{"id":2629,"date":"2022-10-28T11:56:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T11:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knittedinswitzerland.ch\/?p=2629"},"modified":"2022-10-28T11:56:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T11:56:58","slug":"perfectly-fitting-socks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/knittedinswitzerland.ch\/?p=2629","title":{"rendered":"Perfectly fitting socks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Which size should I knit?<\/a>
Which cast on should I use?<\/a>
Cuff<\/a>
Which heel is right for me?<\/a>
Do I have a high instep?<\/a>
Do I have a wide heel?<\/a>
Which toe is right for me?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knitting perfectly fitting socks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever worn a pair of socks that just didn\u2019t fit perfectly? The socks were too tight, or they were too wide and baggy? That wasn\u2019t fun, right? I was on a hike once and just a few minutes in, my boots had pulled off my socks\u2026 I was sooo glad when I was finally back in the hotel!
Maybe you are knitting socks for someone who has diabetes – your Dad, your Mom, your kids or yourself (like me). In that case you\u2019ll know that diabetics need to take extra special care of their feet – ill-fitting socks are a no-go!
Luckily, we can adjust our hand-knit socks perfectly – if we know how! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which size should I knit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my sock patterns, I give you the leg and foot circumference of the sock.
That can, for example, look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

size<\/strong><\/td>a<\/strong><\/td>b<\/strong><\/td>c<\/strong><\/td>d<\/strong><\/td>e<\/strong><\/td>f<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
leg and foot circumference in cm<\/strong><\/td>15<\/td>17.5<\/td>20<\/td>22.5<\/td>25<\/td>27.5<\/td><\/tr>
leg and foot circumference in inches<\/strong><\/td>6<\/td>7<\/td>8<\/td>9<\/td>10<\/td>11<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You also have to take into account that the circumference of your sock should be about 10 % less than your leg or foot circumference so the socks have to stretch a little to fit. Otherwise they will slide down your leg. For very unstretchy patterns (like stranded patterns) the difference should only be 5 %.
Measure your leg at the place where you want your sock to hit in the end – for example in the middle of the calf or at the ankle for an ankle sock. If your leg circumference at that place is, for example, 22 cm (8.75 inches), you subtract 10 % (2.2 cm or 0.9 inches) and end up with 19.8 cm (7.85 inches), so in that case you would knit a sock in size c.
If your leg and foot circumference are very different, cast on the size you need for the leg (for a sock knit from the cuff down) and after the heel you increase or decrease so you get the right size for the foot.
Why am I doing it this way? When you look at a sock table in a book or on the internet, you\u2019ll usually see a shoe sizes and below that how many sts to cast on. But that is not that useful. The shoe size is mainly correlated to the length of your foot, but for most socks you can knit the foot as long or as short as you want. What\u2019s important for knitting socks is the circumference of the leg and the foot. A few years ago I weighed 20 kg (44 pounds) more than I do now. My feet weren\u2019t any longer at that time, but my legs were definitely wider!
Size tables also only work for one single gauge – maybe you are knitting your socks at a different gauge and yes, that does make a difference!
My Time’s Racing on ahead Socks (available on Ravelry<\/a>, Payhip<\/a> and Lovecrafts<\/a>) are knit at a gauge of 27 sts in 10 cm (4 inches), the Ribbed Leaf Socks (also available on Ravelry<\/a>, Payhip<\/a> and Lovecrafts<\/a>) at 38 sts in 10 cm (4 inches).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Time’s racing on ahead Socks on the left, Ribbed Leaf Socks on the right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you cast on 64 sts for both of these socks, the Time\u2019s Racing on ahead Socks will have a circumference of 23.5 cm (9.25 inches), the Ribbed Leaf Socks will only have 17 cm (6.75 inches). Okay, that example was extreme. But with a gauge of 30 resp. 32 sts in 10 cm (4 inches) the resulting socks will still differ by 2 cm (0.75 inches).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Cast On should I use?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You need a very stretchy Cast On for socks. As mentioned above, socks are knit smaller than your actual leg circumference, so they need to be very stretchy. My favorite is the Old Norwegian Cast On, I have a video tutorial here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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