Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy [Paperback]

Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2004

With only two measurements, knitters can make customized socks. The unusual heel and toe shaping method works fantastically well.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gibson-Roberts is a serious student of sock knitting she is a researcher who has devoted a good part of her career to investigating sock-knitting techniques, especially sock knitting in the Eastern tradition. Her earlier books, Knitting in the Old Way and Ethnic Socks and Stockings, are classics in the field. Simple Socks referring to socks of simple construction now rightfully takes its place next to her earlier books. This is not a sock-pattern book but a study of options for creating a sock with a perfect fit using short-row techniques for shaping both heels and toes. The author's attention to detail and clear black-and-white illustrations are especially impressive. Highly recommended for large public libraries and for smaller public libraries where demand warrants.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“This expertly put-together book Is a gem”/ Highly recommended --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Nomad Press (January 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966828941
• ISBN-13: 978-0966828948
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sockmakers have waited for years for this information!, September 11, 2002

By 

S. D. Murphy "murphy" (rainy WA coastline) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Simple Socks Plain and Fancy (Hardcover)

As one who views socknitting as an engineering design challenge, I am always looking for ways to improve shaping and fitting the socks I make. I have never been happy with the way toes are shaped, and wondered why we couldn't use the "short-row" technique on toes just as we do on heels, then make a straight join on top of the foot, as commercially made socks do. I was delighted to discover that it is not only possible,but this author tells us exactly how to do it, and then goes on to give us an extraordinary variety of other ways to vary our designs. This is not a book of "patterns"; it is much more valuable than that! You can find the General Laws of the Sock-knitting Universe in this book and then you will become the master all all the socks you can knit. This book should belong to every person who knits socks. If you know a sockmaker, give them a copy of this book. You will be rewarded for years to come!

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more sock suffering, January 16, 2004

By 

K. Paige "llamamom" (Livermore, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Simple Socks Plain and Fancy (Hardcover)

Until I got this book, stuffed it into my knitting bag, socks were tedious, livened only by color or a cable here and there. Whatever I did, fit was chancy, we won't discuss heels, and frankly, they were boring to make, not to mention time consuming and frustrating.

Then along came Simple Socks. Ahh. Instead of chancy fit, there's exact fit, including a chart so fitting son Brian with the size 13 needs is as easy as fitting my friend's size 6 feet. Instead of a week of intense work, 3 days. Toes fit, heels fit, I can zip up from the toe or down from the top with nearly equal ease. The techniques are amazingly simple to understand, once you get over the inclination to panic. Clear diagrams, charts, and instructions.

Then came the extra treat: the expansion of the technique to mittens--always a necessity in cooler climes!

I may never BUY socks again...

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A technical manual for specialized sock knitting techniques, August 16, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Simple Socks Plain and Fancy (Hardcover)

Priscilla Gibson-Roberts is a combination anthropological knitter and technical guru; if you want to know about Eastern European socks and stockings, she is the ultimate source. She also spins her own yarns and designs anatomically-fitting socks using the "short-row" technique.

For some knitters (like spatially-challenged little old me), the short row heel and toe method is hard to grasp, so if you long to do that kind of construction on your knitted footwear, this is a valuable reference book. The explanation of the shaping (it's an hourglass) and the description of what parts of the "hourglass" go where (front, back, top , bottom) are good. They are accompanied by ink drawings to illustrate the text.

There are schematics for various types of socks; toe up, toe down, short rowed, stripes vertical and horizontal, motif knitting in the round, and an especially good set of drawings on doing intarsia such as argyle, in circular knitting. Normally, intarsia is done flat knitting only.

The book has only line drawings with ink dots for shading. While it serves to put some dimension to the flatness of the sketches, I found the dot shading made the sock drawings look a bit strange.

If you are a sock knitter and want to advance your technique, this is a useful reference book and should be on the shelf next to Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. It's not as pretty a book as some, but I recommend it as a good technical reference.