/where you change the yarn at the beginning or end. of a needle. That risks creating a ladder. Instead, always do it somewhere in the middle of the needle. Use a stitch marker to mark the new beginning of your round.
5. How to Knit a Sock Heel
Once you’re happy with your leg, it’s time to move on and knit the heel. A classic sock heel consists of three parts: the heel flap, the heel itself, and the gusset.
While there are other methods of knitting a heel (such as the very simple short-row German heel, etc.), the classic heel flap and gusset technique allows you to adjust the fit accordingly. with your size and preferences. Some people have very high (or flat) insteps, and this is by far the easiest way to get your socks to fit, even if it requires you to pick up stitches.
We’re going to show you how to knit a heeled sock the traditional way, huh?
5.1 Heel Flap
< img src= "https://nimble-needles.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/knitting-socks-1024×684.jpg" alt="knitting socks with double pointed needles and various background tools" /
I always recommend knitting reinforced heel with slip stitches. Typically, the heel is a region that experiences the most wear and this helps prevent holes. You can also knit the heel by holding a second thread (such as a thin nylon thread) for extra durability.
Either way, no matter how many stitches you put in, always knit the heel flap in the middle from the number of points rounded down to the next number divisibleby 4 (in my case, 32 points). You will knit it flat. Usually it crosses the first and second needle, and then you turn around. Here’s the replay:
RS: *SL1, k1*
WS: *SL1, p1*
Note: if you are knitting stripes, simply join them with the new color at the beginning of the heel flap (but keep the other threads joined). For a neater transition, you can consider knitting the first row. Also, consider knitting the heel of the second sock through needle 3 and 4. That way, you can hide the “trot” on the inside of the calves where it’s less visible.
How tall should have the heel flap?
The ideal heel flap is as long as the distance from ankle knuckle to sole. In my case, that is around 5.5 centimeters. So grab your tape measure again and see how long you need to knit.
5.2 Turning the heel
After finishing the heel flap , you must turn the heel. This is done using a very simple short row technique.Here are the instructions:
Preparation: Knit to the exact center of your heel (in my case 16 stitches) continuing with the slip stitch pattern (*Sl1, k1* )
Row 1: K1, SSK, k1
Row 2: SL1p wyif, p3, p2tog, p1
From here, continue like this until all the stitches are gone:
RS: SL1p wyib, knit to 1 stitch before the space, SSK, k1
WS: SL1p wyif, purl to 1 stitch before space, p2tog, p1
5.3 Pick up stitches for reinforcement
The reinforcement is probably the only really difficult part of knitting a sock. That’s because you have to collect points, and many beginners avoid it (sounds very complicated, right?). However, the process is quite simple. Let’s show you how to knit a gusset:
Note: The instructions are slightly different if you’re knitting with only one color (see below); basically you have to follow the steps in a different order.
Step 1: Cut the thread for the heel, take the color with which you knitted your last stripe, place a stitch marker and pick up one stitch from the space between the heel flap and your fourth (old) needle with a crochet hook. This will prevent a hole from forming here at the top of your reinforcement.
The stitch marker marks your new beginning of your round.
Step 2: And then, pick up one stitch from each edge stitch. Try to tighten the stitches every so often.
Step 3: Knit across the heel (I always splice a new needle in the middle).
Step 4: Pick up stitches from the other side of the heel flap. One stitch through each (past) edge stitch.
Step 5: Pick up one more stitch from the gap and place a stitch marker . Check if you picked up the same number of stitches on both sides and that you didn’t accidentally skip any stitches.
Step 6: Knit the remaining stitches from your (old) 3rd and 4th needle, and rejoin the round.
If only you’re knitting in one color, just follow these steps in a different order. Start at step 3 (then simply knit through the heel one more time), and after step 6, finish with steps 1 and 3.
5.4 Knitting the gusset
Once you have collected all the stitches, you can start knitting the reinforcement. Basically, it boils down to decreasing back to your original number of stitches.
Round 1: SSK, knit to 2 stitches before second stitch marker, k2tog, slip marker and finish knitting round.
Round 2: knit
Repeat these two rows until you return to the original number of stitches.
Yes you are knitting in one color, your round starts at the top of the heel. In this case, you have to knit up to 2 stitches before your first marker, k2tog, knit to the next marker, slip it, ssk and finish the row.
Note: Avoid knitting an SSK or K2tog as the last or the first stitch on a new needle. This will create gaps/stairs. Shuffle the stitches instead.
Fitting: Once you have finished knitting the gusset on your socks, I recommend trying them on one more time. Some people have very flat feet. If you notice that the fabric is still too loose on the instep, you may consider decreasing 1 or even 3 more rows until it fits you well (if it’s too tight, just unravel a row or two).
6. Knit the leg
Right after the reinforcement, you can simply continue knitting stockinette stitch. If you added stripes, continue with your pattern. No need to do any decrease etc.
How long should you knit the foot of your sock?
This depends on your size. The size of the shoe will tell you exactly the total length of your foot. However, you must subtract the length of the reinforcement and the heel (should be easy) and the toe box. And the latter is the problem because you haven’t knitted it yet.
Now, I could tell you that my leg (starting with the gusset) measures 11 cm and the toe box measures 5 cm. But depending on your size and thread, these measurements WILL be different. One method, which almost always works, is to stop knitting the leg once you get to the middle of your little finger.
Note: if you have fairly long toes It starts once you reach the tip of your little finger. Here’s my full tutorial on when to start tapering your toes.
7. Knitting Toes
The beginning of the toe marks the last leg before crossing the finish line. So, take a deep breath, from here, each row will get shorter and shorter. Here’s how to knit a sock toe:
Preparation: Make sure you have the same number of stitches on the top two and bottom two needles. The gaps should line up with the decrease lines of your reinforcement. Place your sock in front of you the way you would wear it, so that your toes point out. There are two needles at the top and two at the bottom. And you always have to decrease one point before and one point after the space between the bottom and the top. There are NO decreases in between. I always start the toe on the bottom left needle. You may consider placing a stitch marker here.
Round 1-3: Change color (optional) fabric
Round 4: K 1, SSK, cross-work to 3 stitches before the end of the second needle, k2tog, k2, SSK, cross-work to 3 stitches before the end of the fourth needle, k2tog, k1.
Round 5: knit
Continue repeating rows 4+5 until the number of stitches is halved.
And then decrease each round until you halve the number of stitches once more.
8. Kitchener stitch and knitting in the tails
Once you only have 16 or 20 stitches left, it’s time to finish your socks with a stitch kitchen. So, cut the working yarn leaving a tail 10 inches or so, and follow the instructions (click the link).
In theory, you could also decrease until you only have 8 stitches left and pull the yarn through these last stitches. However, this will create a very pointy toe that does not have the ideal fit. So, I really don’t recommend it.
And then you have to weave the tails together. Before you do that, I have to mention two things. First of all, I want to congratulate you on finishing your first sock! You can be so proud of yourself!
And then, you should try them on right away. I mean, you were probably going to do that anyway, but I think it’s important. If you notice your toe is too big or needs to be a bit roomier, you’ll need to untangle and adjust accordingly (starting your toes earlier or later).
Once you are satisfied, all you have to do is knit their tails. I always do it with a very sharp tapestry needle. Read my full tutorial on how to weave the ends here.
8. Blocking (optional)
The sock before (below) and after (above) the block
Okay, I lied, there’s one more thing we need to talk about: To block or not to block? Blocking refers to the process of gently washing your finished project in warm water, fixing it to a soft surface (without stretching too much) and let dry. This will block the shape and improve your stitches.
So, do you need to block the socks? If you look around Etsy, you’ll find tons of sock blocking boards.And they’re really great for taking pictures of your finished socks. But other than that, I really have to say that it’s not mandatory (like when you’re knitting lace).
You’ll be washing your socks often anyway, and your feet will be warm and always a little humid anyway. Therefore, the appearance of your socks will change over time, no matter what. But, if it’s a gift or you want to take a nice photo, blocking might be an option.
Also, some yarns contain spinning oils etc., so personally I think washing socks once before they do the first time might be a smart thing to do anyway.
Last Thoughts on Knitting Socks
So, let’s finish. I hope you realized that you need to follow the exact same instructions for your second sock. Other than maybe moving around the heel to hide the trot, there’s no difference. Start right away, otherwise you’ll develop second sock syndrome.
However, you may notice that your first sock doesn’t fit perfectly. Most beginner socks end up a little too big or a little lopsided. And that’s normal and nothing that should diminish your achievement. Still, you can already adjust these little things for your second sock.
Maybe you can cast on 4 more stitches, or knit the heel one centimeter higher, etc. And for your next pair of socks, use the exact same pattern and the exact same yarn. Because if you mix things up, you have to start over!
Anyway, I hope I was able to show you how to knit socks for beginners and that you were able to keep knitting. Please comment below in case you have any questions.
