The Sock Knitter's Handbook: Expert Advice, Tips, and Tricks

by Charlene Schurch, Beth Parrott

Love knitting socks but sometimes hit a snag? Carry this handy answer book in your knitting bag! Well-known experts Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott demystify all aspects of sock knitting.
Find clear instructions for both toe-up and cuff-down sock knitting
Learn multiple techniques for knitting: casting on and binding off, working heels and toes, making size adjustments, and more
Browse a stitch dictionary of favorite texture patterns; find options for creating your own unique socks

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2012

Reviews

[Angie Kennedy]

This one had been on my Amazon wish list for about five years. I decided to request it via ILL to see whether it was something I wanted to purchase. I've knitted a fair number of socks in that five years and I've worked out a preferred method for doing so that works best for me. I prefer short row heels and rarely use heel flaps. I tend to favor toe up socks using a Turkish cast on and the Very Pink super stretchy bind off...rarely do I deviate from that model. After looking through this book, it's not something I would add to my home library. I think it would be a better reference for people getting started with sock knitting, who are looking to put together their own preferred template for socks.

[gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend knit a really cute pair of socks with a stitch pattern from this book, and I wanted to check it out. I ended up getting it via ILL (always a thrill! How cool is it to have a service like ILL available?)

Overall I like it:
- There were some cast-ons and bindoffs I'd not seen before
- There's a handy chart that shows "if your socks wear in this area, try doing this to fix it"
- And instructions for how to re-knit toes and heels
- There's a selection of a couple dozen rib and rib-adjacent stitch patterns
- And a lovely chart cross-referencing "stitches in foot" vs "stitches in pattern repeat" so you don't have to to that arithmetic

There are no complete patterns in this book; it's all DIY. I think if I had tried to use this book before I'd knit at least one pair of socks, it would have confused me more.

(I have Lara Neel's Sock Architecture and am comparing the two; I marginally prefer The Sock Knitter's Handbook because it's organized more intuitively.)

[Laryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great compact guide to knitting socks. I love the diagram showing difference sock constructions/sock parts by using different colors. I wish I had seen it when I first started sock knitting! It makes all the different steps of making a sock make sense. This book gives you so many options to be creative when knitting your socks. It includes different toes, heels, & cuffs, as well as tips for repairs, altering socks for high insteps and thin or thick ankles, as well as how to avoid common sock knitting mistakes. Though the book doesn't include any sock patterns on its own, it's still a very valuable resource for any sock knitter! 5/5!

[Judi Easley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars This is an exhaustive resource for the sock knitter. As I read through it, I imagined which parts I'd use, which construction techniques I'd use for my socks. Unfortunately for me some of these techniques are a bit beyond my current skills level, so I will have to keep on practicing before I can jump into the sock pool. But when I do, I'm sure I'll be using this book as a reference. Recommended

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve knitted about 2 dozen socks and I did find this book helpful in some of the fitting hints, however their detailed instructions assume you are knitting on double point needles. I knit all my socks on 2 circulars which made some of the heel instructions in particular confusing. I would appreciate instructions for both techniques.

[Laetitia G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book!

This book is plenty of tips and tricks to help sock knitters to improve their socks and to fix them.
If you know how to knit socks but want to learn more about the different options for heels and toes this book is perfect.
It’s not a book of patterns and I don’t think it is for beginners.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource!

[Jessikirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the open-ended instruction of this book. You can really use it to make your own one-of-a-kind socks. I recommend it to every knitter.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimate Reading Challenge 2016. A book guaranteed to bring you joy.

Those of us who knit socks are obsessed by socks. This is a good reference book. It discusses both top down and toe up socks. Each portion of the socks is described in detail (cast on, bind off, cuff, heel flap, heel, and toe) with options for various patterns in the leg. There is also information on sizing and negative ease. I do think that though I learned to cast on (about 40 years ago) from photos in a book, it is certainly much easier to learn from videos on U-tube. This book tells you which cast on styles to search out. The same is probably true for bind offs. Note that terms commonly used on Ravelry.com such as fish lips heel and tomato heel are not found in this book.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for the charts and some of the tips. I am unlikely to experiment with different heels and toes or even try toe-up socks, but there are some interesting cast-ons and the information about gauge is helpful. Of the three books about sock knitting I have checked out from the library at the moment, this is the one I would buy.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great illustrations! If you want to really see how a certain technique should look and be done, this is a great book. If you want to mix and match your sock toe, heels, gussets, and bind-off's, this is the book for you.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find it particularly helpful. There wasn't any new information for someone who already knows how to make socks. I was more interested in a book that talked about the pros and cons of various cuffs, toes, heels, etc.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great reference book for knitting socks. Even though it is small, it is full of useful information and fits in my knitting back to keep it handy and ready to use or share with other knitters.

[Eqotu Nobobeme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interchangeable patterns and techniques to create a variety of socks.

[Linda Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an instructor, I use this as a reference book. I like being able to use one book to illustrate to students in the many techniques that can be used to create the different parts of a sock.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's everything they left out of the other sock books in case you want to build your own socks. No sock patterns, just a thoughtful process on all the components of hand knitted socks.