Techniques for Custom Fit Socks
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- Опубліковано 3 сер 2024
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This video explains how to modify different parts of a cuff-down sock knit with heel flap and gusset construction in order to achieve a better fit. Tips for selecting sock size, modifying the sock leg when the cuff is too tight, better fitting heels, adjusting gussets to better fit the ball of foot, and altering the fit of the toes.
These techniques are starting points for achieving a custom fit by using actual measurements, rather than relying solely on formulas.
Jump directly to a specific point in the video:
Introduction: 0:00
How socks (and other garments) are designed, and why no one is completely "average:: 0:14
Choosing a size: 1:20
Customizing the fit of the sock leg: 1:46
Custom fit for the heel: 3:12
Custom fit for the gusset/ball of foot: 5:56
Custom fit for the toes: 7:15
Final words: 9:07
If you have questions about this video, or suggestions for future videos, please let me know down in the comments or on social media.
Facebook: / roxknits
Twitter: / roxmpls
Rox Rocks Ravelry group: www.ravelry.com/groups/rox-rocks
EXTRAORDINARY!!! Thank you SO much, Roxanne. This is exactly what I needed. You are a human knitting encyclopedia! :))))))))
FANTASTIC - I’ve been knitting socks for years before sock yarn became prevalent. Sock yarn required a different pattern due to the gauge. I’ve become so frustrated with baggy ankles. Now with your expertise I’ve been able to see what I need to do different. Casting on now!
What great technical advice it is so helpful, I'm glad I found this BEFORE I started kitting a socks for Christmas!. I was trying to figure out how to adjust patterns for my daughters; the oldest is 4'11" and the youngest is 5"10"!
Oh my, I wish I had known all this information when I knit a pair of socks for a very tall and large man! Thank you for your great instructions.
Thank you Roxanne. That helps greatly.
This was incredibly helpful!
Your videos are helping me enormously. Thank you so much. I appreciate the detail, and tips that work so well.
Thank you for a quick response. Plan on starting my sock in the morning.
I love knitting and wearing socks. This is awesome information for the best fit possible. Thanks!!!
You are such a great teacher!!
I'm preparing for my first sock knitting and this is very helpful. Thank you very much!
Great video! Thank you for the hard work. I learn so much from you :)
Great tips, thanks!
Absolutely fabulous thank you !
Thank you for de-mystifying how the different foot and sock measurements interact. I will be knitting my first ever sock soon and couldn't figure out the relationships, your video has sorted them for me
It's amazing what a difference it makes to knit something based on measurements, rather than a standard formula. I can wear the first socks I ever knit, but they do not fit well at all! Good luck with your first pair of socks. They are addicting! :-)
Love this
Very helpful!!!!
Thank you so much for this video! I now know why my socks are baggy at the back, I need to make the heel flap a whole inch longer! Can't wait to try this on the socks I've just started :)
Oh, making the flap longer will make such a difference! Let me know how they turn out! (Post a photo in the Rox Rocks group on Ravelry).
This is great
Thank you! ❤
Wow - Roxanne I have tried a patina knitting pattern twice and I am sure there is a mistake in the pattern.. my mum knitted for us all loved it but sadly she has passed and I can’t ask her questions etc- I have only knitted in the past 25 yrs yet I can crochet and sew..but since this time I have knitted jumpers vests bed socks but can’t get the hang of knitting socks .. I found knitting calm therapy
Thanks!
You're very welcome! :-)
Thank you !
You're welcome!
Love it! Questions: What does one do with very narrow heels but a high arch and normal ball of food circumference? Thank you for what you do!!
Knit the heel flap longer to accommodate the larger circumference needed at the start of the gusset, then decrease down to the circumference you would like for your ball of foot.
This is awesome! Thank you for posting so many wonderful videos. I'm in LOVE with sock you knit for yourself, looks like a patterned fair isle yarn? Where did you get it???
Here's my Ravelry project page for those socks. ravel.me/Rox/ph You'll notice that I must have purchased the yarn back in 2005 or 2006. It's possible you can find the colorway from someone who has a skein in their stash, but I wouldn't hold my breath. :-)
Step by step for designing your own sock pattern would be a good video.
That was what the August Sock KAL I did this past summer did. It's a 5-part document showing how to go about knitting custom fit socks, including options for heels, toes, etc. In addition, I created a bunch more sock-related videos, which can be found in the three different sock-related playlists on my channels. The KAL pattern is available here: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/august-sock-kal
Am trying this.
I’ve knitted several pairs of socks for myself, and one pair for my skinniest son, without problems.
Then I took the challenge of a colorwork sock, followed the pattern exactly, and ended up with a sock way too large. Since then, every sock I’ve started, I’ve had to frog again. Either too big or too narrow.
I must have had beginner’s luck and ran out of it.
Please forgive me for the dumb question. New to sock knitting. Was knitting away when it finally hit me.The heel is going to fit the foot no matter how long the leg is. You must have a lot of patience to teach knitting. Keep up the good work.
I never feel like I have to "be patient" when it comes to teaching knitting, because I know that eventually it will click with my students. If they aren't getting it, it's up to me to figure out how to explain it a different way. :-)
@@RoxanneRichardson this is what my knitting and sewing teachers would say to their students. Because it was up to the students to ask questions if they did not understand and tell them they don’t understand. I love your video. I wish I found them before doing my first pair of socks because my friend has two different sizes of feet.
Hi, I´v recently watched your video on knitting 16th century stockings but I was unsure how to procede with the heel on them you have shoved. Is there a video tutorial also for that 16th century heel please? Thanks
You are amazingly knowledgeable when it comes to sock knitting. (Probably all knitting, I just happen to be googling for sock info right now) Do you have a book that can be purchased regarding all the tips and tricks that you have shared? Thank you.
I have a tutorial called August Sock KAL for sale on Ravelry. There should be a link to my designer page in the video description.
When I 'm knitting the leg do I start the heel flap above the ankle or below the ankle? Thank you for any help you can give me. I enjoy all of your videos.
I knit the sock leg so that it's long enough to fit the way I like when I try it on. It will sit right at where the instep moves away from your leg. The heel flap length is knit according to the distance from the mid-point of your outer ankle bone to the floor. The sock will stretch to fill in any little distance gap there might be between that ankle bone point and where the sock leg sits.
This was very helpful. I have a narrow ankle, so this is the first time I have seen how to deal with that. Is there anyway to custom fit socks for a narrow ankle when using short row or afterthought heels? I have subscribed. your techniques are some useful.
I would need to know more, first! Your ankle is narrow, but your foot is larger? How does your heel height compare? For example, I have an 8'' ankle, and 8.5-9'' ball of foot (depending on time of year), and that very long 2.75'' heel. So, for me, the challenge is ending up with a SR heel or afterthought heel that is deep enough. I like my sock foot to fit snuggly, so I don't mind if it has, say 15% negative ease, rather than 10%. I have figured out how to make a short row heel that fits me well, as well as an afterthought heel, but what works for me may not work for you, depending on what else is going on with your fit situation.
I have an 8" ball for the foot, but a 7.5" ankle. I use a two inch gusset, as I have a "thick" heel. My heel diagonal is about 11". I find that socks that fit my foot bag a bit at the ankles. I like the look of afterthought or short rows heels in a contrasting color with striped yarn. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond.
For the 2'' gusset, are you talking about toe up socks?
Thanks again for your reply. I actually meant the hell flap.Sorry for confusion.
So, if you're doing a cuff down, heel flap sock, then go with the first suggestion in the video about sizing, and choose your size based on your ankle circumference; work the heel flap to the actual length of your heel, and then stop the gusset decreases when the sock is the correct circumference for your ball of foot.
Super helpful video. Has anyone designed a toe for those of us whose feet look similar to yours? I wonder if there is some geometry solution (angle of big toe, angle of other 4) to set up decreases that will create a more natural toe. My socks always look boxy.
Is the problem that you get "dog ears" at the corners of the graft? Or have you conquered the dog ears, but the shape still doesn't fit your foot, even after washing? The standard wedge toe fits the contours of my toes really well, even though the shape of my toes is not exactly the same as that of the sock toe. Some people have very long toes, some have short toes, some have a very long angle from great toe to little toe, and others have toes that are almost all the same length. Still others have 2nd and 3rd toes that are longer than their great toe. There might need to be some adjustments to the rate of decreases, and to the total number of sts needed at the graft. Some people do work the decreases to follow the exact contours of their toes, which means they end up with a right and left sock, which isn't the ideal solution, either, because the socks are likely to wear through more quickly. Besides different decrease rates, and different final st counts, there are other types of toes that might work better, as well.
Some socks patterns have something called an asymmetric toe. It means you do end up with a left sock and a right sock. I've seen that on Ravelry (and believe you can search on it in their advanced search) if you wanted to try it in a written up pattern rather than experimenting with the number of decreases yourself to try to get a customized shape.
Thank you so much for making this video! I am experimenting with size 0 needles on 72 stitch socks. I knit 72 stitches for the ribbing and cuff. I knit half for the heel but decided to decrease down to 64 stitches for the foot. My only concern is where the beginning of the round starts for foot when done decreasing the gusset. One half has 36 and the other 32. Do I need to shift these when I get to the toe decreases so ai Kitchener an even amount on both sides? Does that make sense? Thanks!
Yep -- move the first and last stitch of the instep to the sole. :-)
Great detail and insight to making a better fit..
my question is how does one work out the heel turn stitches..
if you have 34st, how do u work out how many stitches to knit across before turning and then how many to purl to start the short rows…
ie knit half (17) SSK, K1, turn.. I get very lost when I have to adjust my stitch amount ie standard (generic) is 64st, heel flap n heel turn start at 32.. but when using a different number ie 68 = 34sts, I get super lost on how many to do the formula for that heel turn..
any guidance would be greatly appreciated 😊
I have a video on understanding how the round heel turn works here: ua-cam.com/video/uJzLVCZSqdg/v-deo.html
I have a playlist with 22 videos related to sock heels here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1AZxTfSCe2fj0ONuDlcVEz45wHDoldOa.html
The playlist of all 50 of my sock videos is here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1AZxTfSCe2cq3ZnnnCTGmbaqmGicKFQP.html
Roxanne, I have watched your sock videos. But I have a friend that is unable to wear regular high sock due to circulation so I need to make the shortest sock/sport sock for her (I hope that is the name) they are the one that you don’t see. I was wondering if I use your techniques for those sock as well.
Or if you could make a video on how to measure and make those socks. Thank you Sylvia
I have a high instep ad my socks are always too tight or if I go up a "size" they are too baggy. This helps a lot, but for clarification, I would incresqe the length of the heel/gusset?
Roxanne can you slow down when describing what to do. I Am just getting my head around the last instruction when your onto the next one. Maybe like with the toe instructions you could do a little example eg. we’re do you measure exactly for circumference, ankle & foot.
You can hit the space bar to pause, use the left arrow to jump back 10 seconds, or you can use the little gear at the bottom of the player to slow the playback speed down.
Do you have a utube clip for working out when to put in your afterthought heel?
Do you mean a true afterthought heel, where you do not insert waste yarn to mark the heel location? I do not have a video for that. I would probably do it before I worked the toe decreases, making the leg the length I wanted, inserting the heel, and then checking the fit before working the toe, in case I needed a bit more length, or less.
Roxanne Richardson thank you for replying so soon. I am knitting toe up and have no idea when I should put in the waste yarn for my afterthought heel. Is there a chart so you know for what size shoe to put the waste yarn so the heel is in the right place for that size shoe?
Hi. If the heel flap is longer does that not mean there are a lot more stitches to pick upon each side of the gusset thereby making it very big around?
Yes, there will be more sts to pick up. Sock formulas base heel length on sock circumference (e.g. half the sts are used to knit the heel, and the number of rows knit are equal to the number of sts used for the heel). While the formula might create a sock that fits the mythical average person, it often does not work for a real person. If your actual heel is longer than average, then the circumference of your foot where the gusset begins is going to be larger, too, and that means you *need* those extra sts.
Roxanne Richardson thank you very much for the quick response. I understand your explanation. When I look at your video and the two different socks beside each other I’m a bit confused because the one with the longer heel (which then would have more stitches on the needles when you start the gusset) seems more fitted and has such a nice curve at the top of the foot. I’m knitting a sock now and am trying to figure out how to reduce that fuller shape and have a more fitted sock after turning the heel. Sorry for the questions which I’m sure I’m not doing a very good job explaining
I think the difference in appearance has to do with the green sock not being a real sock. I have many, many sock videos. There are three different sock video playlists: general sock topics, sock heels, and sock toes. In addition, I have a 50+ page sock tutorial called August Sock KAL that you might find helpful for getting a better fitting sock. www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/august-sock-kal
Does the slip stitch heel wear better ( less likely to wear holes)?
That's one function of it, although another is that it's cushier, and because it pulls in horizontally, it hugs the heel. Many people find that it's the sole of their socks that wear out, rather than the back of the heel. Of course, that could be the heel stitch doing its job, leaving the sole at the mercy of plain stockinette stitch.
Great question which I was thinking about, great answer as always from a great teacher!! Thank you!
@@RoxanneRichardson I was curious about this, too. I've knit about 35 socks now (was really surprised when I counted them up on Ravelry!). The back of my heel does not wear out, but I do get blisters there both with my own socks and commercial socks. Lots of blisters, always have. So I'm now considering doing the heel "inside out". I think the way it draws the fabric in to fit more snugly is important across my narrow-ish heel but wonder about having the smoother side in and how that will affect wear. Future experiments! By the way, I also learned to make much longer heel flaps, not by thinking it through as you have but after doing a KAL on Ravelry with a General Hogbuffer pattern that had a 44 row heelflap that surprised me by fitting so well.
Now if I could only find a way to reinforce the spot that is guaranteed to wear out on my socks ... right under a pad of callous at the ball of my foot. Apparently, I twist on that spot just a little bit with every stride. I'm searching for a way to knit in something like very fine, very strong yarn (a thread of suri type alpaca was suggested), but only on the sole of the foot for that portion of the foot. I saw a technique once, before I was able to understand it or take note of it properly, that had something to do with Estonian knitting in the round (multiple colours) and how they "leave" or "hook in" a loop of yarn so that it is "waiting" for them when they come around to it. So vague that I have never been able to find it on UA-cam or articulate it properly to people who know more about it than I do. Meanwhile, my darning is coming right along! : - )
@@published1789 You could reinforce the ball of foot with reinforcing yarn. You can buy little cards of it in solid colors (my old LYS sold some from schoeller+stahl -- Fortissima Socka) and there are some sock companies that include a spool of matching reinforcing yarn in the center of the ball (Lang Yarn Jawoll sock yarn has it, and you can buy the solid colors separately, as well). If you knit it in, you'd be knitting the entire round with the reinforcing yarn. If you wait till the sock is done, you can weave it in after the fact. I've done that when I've used 100% wool for socks. You weave vertically under and over the purl bumps, and then horizontally...I can't remember. Probably over and under those vertical strands. I'm sure I learned that on the internet.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you so much, Roxanne. If it's good enough for you, I'll give it a try, too! : -)
The sock that I want to knit has a ball of foot measuring 9.5” and the ankle is 8”
So if I choose 8” for the circumference will it not be too tight for sliding it up the foot?
If you're knitting a heel flap and gusset, do the gusset decreases only until you get down to the circumference needed for the ball of foot, i.e. don't decrease down to the original circumference. Likewise, if you're knitting for a large ankle/small ball of foot, you would continue the decreases until you were down to the circumference needed for the ball.
So if my heel is 3 inches, I should knit the heel flap 3 inches and then start the heel turn?
Short answer: yes. Just make sure your heel is actually 3'' long. (That's pretty long!) Measure from the floor to the midpoint of your *outer* ankle bone.
Roxanne Richardson I measured from the floor to the middle part of my ankle bone where it sticks out a tiny bit.
SOunds like you have your answer, then! Good luck on your sock!
Roxanne Richardson thank you so much, I think this will really help my socks fit so much better!
I imagine they will. I have a 2.75'' heel, and it has made a big difference for me to knit the flaps to the length I need, rather than the length suggested in patterns.
Do you measure a size seven sock from the back of heel to Toe?
Are you asking if you would knit a sock based on the length of the foot from back of heel to toe? Or are you asking about measuring an existing sock?
@@RoxanneRichardson knit a sock based on the length of foot from start of heel to finished toe.Thank you Roxanne.Enjoy your channel.
@@RoxanneRichardson do you measure foot in knit sock from beginning of heel to tip of toe?
Why are socks soooo hard!!! Wahhh!