Construcion Of A Sock

[thebrownspindle]

Socks, like most everything has parts. Most folks don't know quite what these parts are or how they work on a foot. It is not something you think about very much so it is not important....until you have to make a sock!

There is the top or the sock or what is called ribbing. That is the elastic part of the sock that stays up on your leg as you wear the sock. Then there is the leg of the sock. That is the part that goes down your leg to a part called the heel flap. That is the part that covers the back of your heel. A good heel flap matters because it takes a lot of abuse from the shoes you wear.

The next part is the bottom of the heel or the cup. That is the part that the bottom of your heel sits in. There is the heel gusset. that surrounds the sides of your heel and ankle. The foot of the sock covers the long part of your foot and then there is the toe of the sock which covers your toes.

There are several ways to knit a sock. You can knit socks from the toe to the top (ribbing) or you can knit a sock from the top down to the toe. You can knit a sock in a tube and put the heel in later and that can be done from the toe up or from the top down. You can knit socks on circular needles, double pointed needles or with two straight needles. You can also knit a sock with one very long circular needle.

That is the start! More later.

Barb R.

[thebrownspindle]

There are parts of a sock that some socknitters like and some that they dislike. I keep knitting socks because no matter how many socks I knit I am never bored by turning a heel. The heel turn is the part of the socks that the bottom or flat part of your heel sits on. It is like a small cup that the heel sits in on your sock.

There is a particular way a heel is turned and the technique uses what is called short row knitting. What you are doing when you do short row knitting is making fabric inside of fabric. Short row knitting is used in other applications in knitting. It is used to make toe up socks, bust darts in sweaters, shoulder seams in sweaters, it is used in knitted toy making, hats and many other knitting applications.

Once you turn a heel successfully, sock knitting takes on a whole different attitude. For what ever reason, the heel turn is why so many knitters tend to avoid socks! If you know a knitter who has heel-turn-a phobia send them here! We will get the cured of this phobia and they will be free to knit socks for the rest of the knitterly lives!

Barb R