You Don’t Have to be a Knitting Expert to Learn How to Make a Baby Sock – Part 2

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Knitting Baby Socks Beginners Series You don t have to be a knitting expert to learn how to make a baby sock 1

Tools

You just need a few items to get started. It may sound like a lot but really it’s not much.

First, you need a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn. You will also need a pair of scissors and a darning needle.

If you don’t have a darning needle to begin with, it’s okay. You can eventually get one since you’ll need it for the end of your baby sock project.

Knitting Needles

What type of needles do you need in order to make a little sock?

While it doesn’t seem like a standard way to make socks, single-pointed knitted needles can be used. I prefer using bamboo or wooden double-pointed needles because I like the flexibility of getting accustomed to those. Then you also have the option of using circular knitting needles, which are needles that are joined together by a flexible cord.

What Size?

I have found that anywhere between a 4.0 mm to 2.75 mm double-pointed knitting needles make anywhere from a decent thick baby sock to finer “shoe sock” ones.

I plan to explain more of this later.

Franicia lettering with colored pencils

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You Don’t Have to be a Knitting Expert to Learn How to Make a Baby Sock – Part 1

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Knitting Baby Socks Beginners Series You don t have to be a knitting expert to learn how to make a baby sock 1

Your Biggest Ticket to Your Success

I believe your motivation and enthusiastic drive to want to learn how to knit a pair of baby socks is key to your success. It’s one of the keys to do almost anything in life.

Having that drive has helped me to be self-motivated and able to accomplish much. It has helped me to knit a few cozy pairs of socks for my precious children (baby and toddlers) and for baby shower gifts.

Happy to Share

Knitting baby socks still doesn’t come easy to me but I am happy to share with others how this beginner knitter was able to do that. I think it’s a wonderful skill to learn. I believe it’s an especially helpful survival skill to learn if you are in you are or will be in your child bearing years and live in a cold region.

Different Methods for Different Beginners

I want to try to develop different ways that make it easy for just about anybody to learn how to knit baby socks. There will be beginners who have no knitting knowledge. That’s good! There will be some people who are experienced in knitting but not in baby sock construction. That’s wonderful too!

Franicia lettering with colored pencils

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More Detailed Knitting Information for Making This Baby Sock

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Note: If you missed the first part of this post, click here.

 

I knit this baby sock from the top down using the short row method for the heel and toe as taught by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts.

Tools

I love using wooden double-pointed needles especially for baby socks.  The needles I used were 2.5 mm bamboo ones.

The yarn is a variegated wool and nylon blend sock yarn from Berroco Sox™.

Starting the Top Down Baby Sock

I casted on 24 stitches loosely since these were going to help my sock ribbing to be as elastic as possible.

I casted all of my stitches onto one needle and then dispersed my stitches onto 4 needles and knit with a 5th one.

Cuff

I used a rib pattern of knit 3 purl 1 for the cuff of the sock.  The cuff was about 4 rows thick.

Leg

This is the first baby sock that I’ve made that had no holes in the gusset! When I completed that first beautiful short row heel it was such an accomplishment. I used Priscilla Gibson-Robert’s instructions from her Dream Socks Pattern and used her book Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy as an extra guide.

Foot

This was made using the simple stockinette stitch.

I knit in this manner until the foot was around 2 inches long from the back of the heel.

Toe

I worked on this short row toe just the same way I knit the heel with Priscilla’s no-hole and no-wrap-and-turn-method.

For grafting (closing off) the toe I used Priscilla’s invisible bind-off method illustrated in the same book as well. It reminds me a lot of the Kitchener stitch and could possibly be the same thing but at this point I am not able to recall. I used a metal darning needle from a Chibi needle set I own.

Franicia lettering with colored pencils

More Photos



In this photo I’ve completed knitting the toe of the baby sock and am going to shift my stitches from 4 needles down to 2 needles in order to graft them.

I am binding off the short row tow using the invisible bind off method.


This is Priscilla Gibson Robert’s book Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy. I believe I bought it used from Amazon.com.

How I Learned to Knit a Baby Sock with Short Row Toes and Heels Using Priscilla Gibson-Robert’s Method on Double-Pointed Needles

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Note: I first posted this in August 2010 on my personal website. I had been wanting to start a separate sock knitting website dedicated to the art of knitting baby socks.

 

Two Year Sock-Making Journey

I have been trying to master the art of knitting baby socks for the last couple of years.

I first started using a wrap and turn method and working from the top down.  I tried different variations of guessing my way around using the toe up sock method too.

The free pattern below is what I made for a sock that looks like it would make a sweet addition to your newborn baby clothing (possibly premature babies as well).

Helpful Materials and People

I came across Priscilla Gibson Robert’s free pattern from  Interweave Knits at this website address:  dlainjackson.pbworks.com/f/pgrdreamsocks.pdf

I am so thankful for all the help I’ve had on this journey.  I have been dissecting and observing many different sock knitting methods online, knitting books I’ve bought, and one-on-one help from a talented knitter and local knitting store owner named Amy from King’s Sewing and Knitting Center in Pensacola, Florida.  Thank you for your love of teaching the art of knitting and your patience Amy!

Another Basic Sock Pattern Concept

If you are searching for a free sock knitting pattern that is pretty basic and good to use to practice learning how to knit a baby (possibly preemie too) sock with no holes in the gusset, please feel free to use the following easy sock pattern I created.

The Basic Pattern for Knitting This Newborn (Possibly Premature) Baby Sock

Total Stitches:  24 stitches

Top/  Cuff:  4 rows of Knit 3 Purl 1

Gauge:  I am not putting one up right now on purpose.  I used a variegated wool and nylon blend sock yarn from Berroco Sox™.

Leg:  Stockinette stitch

Heel:  Short row heel using Priscilla Gibson-Robert’s method from Simple Socks:  Plain and Fancy

Foot:  Stockinette stitch

Toe:  Short row heel using Priscilla Gibson-Robert’s method from Simple Socks:  Plain and Fancy


Go here for additional photos and information at More Detailed Knitting Information for Making This Baby Sock

Franicia lettering with colored pencils