Saturday, February 10, 2007

Question of the Week

Dana suggested the question of the week - needle style - but I thought I'd expand it a little:

What is your favorite method of doing socks? This includes needle style, preferred heel (flap, short row, afterthought, etc), favorite toe, toe up or cuff down, and any other sock method related things you can think of.

My favorite method is DPNs. I've never tried the circular needles (though I love them for just about everything else), but I think working with DPNs for me is relaxing and repetitive. I much prefer heel flaps to any other heel; it just fits my foot better, but I have been known to do one short row (which I didn't care for at all) and I like the forethought heel for certain yarns. And I've never tried toe up, so I'll probably always prefer cuff down, but my next pair will be toe up so I can maximize the yarn.

13 comments:

Dana said...

Well, since it was my suggestion, it seems fitting I'm the first to reply!

I have only made 3 pairs of socks. They've all been on circulars and they've all been top-down with heel flaps. I'm not anti-DPNs, per se, I just don't have a lot of experience and since I've got the hang of the circulars now I think I'll stick to them!

I'm excited to try a toe-up sock for my next project, one with short-row heels.

Unknown said...

I usually knit my socks 2 at a time using magic loop. I like cuff down with heel flaps.

dianemulholland said...

Always 2 circs, short row heel and toe, toe-up :-)

Knitika said...

My methods change with the sock. I almost always use circulars, though I just bought 2 new pairs of dpns, to try. But sometimes I go toe-up, sometimes I go top-down. I would prefer toe-up in all cases, but I have yet to discover the perfect bind-off at the top, so sometimes I go top-down so I can have that nice top. I also like a short-row heel and toe, but for certain patterned heels I like a dutch heel, in which case I will knit top-down.

I have a question. One reason I like circulars over dpns is that the needles stay securly in the socks. I'm a very mobile knitter, and my knitting projects need to be very durable. How do those of you who use dpns keep them from sliding out of the sock?

Beverly said...

I learned using the top-down with heel flap method. Now I'm almost exclusively figure-eight toe-up with short-row heel on 5 dpn's.

I've used one circ, 2 on 2 circs and recently started a pair using the magic loop.

Lately I've been exploring other toe-up and top-down cast-ons and heel shapings so all of this is subject to change.

Knitika:
I've never had a problem with the needles slipping. I have, however, pulled the wrong needle out by accident. I fold my sock so that all the needles are parallel to each other and thread the empty needle through the sock.

Jess said...

I am always top down. Havent tried toe up yet, I just dont like the heel. I now exclusively knit magic loop. one at a time. I haven't tried 2 at once yet. I have stariel's tutorial bookmarked though. I think Im gonna give it a shot on the next pair.

Cecilia said...

I'm a top-down, heel flap kind of girl. I am working on my first pair of magic loop socks (in the past I've used dpn's), and I love it, so that'll probably be my new technique. I've tried toe-up, but could not get a comfortable heel figured out and they just didn't fit right. So magic loop, top down, heel flaps are the sock for me.

blueadt said...

I started off with cuff down patterns but now prefer toe up. My favourite cast on is Turkish but I've also tried short row with a short row heel. But I didn't like it so am now making up my own pattern with a heel flap based on the Oriel pattern.

I've always used two circs as I felt as if I was fighting with a hedgehog with dpns.

I use a really stretchy cast off that I found on the Grumperina blog.

ZippyZinnia said...

Hello, I just joined the SKS KAL, and , of course, I'm a big fan of the SKS.

All of my socks are done DPNs. I would really like to try a different method so I can do two socks at the same time. I just can't justif the costs of the needles after buying Crystal Palace DPNs in 5 different sizes.

I can do cuff down or top up, either way is fine with me. I probably prefer toe up because my Kitchener stitch is nevery pretty. For toe-up, I do the Easy Toe with reverse heel flap or short-row heels. The short-row fits me better but picking up all those wraps is a little nerve-racking.

Ginny said...

I'm pretty much exclusively DPNs. I have 2 socks on a magic loop that have been sitting there for a few months with no progress. I actually was getting ladders with them.

I learned toe-up first with a Figure 8 cast-on, and it is still my fallback. I have made two of the chevron SKS socks (top-down, forethought heels) which gave me plenty of opportunities to perfect my Kitchener stitch.

Now I'm working on my first proper, top-down, heel flap sock from Nancy Bush. I love it too.

Perhaps I just plain LOVE SOCKS!!

Carrie said...

I love dpns. To be honest, I have never tried knitting on circs, but I just love the wary looks I get on the subway when I pull those bad boys out. (Seriously, I do just love dpns.) I usually do top down, because I prefer a heek flap to a short row heel, but I have done toe up as well and really like the economy of that method!

Debbie said...

My very first pair of socks I did on DPNs, and then I discovered Cat Bordhi. The rest is history. I haven't looked back. I love working on 2 circs. I've only made one pair with a short-row heel. I think I'll have to make a few more that way and get better at it before I can make a good comparison.

Lia said...

I normally use DPNs. I've tried The Magic Loop, and didn't find anything that magical about it. I haven't tried 2 circs because I like my DPNs. I agree, Carrie, it is fun to get the looks when you pull them out! As for keeping the needles in, I have also used the method of lining up the DPNs in use then threading the spare through the sock. I also have one of those rubber cap/elastic thingys - you put one cap over one end, then stretch the elastic to put the other cap over the other end. The bonus is that it holds the instep stitches nicely while I work on the heel flap.

I always do top down with a heel flap. I don't like the short-row heel, and I wear clogs to show off my hand-knitted socks, so a really pretty heel flap is key :)