Socktober Fest - Week 2

We have seen some wonderful photos in our Facebook groups of some of the first socks coming out.  We have also decided to extend our timeline for our knit along.  We will be knitting a new sock every month instead of a new sock every 2 weeks, that will give everyone some more time to work on their projects.  We also know that in our experience the first 3 inches of your sock is the hardest part so if you are struggling here are some tips:

Tips and Tricks for sock knitting

1. Sock knitting comes with practice.  Sometimes it's a good idea to knit part of your pattern in a larger weighted yarn to get the kinks out first and develop muscle memory.
2. Use longer needles, many sock needles come in 6-inch lengths, using 8-inch needles will help you keep your work on your needles when knitting with multiple needles.
3. You can also use Point Protectors if you are dropping stitches.
4. Pull your stitches tight at the end of each needle.
5. Keep a small crochet hook close by in case you do drop a stitch or need to fix a stitch.  It's easy to be discouraged if you need to start over again and again.
6. If you do drop a stitch pinch the stitch with your fingers right away so it doesn't slip down any further.

Keep in mind when you are kitting your first sock that you are developing a new skill, and like with every skill, the more you do it the better you become.  If you have to start over again, that just means you have learned something and the next time will be better.  

What we've done so far

1.  Start with a long tail cast on 48(52,56)
2. Then working in knit 1, purl 1 we stitched 16(17,18)  on the first needle in  16(18,20)  on the second needle and lastly 16(17,18) on our third needle.
3.  We then joined our work by starting our next row, NOT turning our work.

This week's goals:

After finishing 2 1/4 inches of our sock's ribbing our goal is to work the knit stitch on our rounds until work reaches 6 inches. Next week we will start to arrange and shape our heel.  We love seeing your work so don't forget to post your progress on our blog and/or facebook page.