Handy Dandy Handycrafty Thread

A revival, but sadly not an especially interesting one.

I've been working on bedsocks for a friend, by which I mean I get about a round done and then forget them for a couple more days until they ask me how they're going. Which seems to be the case with most my projects now. Thanks work and the double-barrelled shotgun you've fired into my attention span's gut.

Socks are hard. They are not simple cylinders, they're more like a cylinder and a tube and a weird angular awkward joiny elbow bit that has to somehow be the strongest part of the sock. Socks are normally knitted, not crocheted, which means I've got even less idea what I'm doing. Mostly making a few rows, then undoing the whole thing again.

I was using a double crochet cluster stitch with a rather chunky hook, which built up fast but was going to be waaaay too flimsy. After darning up the ragged remains of my own socks' heels I can tell that much. Now I'm using Single crochet thermal stitch, which'll be much slower going (between the small stitch size and the constant doubling-back) but creates a noticeably durable textile.

This would probably not be worth documenting if I couldn't gloat about how I managed to convert it to working in the round, which was pure guesswork and thus probably not as hard as I'm giving myself credit for.

The yarn is Ashford Tekapo, 8ply random dyed.



Instructions so far (more like personal notes when I tackle the second sock):

-Each "full" row is actually two rows of single crochet thermal stitch, which makes for less-than-even increases on subsequent rows but mostly works alright.
The toe:
1: 6sc in a magic ring, join to the first stitch with a sl st.
2: chain one, 2sc in the outer loop only of each sc, join to the first stitch with a sl st. (12)
3: chain one, turn, [insert hook into the skipped loop of the first chain on Row 1 and the loop on adjacent stitch of Row 2, pull a loop through, yo, pull through both loops as a sc.] [sctc]. Repeat sctc for each chain on Row 2, sharing Row 1 loops as necessary. Join to first stitch with sl st. (12).
4: chain 1, turn, [sctc in one stitch, 2 sctc in the next stitch]x6. Join with a sl st. (18).
5: chain 1, turn, sctc in each stitch, reusing Row 1 loops as necessary. Join with sl st. (18).
6: repeat Row 4, but with 2sctc every 2 stitches for another increase of 6. (24).
7: Repeat Row 5.
8-11: Repeat steps 4 and 5 with six increases per paired row (36).

Foot:
12-~46: sctc in every sctc to create a "sock" tube. (i.e. 16 double-worked rows long) Cry for twenty minutes as you figure out how heels work. Ensure that the last row has its chains outward; i.e. the next row of sctc will be worked on the inside of the sock.

Heel:
Chain 42, or a large enough circumference to comfortably pass the widest point of the foot (front base of shin to back of ankle). Attach with sl st, without twisting the chain, to the third stitch back from the base of the chain. This forms the edge between the leg and ankle portions.

~47: sctc in every stitch (35 stitches.) sl st in the chain back of the first stitch on the "foot" loop.
48: ch 1, turn, sctc in every stitch (exterior).



36 stitches on a 6mm hook with my 8ply yarn produces a foot about 8cm in diameter, which is about perfect for a bedsock that you wear over another sock. The only good way to gauge whether it's the right size is to proceed on for several more rows at 36 stitches and see if the resulting tube fits.



I'm still figuring out how to tackle the ankle. Feet apparently don't quite work how I expected them to!