Knitting Socks As Gifts

Knitting spiral tube socks takes some of the guesswork out of knitting gifts and leaves some of the surprise in.

Half of the fun of gift giving is the surprise and delight on the recipient's face. Knitting for gift giving is problematic - you need measurements to keep the delight on that face, but asking for measurements takes away a lot of the surprise.

There's no delight in a sweater big enough for two, or a sock two inches too short. But don't give up, the spiral tube sock is a great option.

This pattern is considered "intermediate" because it assumes you've overcome the quite irrational fear of knitting in the round with four or more double-pointed needles.

These socks have a lot of lateral stretch so you don't need to worry about knowing the exact circumference of the leg or foot. Perfect, eh?

This is the basic pattern but as always, mix it up to your own satisfaction. Experiment with different size ribs, how many rounds you knit before the "twist", horizontal stripes, etc.

Start by knitting a K1,P1 rib for about 1 inch. Keep track of how many rounds this is, for the second sock.

Then switch to a wider rib, at least K4,P4 - if you are knitting with thinner yarn, you may want to expand this to K7,P7 or whatever pleases your eye.

You will now knit a series of rounds, let's say 4 rounds, in your rib of choice. For this example I will use K4,P4.

Therefore, knit 4 rounds in K4,P4.

Next 4 rounds, K3,*P4,K4, continue around from *.

Next 4 rounds, K2,*P4,K4 around.

Next 4 rounds, K1,*P4,K4 around

Next 4 rounds, *P4,K4 around.

See? It's forming a spiral.

Continue knitting and twisting until you are 2" from the toe and maybe quite dizzy :-)

If your knitting measures 14" at this point, your leg length will be 6-7". This is how my socks fit me, a size 8 woman's sock. Since there is no knitted-in heel, there is leeway for differences one way or another.

Here are some great ideas for different toes. My favorite for tube socks is the star toe - plus the instructions are short, not so intimidating!

http://www.socknitters.com/lessons/toes.htm

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