Welcome to the Use Every Scrap Knitalong! Over the next two months we will make a pair of socks together – socks that use every scrap of yarn.
Our first task is to decide what yarn to use. Will you use a combination of scraps or a whole skein of something?
I’m planning to make two pairs of socks: one will use a birthday present skein of I Can Dance from Fab Funky Fibres (above centre), and the other will use up some leftovers. I can’t quite decide between the two options above. On the left is a selection of Coop Knits Socks Yeah! 4ply, along with leftovers of Zauberball Crazy. And on the right are two shades of Coop Knits Socks Yeah! 4ply along with the leftover of my Fab Funky Fibres Human Kind yarn that I used to make this amazing hat…
Now you need to divide your yarn into two sets – one for each leg. If you want to make matching socks, first check that it will be possible with your yarn. Our exclusive Something to Knit a Rainbow With sets, for example, are purposefully designed so that you have different coloured stripes on each sock. You can absolutely use this yarn for a pair of Use Every Scrap Socks, it’s just that the two socks won’t be identical.
Some yarns have short pattern repeats, and can be wound off so that each sock matches exactly (West Yorkshire Spinners self-striping sock yarn would be an example of this), and others have either much longer pattern repeats (like Zauberballs) or no discernible pattern repeat (like Zauberball Crazy). These yarns are harder to match up. And finally, some yarns are designed to match exactly, like these Fab Funky Fibres sets, where each skein starts and ends on the same colour repeat (just be sure to check you start each sock from the same end of the colourway!). You can use any of these options for your socks, but it’s good to know from the start whether you are aiming for identical socks, or not.
If you are working with scrap yarns, you can go wild with colour combinations and make either matching or fraternal socks. To make at least loosely matching socks, I suggest that you divide each scrap ball in half. You may wish to pop each set of yarn in a different bag so that you know which is which.
At the end of this post, you will find information on how much yarn you will need (depending on what thickness you choose), as well as suggested needle sizes, and tension information. I recommend having two sets of needles, so that you can work on both socks at the same time, but this isn’t vital.
Before we cast on, you will need to work out what tension you are getting with your chosen yarn(s). So unless you are using a sock yarn where you have finished socks that you can measure your tension from, I’m sorry, but some swatch knitting is a good idea. Cast on a few more stitches than I suggest you need to 10cm [4in], and work in the round in stocking stitch until your swatch is a bit over 5cm [2in] long. Then count how many stitches you are getting to 5cm [2in] across the middle of the swatch (you can then double it to work out how many stitches to 10cm [4in]). Your round tension is less important at the moment, and once you need it, you will have knitted plenty of sock, so you can measure it on the real thing. For extra credit, soak your swatch and let it dry before you measure. Just in case it changes after washing. It’s much better to know that before you cast on! No-one wants a sock that goes all floppy after its first wash.
Socks are generally knitted at a tight gauge to give them longevity, so do check that your fabric is quite dense and you can’t easily see your fingers through the stitches, if you stretch the fabric. You can knit socks on all sorts of different types of needles: Long circular needle (80–100cm [32–40in] long) for magic loop, double-pointed needles, short circular, Flexi-Flips (aka Addi CrasyTrios) to name just a few.
Finally, if you need some sock yarn stash enhancement, you will find all of our sock yarns in our online shop here: Sock Yarn Temptation
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You can find all the details on joining the knitalong in our announcement post here: Use Every Scrap KAL
We will be back next week with casting on information. Until then, have fun playing with your yarn!
4Ply (fingering) sock yarn
Quantity: Approximately 350–400m [382–437yds] of yarn. This is usually around 100g.
Tension: I would suggest aiming for around 36 sts and 50 rounds to 10cm [4in].
Needles: I use 2.5mm [US 1.5] needles to achieve this gauge, but you may require smaller or larger needles.
Sport weight (6ply) sock yarn
Quantity: Approximately 300–350m [328–382yds]. This is usually around 100g.
Tension: Aim for approximately 30 sts and 44 rounds to 10cm [4in].
Needles: 2.75–3mm [US 2–2.5] needles would be a good starting point for checking your tension, but you may need a different size to get a fabric suitable for socks.
DK weight sock yarn
Quantity: 225–275m [246–300yds]. This is usually approximately 100–150g.
Tension: Something around 28 sts and 40 rounds to 10cm [4in] should be suitable for socks.
Needles: 3–3.25mm [US 2.5–3] should be in the right ball-park. But do knit a swatch to check!
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