Socks [Paperback]

Rita Buchanan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994

Here are complete instructions for 20 different handspun, handknitted socks. Patterns include hiking socks, knee socks, "girly-girl" lace socks, and much more. You'll also find notes on spinning, choosing equivalent commercial yarns, and managing all the tricky little techniques that make socks so much fun to knit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934026947
• ISBN-13: 978-0934026949
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really good basic introduction to knitting socks, August 28, 1998

By 

A transplanted person ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Socks (Paperback)

There are a lot of things I really like about this book. It has a lot of basic patterns in it that a relative beginner could tackle, but it also has more challenging (and fancier) designs for the advanced knitter. Most of the designs were originally developed for handspun yarn, but commercial yarn substitutes just fine. One neat thing they have is a little diagram showing the thickness of yarn used in the original socks, so you can compare your yarn to be sure it's compatible. I've made a few pairs of socks out of this book and been very happy. One thing: on some of the patterns, there are no "counts" given for turning the heels. On "Basic Socks" for example, I had to use yarn markers to be sure the heel came out right. But other than that, this is a great sock book. A lot of the patterns are designed for worsted-weight yarn, so if you don't always like to work with narrow-narrow little sock yarn, this might be a book for you.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable resource for avid sock knitters, October 20, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Socks (Paperback)

This book is an outgrowth of an issue of Spin-Off that featured hand-knit socks. Spin-Off is Interweave Press's magazine devoted to the art of handspinning fiber. The sock issue sold out and there was quite a lot of demand for a reprint. So the publishers kindly printed up the socks featured in the magazine and added notes for using commercial wools.

Some of the patterns are particularly useful and are ones you won't find elsewhere. For example, there is a pattern for exceptionally warm and comfy fleece-lined socks. There are also a lot of just plain gorgeous socks, plus advice on Kool-Aid(tm) dyeing, a technique that uses unsweetened drink mix to dye wool in all sorts of shades.

If you are a handspinner, this book will speak to you, but even if you are not ever going to try spinning or have access to hand-spun yarn, the sock patterns here are useful and imaginative.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Spinning and Knitting Sock Book, May 28, 2008

By 

An Avid Reader (Iowa, U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Socks (Paperback)

This book is a fantastic find! This is NOT a coffee-table knitting book, full of beautiful but silly patterns. This one book has ideas and patterns for knitting almost any sort of sock you'd like: from beginner thick-wool simple socks to advanced extremely fine-weight wool lace socks. Entrelac socks are covered, as well as fleece-lined socks ala Robin Hansen, as well as double-knitted socks (reversible), "turkish socks" (from the cuff down), simple fair isle knee socks, etc.

As a spinner, I appreciated the info. given in each pattern for the type of wool used, as well as the wraps per inch and yardage. This is also an excellent way to use your commercial wool; I would highly recommend this book (at its very decent price) for knitters who never spin as well.

However, I must mention that most of the socks have written directions for a woman adult's sock. If you're already a sock knitter, or if you can follow the suggestions given for altering sizes (not difficult), this won't bother you a bit. Although this is a book of knitting patterns, it is also a perfect collection of inspiring ideas for "thinking knitters" and spinners, who like to create/adapt their own patterns.

I am certainly inpsired by this book, and hope to knit/spin my way through all the patterns.