Knitting Socks

Knitting socks is one of my favorite things. I like to use 100% wool in sport, baby, or sock weight. Wool is breathable, absorbent, warm even when wet. It has a natural elasticity so it is easy to put a sock knit from wool on. Socks are just fun to knit. Turning the heel may appear daunting at first, but once you've done it (just follow the pattern) it just is plain fun. When knitting the heel flap, I like to slip the first stitch of each row because it is then easier to pick up the stitches for the rest of the foot. And what makes this even more fun is the variety of yarns that can be used. Multi-color, stripes, bold, not so bold. The variety is endless. Socks can be made works of art.

There are many blends suitable for socks as well. All of the cotton blends are suitable for every day socks. My only problem with working with cotton is getting enough stretch to the fabric so it passes easily over the heel when putting the socks on. One that I have had absolutely no success with is 100% bamboo. It doesn't seem to have any elasticity.  It's a shame because bamboo yarn contains the compounds in bamboo that make it anti-microbial so will reduce the incidence of smelly feet. I'm looking in to trying blends that contain bamboo. If anyone who reads this blog has a way of making cotton and bamboo socks with elasticity, let me know.