Customer Reviews

The Sock Knitting Kit: Six Splendid Patterns for Toasty Toes

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this kit so that I could learn to knit socks as Christmas gifts. It's a kit, right? And I know how to knit. I've just never tried socks before.

THERE ARE NO INSTRUCTIONAL PICTURES. THERE ARE NO REAL INSTRUCTIONS!! This is not a kit for people that don't know how to knit socks, it's a kit for people who already have that knowlege, in which case, why would they need this kit??? I wouldn't buy a scarf making kit. I know how to make scarves. Why on earth would anyone who already knows how to make socks buy this kit?? I assumed it was for newbies like me. I was wrong.

I'm very disappointed. Now I'll have to search for detailed instructions and videos on Youtube, just to be able to make the socks in this kit. Why would you include a booklet for knitting socks WITHOUT ANY INSTRUCTIONS????

I'm so frustrated. Can you tell?

Received this kit as a gift. It's not something I would have purchased myself as I am not a kit kind of a person, but, what the heck, free is free.

I agree with previous reviewers about the instructions being way too sketchy for a novice sock knitter. Diagrams are pretty darn necessary to figure out how to turn a heel. Or to do a gusset or the Kitchener stitch to close the toe. This book just says use the Kitchener and doesn't say how to do it. I've known grown women who will run screaming from the room when confronted with the Kitchener. Detailed instructions are absolutely necessary.

My main gripe, however, is that the yarn is not identified as to fiber content or care requirements. I'm pretty sure it's synthetic. I think I will get a match and see if it catches on fire or melts. (Putting my money on melting.)

Final analysis: The gift box is cute, the mystery yarn's a pretty color, the book looks nice, but it's all icing with no cake underneath. Don't waste your money on it.

You would think a "kit" would contain everything you need to knit socks, right? Not this one. Unless you are already an expert knitter, take a pass. I knit scarves, but wanted to take my skills to the next level and bought this cute kit. All the pictures are only of finished product - there are NO instructional photos or diagrams. So unless you know what "intarsal" means and many other technical terms, you will waste all your money on this terrible product. Such a good idea - these authors are either really, really lazy or they are so smart they figured out how to rip off many buyers with a trashy product that doesn't do what it implies. I'm disgusted.

I received this kit as a gift. I've knitted for years, but had never tried socks. I thought the instructions and pattern descriptions were fine, and I was able to follow along. I can see, though, how some of the other reviewers might have been frustrated because there are no images and the instructions definitely assume a certain level of knitting experience. All in all, I thought the book was fine. My problem is that the kit didn't come with enough yarn to finish a pair of socks!! I am almost done knitting the "unisex" sock pattern, and have about 1/3 of the sock left, and I'm nearly out of yarn. I will need to go to the store and try to color match as best I can so I can finish.

As with most Chronicle books this is nothing more than a disappointment designed mostly to look good. The instructions are convoluted at best and the designs are impractical at worst. As previous reviewers complained the instructions make very little sense or are missing some steps and are written in a way that could hardly be discernible to a newbie or a knitter who is attempting to cast on their first sock.

The only way a complete set of socks can be made with the yarn supplied is to seriously downsize the pattern 'suggested', in this case the Unisex socks. The pattern will produce, as followed a women's large/men's medium socks. I was only able to squeeze out a women's small/medium - just BARELY - with the yarn provided.

For the record the yarn is acrylic, though that is just one of the many things either not mentioned or just a down right discrepancy in the instruction manual. Sadly, Chronicle books is all about putting out lovely little, trendy gifty type books with very little effort in editing and value of the actual product.

Sad.

Got this as a thank-you gift from my boyfriend's mom last year. I had only knitted scarfs at that point, so she thought I'd like a challenge and try knitting socks, since she heared "if you can knit a sock, you can knit pretty much anything." I opened the cute box and flipped through the patterns. Now, I can read patterns, and know things like intarsia knitting and kitchener stitch (I've tried different patterns and techniques in every one of the scarfs I knitted), so I don't have a beef with the booklet of cute socks. Everything else were, well, sort of off.

Yarn: It is indeed a mystery yarn, like another comment said. What's the material? I suppose I can find out by lighting it on fire, or knit a little swatch (sample patch of fabric) and see how it washes/felts. But really, some identification would be nice. Oh, and (this is probably my fault) being used to center-pull skeins bought at Michael's, I tried to untwist the yarn and wind it into a yarn ball myself. Let's just say that half of the skein is still an a tangled pile and I still can't make myself go and sort it out a year later.

Needles: Again no identification. I guess this is not that big of a deal since you can probably sick it in a needle gauge and figure it out in seconds. But FYI for those of you that don't have one (I didn't), they are US size 2 double-pointed-needles (DPNs).

All of the above = Kit: I think it's misleading to call it a kit. If they had only 2 patterns in the booklet, but they can be made with the needles and yarn provided, with detailed instructions for newbies on HOW to knit them, then I'd call it a kit. Instead it has only the tool and material required for 1 pattern (there's only 1 among the 6 that calls for size 2 needles), and knitting pattern language that newbies can't understand without illustration.

Bottom line: If you are a knitting newbie, this kit won't do much for you without a lot of other reference information. On the other hand, for advanced amateurs or experienced knitters, this kit seems pointless since they probably already have the needles, and would like to select the type/color of yarn they prefer. Even though the booklet does have some cute patterns, if you are an experienced knitter, well, you can probably find very similar sock patterns online for free, or among a much bigger book of sock patterns equal to or less than the price of this kit.

I purchased this book for my wife as a way to hint at a Christmas gift for myself. She learned how to do some basic knitting a few months ago and has been making a lot of scarves ever since. I was hoping this kit would inspire some new creations. To my surprise, she's already made her first pair and is about half way done with another one of the amazing designs! Admittedly, I have no idea how to knit, but from what my wife has been saying, even beginners will have fun and advance their skills by using this kit. And as the recipient of that first pair of socks, I recommend this item as the perfect gift for any of your loved ones!

I loved the whole concept of the kit! The color of the wool was so nice. Having the needles and the wool and the book at your fingertips is so great! The book contains excellent directions and the photography is beautiful and is an extra plus.
Enjoyed the kit so much that I purchased 4 more for Christmas gifts for other family members.
Lois Garbarini