One Sock, Two Sock, Three Sock, Four...

Baby-sock production is going strong. I’m knitting these tiny socks to go with the baby sweater and mittens I made last month. At first, I planned to knit just one pair of socks, incorporating the yarn in the colors of the buttons from the sweater (yellow, red, and blue). But since the colors are so fun and these little footsies work up so fast, I’ve decided to make a bunch of them to go with the set, with lots of color combinations. Really! I can make a little sock in less than an hour! They are that speedy. And they hardly take any yarn at all.

I love the pattern, which I found in Cute Knits for Baby Feet.

I remember when this book first arrived from Amazon and I flipped through the pages…I practically flipped myself, over the cute pictures of socks for babies. Such a fantastic book with so many cute patterns and colors.

One thing that makes these socks so easy, is that instead of turning the heel with picked-up stitches, this pattern has me “wrap” various stitches during the heel rows, which magically creates a nice little recess for the baby’s heel to rest in. And then I just move on to knit the instep in the main color in the round. It couldn’t be easier.

Since I’m using worsted weight yarn (Vanna’s Choice from Lion Brand) and size 3 dpns, the socks work up incredibly fast and have a chunky look to them. I’m sure they will keep a baby’s toes truly warm!

I learned a few things from the first pair that I made...

Even though the heel works up fast, it leaves hole on either side that has to be stitched up in the end. I did a much neater job of stitching up the second pair, working on the right side and placing my stitches carefully...

I also learned that with the yarn and needles I’m using, (a 5-stitches-per-inch gauge) I could decrease the length of the foot in the main color to 11 or 12 rows (down from 15 rows). Knitting the entire 15 rows made the foot look unproportionally long compared to the rest of the sock. I have yet to try it on a baby, so I’m just guessing.

Finally, I learned how important it is to cast on LOOSELY, so that the top of the ribbing isn’t tight for chubby little ankles! One of the variations I would like to eventually try is knitting the top in a rolled stockinette stitch, rather than ribbing. I think this would be super comfy for a chubby little ankle.

These little socks are a delight to knit, and with each one I get even faster. My kind of project! ~CJ~