Earlier I posted about having a Love-Hate relationship with socks. Love knitting them but hate wearing them. If you are interested in reading it just click here.
Basically, I have tender feet and the feel of hand knitted socks are too bumpy for me. Turning the socks inside out does not help either but I think I have found a solution!
On the entire sole of the sock, if I do a slip stitch pattern, it adds some cushion and I am comfortable wearing them! Yay!!! So far, the one I have made feels comfortable to wear! I have not made a ton of patterned socks but if the sole is a plain stockinette stitch, I don't see any reason why you could not just replace it with the following 4 row pattern.
For all Sole Stitches:
Row 1 - Slip 1, Knit 1 (repeat to end of sole section)
Row 2 - Knit all
Row 3 - Knit 1, Slip 1 (repeat to end of sole section)
Row 4 - Knit all
I made a little chart for my self and checked off each round to make it easy to keep track.
| Sl - K |
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| Knit |
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K - Sl |
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| Knit |
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Using this easy chart just makes it easier for me to start up again after putting it down. If you don't have a chart, it is easy enough to look at the wrong side of the fabric and figure out what is next. You might be able to leave out the knit row in between and if you do that, let me know how you like it.
I am excited with my new found solution and wanted to share it with all the other Tender Footed People out there!
On to more sock knitting!!!
7 comments
I did much the same re slipstitch, but used 2×2 rib on the instep. Unfortunately the row gauges were so different that I had to do short rows to ‘catch up’ the sole side to the instep side. Did you find the same?
What a wonderful idea and they look really pretty. I’d imagine it would make them even more durable. Thank you for your blog 😊
That’s the EOP (Eye of the Partridge) pattern. I’ve used it to do the reinforcement in the heel and usually carry it through the heel turn. I, too, have started to write down the alternating rows, because I somehow manage to confuse myself! I’ve not carried the enforcement through the sole, because of this. However, it would definitely add cushioning and enforcement – the sock would hold up better/longer due to the added layer.
If EOP is too much for a knitter to handle, another option would be the traditional enforcement, which is sl1, k1 in every other round when knitting in the round.
How does it affect the durability of the sock? I really don’t like darning socks!
What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.