As part of our mission to cover up more and heat less over winter, I decided to make my partner some woolly socks to wear around the house at night. I contemplated knitting with the traditional three or four double-ended needles or crocheting in the round, but in the end I decided upon using one of the knitting looms I had bought the children. Here are the results!
The socks pictured are about Australian men's size 11-12. The loom is about 13cm (5.5") across and has 24 pegs on it. I used two strands of 8ply (DK) pure wool, making the yarn 16ply. The socks required about 300m of 8ply (150m 16ply), which is a smidgen over 150g. I didn't put any elastic in the tops, as my darling reckoned that his furry legs would hold them up! But you could thread a soft piece of 6mm (0.25") elastic through the top at the end if you wished.To make socks:
Cast on by wrapping the yarn around each peg, then wrap a second row and with the hook supplied, pull the bottom row of loops up and over the top row. (This is like the "French knitting" we did as kids.) Continuing in this manner, knit 30 rows.
Next row: wrap half the pegs (12) and pull loops up as normal, then work back on the same 12 pegs to the start - this gives two half rows. Then work a full row. Repeat this process (2 half rows and 1 full row) five times. This forms a bit of a heel.
Knit another 30 rows, then cast off. Do this by lifting off the first stitch, placing it on a crochet hook (I used a 4mm one) and pulling a loop through. Pick up the second stitch in the same way, then pull a loop of yarn through both stitches, leaving one loop on the hook. Continue around the circle until all stitches have been removed from the loom, pulling the thread through the last loop to tie off. Casting off in this manner draws the knitting in a bit, to form the toe.
Turn sock inside out and sew up the toe. You may also need to stitch up the holes formed by the half rows when forming the heel. Thread through any loose ends and you're done!
To make a smaller adult size, just do fewer rows on the foot part. To make children's socks, you'd probably need a smaller loom.
I really enjoyed making the socks this way - it seemed like a bit of a game (appealed to the child within). Not sure if it was any quicker, but they were so easy, you could literally get the kids to make them.
love and light
naturewitch
