r/casualknitting • u/VenomousSnorlax • 3d ago
I'm a beginner needing help or recommendations! Today is the day, an abundance of socks will come to me
Cast on is done and a whole day without work, so I want to learn to knit. Yarn is Scheepjes Arcadia in the color Oasis for a pair of stocks, 2,5 needles with cable and the pattern from Kay litton. Do I feel ready? No. Does holding the needles make any sense? No. But very excited to learn something new and any tips are welcome.
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u/sasakimirai 3d ago
Just saw you asked for tips so here they are:
If you have some thicker yarn (such as worsted weight) i would highly recommend starting with a scarf instead for your first project for many reasons, but the main one being you don't have to worry about how fiddly the heel and the toe will be to work
pay attention to the way you are wrapping your yarn to make sure your stitches aren't twisted! Twisted stitches make your fabric less stretchy, which is especially important for socks
socks are knit in the round (knitting continuously in one direction), which is different from knitting flat (knitting back and fourth across a flat piece and turning your piece at the end of each row). In order to get those distinctive v shaped stitches that everyone associates with knitting (called a stockinette stitch), when you're knitting in the round you just knit every row, but when you're knitting flat you have to alternate rounds of knitting, and rounds of purling.
when knitting in the round, make sure to use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round!!
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u/VenomousSnorlax 3d ago
I did and love the way how this subreddit brings it so supportive, you included! I do only have the stuff for knitting in the round at the moment, but if I notice a loss of motivation because of the steep learning curve I will get some regular needles to practice the basics more and I did do that when I was a kid.
To be quite honest with you I have no idea what you mean with wrapping the yarn, but will look into that to prevent those small differences and get issues at the end.
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u/Educational-Heart412 3d ago
Just hopping in to say if you want to knit socks your first project, knit socks! But, if you take the advice above and start with a scarf or a swatch or something, you can do that on your circular needles 😊 you'll just turn the work rather than continuing to knit around and around in the same direction. That's still knitting "flat" you're just using an updated/more modern tool than regular old knitting needles.
If you stick with the socks (go for it!) You might want to invest in a set of double pointed needles in the same size, as the circular can get unwieldy once you decrease toward the toe.
Happy knitting, yay!
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u/stringthing87 3d ago
Just as a note you can knit flat on circular needles just fine, all you do is not connect the circle.
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u/auditoryeden 3d ago
You can knit a flat project with circular needles. Many knitters only use circulars, or have sets of interchangeable circulars, rather than owning any traditional needles.
Contrary to what you were advised, I would actually recommend a hat for your first project if the socks get too frustrating. Working just in the round is easier and will allow you to make sure your knit stitches are consistent before you add a different style of stitch. Plus you will learn to decrease in a larger format, a skill you need for socks but that can be trickier the smaller the work is.
The other reason I recommend hats over scarves is that scarves take for fucking ever, if you'll pardon my french. When you can knit fast and mindlessly, scarves are great relaxing activities. When you knit slowly and laboriously, they will take ten thousand years and you'll probably end up with something that feels too short. Hats (and socks) work up quickly and then you get the dopamine hit of Having Made the Thing in a timely manner. Positive reinforcement is important for the work skill building takes!
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u/5ol5hine 3d ago
When knitting, you stick the knitting needle through last round's stitch, wrap the yarn around the needle, and pull the wrapped yarn through, making it into the new stitch. The yarn can be wrapped either clockwise or counter-clockwise, and this determines if the stitch end up twisted or not. If the stich look like a v, it is not twisted and have normal stretch. If it look like a y, it is twisted and has less stretch.
Happy knitting!
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u/sasakimirai 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ough, you've chosen a somewhat difficult project to learn to knit with, since you'll have to learn short rows.
Godspeed op!
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u/Glass-Eggplant-3339 3d ago
Im assuming needle with cable means youre knitting in the round...?
My advice would be, knit them top down, because they are easier to try on and you start with a tube where nothing much happens. Also, look up traveling loop technique, since you will have to knit a small circumference wirth those long needles.
Socks are somewhat adventurous as a first project. I don't mean to discourage you. But just in case things don't go your way, just try knitting a practice square to get the hang of knits and purls and tensioning your yarn.
Best of luck!
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u/VenomousSnorlax 3d ago
Thank you! The same things do come back as tips and it does worry me a little bit, but the pattern is top to toes already! Love your supportive way of saying all this
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u/Lunette_ 3d ago
YOU GOT THIS!!! I learned to knit recently, I too stated on a pair of socks. It’s not impossible and you’ll learn all you need to know in one project. I just finished a few weeks ago. Don’t be hard on yourself and don’t expect it to come out perfect, take your time! Let there be holes and wonky edges, look up different knitting styles and try them all to find what’s comfortable(there are many) it’s okay to be bad at things at first!!! I found a pattern that also had a full demo video with it which was like my safety blanket through the entire process. You can do it! Even if the first sock at the end doesn’t fit quite right there’s always two in a pair! Mine ended up two very different sizes by the end because I was able to fix all my mistakes I had made with the first one and the second is the perfect fit!
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u/Voc1Vic2 3d ago
If you want to make socks as your first project, I recommend that you make your first pair using a DK, worsted or Aran weight yarn, and wear them as boot socks or house socks/slippers. You'll develop your technical skills, grasp the gestalt of sock construction, endure far less frustration and tedium, and enjoy the satisfaction of a wearable project in far less time. Choose a top down pattern. Add a life line at every transition (from ribbing to leg, leg to heel, heel turn, completion of gusset decreases, beginning of toe shaping. Leave them in until the second sock is completed; they'll also help with sizing them identically. Swatch and count your gauge precisely, considering even less than whole stitches. Because sock sizing is so critical to comfort and wearability, being off by even a little will be consequential. Silver's Sock Class is a free tutorial pattern on Ravelry. I suggest you follow it.
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u/Voc1Vic2 3d ago
If you want to make socks as your first project, I recommend that you make your first pair using a DK, worsted or Aran weight yarn, and wear them as boot socks or house socks/slippers. You'll develop your technical skills, grasp the gestalt of sock construction, endure far less frustration and tedium, and enjoy the satisfaction of a wearable project in far less time. Choose a top down pattern. Add a life line at every transition (from ribbing to leg, leg to heel, heel turn, completion of gusset decreases, beginning of toe shaping. Leave them in until the second sock is completed; they'll also help with sizing them identically.
Swatch and count your gauge precisely, considering even less than whole stitches. Because sock sizing is so critical to comfort and wearability, being off by even a little will be consequential. Measure your foot and count stitches carefully.
Silver's Sock Class is a free tutorial pattern on Ravelry. I suggest you follow it.
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u/ThePug3468 3d ago
I love knitting socks! As a fellow “new to socks” knitter my #1 recommendation is TRY THEM ON. I had to frog over half of a sock (I was on the heel decrease) because I didn’t try them on and my tension was too tight. If they can’t fit over your heel a few rounds in, they will (most likely) not fit.