Knitting socks sounds harder than it is, mostly because of the jargon — heel flap, heel turn, gusset decreases. A sock is five parts knit one after the other. Learn what each part does and sock patterns become much easier to read.
A Norwegian version of this page is available on Strikketips.no
Cuff-down or toe-up?
Socks are knit in one of two directions, and a pattern tells you which.
| Cuff-down (top-down) | Toe-up | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | The cuff, with ribbing | The toe |
| Ends with | The toe, grafted closed | The cuff, bound off |
| Trying on | Harder until the foot is knit | You can try it on as you knit the foot |
| Leftover yarn | The leg length is fixed before you know how much yarn the foot needs | You can knit the leg until the yarn runs out |
This guide walks through a cuff-down sock with a heel flap, because every part of it can be learned separately.
The five parts of a cuff-down sock
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Cuff and leg
The sock starts with elastic ribbing (often k1, p1 or k2, p2) so it stays up on the leg. Then the leg is knit in the round down to the ankle — in stockinette, stripes or a texture pattern.
-
The heel flap
Now you stop knitting in the round. Half the stitches wait on a holder or the spare needles; you work back and forth over the other half to make a rectangle that covers the back of the heel. For a hard-wearing flap we like a slip-stitch heel stitch: on the right side, slip 1 with yarn in back, knit 1, and repeat to the end; on the wrong side, purl all stitches. Your pattern tells you how many rows.
The heel flap is worked back and forth in a reinforced slip-stitch rib on half of the total stitches. -
Turning the heel
Turning the heel uses short rows to round off the bottom of the flap so it cups the heel. One common way: on the right side, knit past the center, knit 1, decrease (ssk), knit 1, and turn; slip 1, purl past the center, purl 1, purl 2 together, purl 1, and turn. Each following row works up to the gap left by the previous turn and closes it with a decrease, until all the side stitches are used. Follow your pattern's exact stitch counts.
Short-row decreases shape the curved heel cup underneath the foot. -
The gusset
Pick up stitches along both sides of the heel flap — your pattern gives the number — and go back to knitting in the round over all the stitches. We pick up one extra stitch in each corner to close the gap there. Because you now have more stitches than you started with, you work decreases on each side of the sole every other round until you are back to the original count. The slanting decrease lines are the gusset.
Gradual gusset decreases on either side of the instep return the sock to its original circumference. -
The foot and toe
Knit the foot in the round until it approaches your little toe — try it on. Then work the toe decreases, and close the last stitches with Kitchener stitch, which grafts the two sets of stitches together without a seam.
Sock yarn: why the nylon
A sock wears hardest where heels and toes rub through first, and many sock yarns add a share of nylon for durability there. The nylon-blend sock yarns in our catalog:
- Cascade Yarns Heritage — 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon; US 1–3 (2.25–3.25 mm); 28–32 sts per 4 in (10 cm).
- West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 Ply — 75% wool (35% Bluefaced Leicester), 25% nylon; US 3 (3.25 mm); 28 sts per 4 in (10 cm).
All of them are fingering weight — see fingering weight yarn for the category and the other sock yarns people substitute with. Pure wool socks can be knit, but in our experience they wear through sooner at the heel.
Place markers at each side of the sole when you start the gusset. They show where the decreases go on every round, and again where the toe decreases start.
Needles: DPNs or magic loop
A sock is too narrow for an ordinary circular needle. These are the two ways this guide uses to knit it in the round (short circular needles are a third):
- Double-pointed needles (DPNs) — a set of short needles with points at both ends. The stitches are divided over three or four of them and you knit with one more.
- Magic loop — one long circular needle, about 32–40 in80–100 cm, with the spare cable pulled out in a loop.
Neither is better; it's a matter of which you find easier to hold. The needle size comes from the yarn — the sock yarns above state their own.
Frequently asked questions
What yarn is best for socks?
A fingering-weight sock yarn with some nylon in it. The nylon-blend sock yarns in our catalog are 75% wool or merino and 25% nylon; the nylon is there for durability where heels and toes wear through first. Our catalog also has an all-merino sock yarn, and pure wool socks are possible, but in our experience they wear through sooner.
Should a beginner knit socks cuff-down or toe-up?
Either works. Cuff-down with a heel flap is the construction this guide walks through, and every part of it can be learned one step at a time. Toe-up lets you try the sock on as you go and use up all the yarn on the leg.
What is the magic loop technique?
A way to knit a small circumference, like a sock, on one long circular needle instead of double-pointed needles. The excess cable is pulled out in a loop between the two halves of the stitches.
When do I start the toe decreases?
Follow your pattern's length. On your own foot, try the sock on: in a cuff-down sock we start the toe when the foot approaches the little toe.