I have a cardboard cut out tracing of everyone in my family's foot including brother and sisters in law as well as that of close friends. I make sure to mark with a dot the spot between big toe and next one (the v) as starting the toe from there is a better fit than standard 2 1/2 " before end. Roxanne Richardson taught me that in one of her excellent videos on how to get a better fit sock. I use two circular needles and prefer top down. I use a variety of heels depending on recipient and use of sock (hiking, casual, vamp, shorty etc) but really like the shadow wrap heel. Having these cutouts allows me to surprise friends and family with socks whenever!!

I have my loved ones do measurements regularly. The grown ups can do them infrequently but the kids I ask for every 6 months or so. We have a formula of what Gets measured. Nobody knows what I’ll make from all those measurements until I tell them. Lol.

Rather than a fit related comment. Yesterday I discovered this pattern from ravelry: 5 Heels for the CSM by Valerie Witherington. Short row heels have never fit me right they just fall off my heel every time! However we can do square heels, heel flap with gusset and mini short row heels.. There's a whole raft of heel types other than the generic short row.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Love that! I'm off to check out the pattern! Thanks for the suggestion Rikki!

@Thepaintedtiger

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I was thrilled when I found those, as I need more depth for the heel and want a square heel with a bit of a gusset. I can do them on my flatbed, and was going to figure it out for CSM, but I'm also perfectly happy to not reinvent the wheel!

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

Oh! I spend a ton of time on Ravelry but never would have thought to look for CSM patterns there! Awesome! I have a CSM that I haven't used for a very long time. I put it away when my youngest child was born because I knew I wouldn't have time for it. He's 14 now! I have to learn this stuff all over again! And there seems to be a lot of new stuff/info out there. I do have that tong-hook thing but not the disk and I don't remember anything about it, where I got it or any other details. I'm actually glad to see that it has some sort of purpose! I'll be watching this space for more sock knitting info!

I've been a fan of your hand-dyed yarns for a long time. I'm glad you are immense in the CSM world. You're right that it takes a long time to master the machine. Many people would assume it would be as easy as throwing yarn on the machine and cranking away. Only the dearest people receive my socks and they love to share with me their shoe sizes. Most people belong in the medium-size category except for one lady size 13, so I can't go wrong with sticking to US Women's 8 and Men's 11. BTW, many beginners knit too tight on the machine and get into all kinds of problems. Wool yarn stretches and is very forgiving so ease up on the tension!

Thank you for discussing gauge! So many people who make socks on their machines don't understand how important it is. Once you get going on your ribber, you will love it! Total game changer. I do not have wide feet and use the 72 cylinder for all my socks with ribbing on top of the foot.

Felicia, you genius! Thank you for the tip about putting the quilting clip on the clattery thing (technical term) to reduce the noise of operation! That's made it possible for another person to be in the room with me when I'm cranking. This is important because the machine is in our living room, where we watch TV and stuff.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Haha that’s exactly why I use the clip… so I can crank in the evening while my husband and I watch a show 😆 practical tips hehe!

I’ve been playing around with cranking tubes and hand knitting heel flap and gusset because short row heels don’t fit well with shoes on my foot. They’re fine without shoes though. Then I graft the tube back on and work the toe. I’ve also been playing with crochet cuffs. Thanks for the video! ❤

Great video! I recently got an Erlbacher CSM too and after using the formula provided by @thegirlwhowearswoolsocks I was able to successfully knit my first pair that fit. For Kitchener, Dean & Beans has a great video for how to close the toe using the purl side. I find it a lot faster and easier to follow than doing it from the stockinette side.

Hi Felicia, absolutely adore your channel. You are so upbeat and friendly. Have you heard of pre-heel? It’s 20-30 rows of tighter knitting on the CSM, which I think is for tightening the ankle part of the sock although I’m not 100% sure as I’m only just learning about it. It’s written in a sock pattern I’m using from the Erlbacher booklet you receive with the machine, page 32 Project 5 😊

I trace the foot of each person (or have them do it). Mark the pinky toe and the heel bone on the template. That's it. I tend to use lycra with socks on the preheel, heel, and foot only. The lycra creates an elastic fabric, so the foot (the important part) is more of a one-size-fits-many. If you knit without lycra, you'll want negative ease in your sock. I knit the cuff and the leg, then the heel. When knitting the foot part, measure from the heel to the pinky toe to get a general idea of how many rows you need (you can use the leg knitting as a general guide). If I think I need somewhere around 65 rows, I slow down at row 55. Insert your foot template so that the heel of the template nestles into the heel of the sock on the machine. You want to knit until the pinky line of the template is flush with the top of the cylinder. Note how many rows you knit so you can replicate it on the second sock, and start your toe here. I'm that person who can't be bothered to actually do the math, so I work from the template.

This video was really informative. I'm still trying to understand the decreases and wrapping. If only I could see a video with that process I think I could move on to learning how to do the toe since it is similar. Can't wait to see the next steps in your discovery.

Just so you know I have been a fan of Sweet Georgia yarns forever! So I am very honored that you found my formula helpful! Also I love how you explained information input to sock output. Hand knitters don’t have to do this. Also socks washed in the washing machine do become slightly smaller so, if they tell you “it is to big” tell the to wash first. Try toe up but remember that even toe up hand knitters struggle with finding a bind off that is stretchy enough to fit around a leg and you might spend more time binding off then Kitchener stitching the toes shut. Have you done it inside out with waste yarn, needle and thread? So much easier the the traditional method. 😅 Try timing both methods! Any way to make the less exciting parts go faster. I made a universal shoe size comparison spreadsheet. That way I can swap out the gauge if I need to and has negative ease calculated into it. I would also suggest keeping track of the socks you have made. I use a spreadsheet with the recipient, yarn used, shoe size, sock style, and the rows used (like this, 24-90-heel type-60

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Aww thank you so much for watching! I've been so inspired watching all your sock cranking videos ❤ YES, I did think about the fact that I'd still have to finish the top of the socks with a toe-up method... I wonder how commercial knitting machines do it? And thanks for your recommendation about grafting inside out... I just looked that up and it does look WAY faster! In next week's live stream, I'm going to show the documentation system I'm building right now... but it's to hopefully help me keep better track of all the socks (and projects) I make!

@knitsocks

Жыл бұрын

@@sweetgeorgia fun fact. Ribbed 1x1 fabric finishes itself! Also most commercial socks, have a sewn seam at the toe. It is just disguised!

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

These are really good points! I won't even try toe-up on my CSM. My toe up hand knit socks were always a fail no matter what bind off I tried. Either it looked sloppy or I couldn't get it over my foot. :)

lava love socks!

Thank you for this excellent video. I am going to use this for future sock making.

I knit socks by hand when I'm doing cables or color work. For plain vanilla or simple lace socks, even though I have a vintage Légaré CSM, I prefer using my old Passap double bed knitting machine. With the Passap I'm not limited by cylinder size and I can shape the toes easily. It's also easier to get the gauge I want.

Hey Felicia, Love to see your journey with the CSM. It takes a while but with practice and determination it can be a really rewarding process. You’ll make it! I prefer the toe-up method - actually, I’ve never tried the sock tube method cuff down and closing the toe - that’s the way I learned it (from @EhKay3 in her tutorial ‘Vintage Sock Knitter’) and I stuck with it. I’ve knit gifts for people but I was very much upfront with them. I wanted them to fit and that was more important to me than make a secret out of it. The gift lies in the form fitting sock that they get. They loved it anyway 🙂The gauge was a trial and error for me. I tested a lot on my own feet (same as you) and calculated from there. Concerning the toe closing. You say you need so long to close all the toes. Have you tried the Finchley Graft? It’s much easier and quicker than Kitchener. Maybe that makes it easier for you. You can find a tutorial by Roxanne Richardson on it - she rediscovered it.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic, thank you so much for the EhKay3 recommendation... I hadn't seen her channel before! SO many new videos to explore! I'm going to check out her toe-up method. And thanks to comments here this morning, I've just learned about grafting inside out! AMAZING! I'm going to try it for my next sock! Thank you!

Thank you...this was super helpful. I have been through the same learning curve as you, except on a vintage Auto Knitter. It has all been trial and a lot of error, but with the realisation that to progress I need to keep comprehensive notes on what I'm doing. I have had some success and made socks for family mainly. However, I seem to be reestimating row gauge repeatedly, as i don't have a proper recording ystem in place as yet. So I'm very interested in all your advice and tips. I don't really see any way around asking people their shoe size and keeping a record. I have gleaned a lot of tips from videos, but found it hard to get all the information in a comprehensive manner from any source. So thank you for your input ..much appreciated!

I ask the good friend/spouse for the shoe size of the person I want to knit socks for. I knit by hand. I keep the info in a specific knitting notebook. Love your program!

I bet you could create a form in excel with all their measurements and create formulas to calculate the stitches and rounds/rows needed for their socks. You could also have a chart with everyone's measurements and just update as needed.

This is SO FUN! Thanks for speaking sensibly and efficiently about the learning process! This is Denise at Stockingfoot Knits. 1. I knit with "ballpark figures" (always multiples of five rows). Basically, I knit the socks, wash them and dry them-- and then I measure what I've got. EVEN when I use the same yarn brand, the socks do what they want, you know? I'm helped by knitting MANY socks, so I have "backups" if the fit is wrong. I use Katrinkles measuring tools when the socks are washed and dried. 2. A sock with lycra fits a broader range of feet. A RIBBED sock with lycra fits a REALLY broad range of feet. People have strong feelings about washable-wool socks and lycra content, and I respect those strong feelings. However, what if one pair of socks could fit a women size 8 OR a men size 12? That's a good option for fitting many people with the same pair. 3. I too am interested in toe-up socks, but have not found a bind-off that looks as good as I'd like. I've been watching WillieNillieKnits' video on "the tubular bind-off" for ribbing, and I hope to try to do that technique on the machine, with a latch-tool. I'm not sure if I'll try it anytime soon! My method is "I can try a new technique when I have 40 pairs in stock," or something like that. I enjoy following your work! How fun to catch this today. Best wishes with your next set of techniques!

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

Great points--but boy is that ribber scary!

@dframeh

Жыл бұрын

@@jenthulhu it's a REALLY GOOD TOOL to learn. It is a little like starting the learning curve all over again, too. Completely worthwhile.

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

@@dframeh I'm sure that's true. There is so much more information out there now than there was 15 years ago when I bought my machine! I just need to find it.

First, the charts you are using are great if you are doing the same type of toe and heel as the author, otherwise you could be off by several rows. I keep a card of rows per inch (rpi) and tension setting on the CSM for each type of yarn I'm using after doing a swatch and base the foot size as inches x rpi minus the rows of half my toe and heel for the type I'm knitting (you can "air knit" a toe and heel and count the number of rows you have and divide by half). Toe and heel techniques vary quite a bit so you need to make sure you know the rows of the method you are using. Second, I ask friends and family to trace both feet for me then I measure the larger of the two feet and use that measurement for the foot length and incorporating 10% negative ease along with using cobweb lycra. For a better fit, I use ribbing such as 3 x 1 or 5 x 1 in the leg and top of the foot for 72 slot cylinder. The pattern you are using is good for a 54 or 60 slot cylinder for smaller feet but will be sloppy in the fit for larger cylinders. Finally, you need to make friends with your ribber and it looks like you are ready to take that next step with your CSM.

i don't knit socks for others *yet* but i've been knitting hats for my big group of friends who live all over the world and i've been inconspicuously asking "hey whats your favorite color?" and keeping a note with all of them in my phone

I usually just guess! I've never been wrong! Lucky 🍀

I hand knit. I'm obsessed with socks. I have everyone give/send me a template/tracing of their foot with shoe size, whether they have a high arch, calf diameter and favourite finished leg length and colours written on the template. PS I emailed you

Love your channel! I have been using an antique circular sock machine for about a year and I find it completely engrossing and captivating. I'm always learning something new. I'm just now feeling confident about making socks with somebody in mind. I use a combination of referring notes I've written down, good guesses about leg length/preferences and a cool little wooden ruler tool that is helpful for gauging foot length. I became a confident ribber a few months ago and that helps immensely.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Fantastic! YES, becoming confident with the ribber would make things a lot easier, I think. It's just practice... I've heard you can make socks without ever removing the ribber... is this true??

@amanneful

Жыл бұрын

@@sweetgeorgia Some crankers leave the ribber on while they do the heel, but I prefer to "park" the ribber needles (that provide the ribbing down the top of the foot), remove the ribber apparatus temporarily while I do the heel, then "unpark" those ribber needles. I like to see if I've dropped any stitches. BTW, you're the reason I got into this quirky hobby. I become 100% intrigued when I saw your post about taking the plunge and buying an Erlbacher. I googled Erlbacher and here we are!

@dorindabalanecki9307

Жыл бұрын

​@SweetGeorgia yes indeed it is true and not as hard as it sounds!

@rmcgeher

Жыл бұрын

Don't Fear the Ribber!

I pick up the stitches from the wasteyarn on 2 double point needles and close it with the finchley graft. Works very fine for me.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

WOO! I just looked up the Finchley Graft and it looks WAY faster! thank you for that!

I was thinking that a hundred years ago or so, when these machines were originally made for the war effort there were surely patterns distributed that were meant to fit a variety of feet. Likely they utilized the ribber. Because people were paid to make socks for soldiers, weren't they? I bet some of those are still extant and could give a lot of insight. Also, I think some people change the tension for looser and tighter knit for bigger and smaller feet. It makes more sense to have a nice dense knit all of the time, though, if possible, simply for wear.

Stephanie Pearl McPhee wrote in one of her knitting books (I think it was Knitting Rules!) that the length of one's foot - including toes - is about the length of one's forearm. Then you can use that to calculate what the shoe size is and then the rest of the numbers you need from that. Your CSM journey has been so inspiring! I really want to pick this up now and make all my own socks!

@Thepaintedtiger

Жыл бұрын

How many of us just tried putting our foot against our forearm?

@gretacornejo9713

Жыл бұрын

@@Thepaintedtiger this measurement is not true on my case🤣

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

@The Painted Tiger 😂

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

I've heard this too! I also think socks are pretty flexible and can usually stretch to fit the foot... hopefully.

Could you post your links in the blurb above? It is so hard to pick them off of the video. THANKS You inspired me to get back into CSM knitting. I broke my wrist back in 2014 and could not use my machines, so I sold them. Well ... its much better now ... and I have ORDERED a new machine!

Love your videos! Made many hand knit socks for myself and hubby. Ready to move on to machine knitting for gift giving. Thanks for the tip on the Etsy sock calculation chart! Waiting for my machine to arrive!

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Oooh that’s exciting!! Congrats on your new machine!!

@rondyastevenson9785

Жыл бұрын

@@sweetgeorgia Hi been enjoying your videos. I find you will have to use the “Ribber” to get a nice tight fitting sock. I do a 3-1 rib. I know it’s a whole new thing to add the ribber. I’ve made 100% wool socks w/o the rubber, more like house socks, starts out BIG knowing they will shrink to fit. When I use the ribber I have to take my time, and have a step-by-step written procedure I follow. I use a NZ auto-knitter and have many cylinders 48, 56, 72,84 & 96 - never used the 96?. I don’t use my auto-knitter as much as I use to. I have acquired a collection of self stripping sock yarns I bought on sale that ain’t gonna knit themselves. Thanks for giving me some inspiration. I prefer the smaller cylinders especially with the ribber.

wow!! Can't wait to see everybody's socks!!!

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Haha the next video is going to be about cranking YOUR socks! 😆

@charlottelee623

Жыл бұрын

@@sweetgeorgia that will be AMAZING to see how mine is made!

fabulous - I am still working on socks 2.0 (with ribber!) - never quite got the hang of a toe up and I don't like the bind off at the top either, so I'm resigned to kitchenering... (and fairly proficient at it) - I asked friends and family for their feet sizes in inches sooooo long ago, they've forgotten that they may get socks some day. When I've made socks for sale, I make 'em and then guesstimate what size they'll be for the labels and then it's up to the buyer to figure out if the size will fit them (although I've made the mistake of trying to use UP skeins of yarn and the socks are HUGE!!!)... You'll REALLLY enjoy a crank-in sometime - the one in Canby Oregon third weekend in september has about 35 machines going at once (yes, 35!) - there's a one day in north van the saturday before labour day but I won't be there to meet you... it's a strange little fraternity but sooooo much fun....

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

I used to go to crank-ins in central Indiana. In my early 30s I was always the youngest one there--usually well over a dozen machines at each event. I think they are still going strong as I still get their newsletters about events though I moved too far away to attend.

A couple of ways to get shoe sizes: conversationally tell them you like their shoes, ask where’d they get them, ask how the business was on sizes, yada-yada-yada, what size shoe do you wear? Another way is tell them you need some old shoes to donate to the local dog park. I started knitting so I could knit socks. It’s still beyond my skill level, but I’ll continue working on it.

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

It's not as hard as you think! Try knitting a pair with a worsted weight pattern for warm winter around the house socks--just so you can see everything really well the first couple of times. You'll move on to sock weight in no time. Truly--I learned to knit from a book when I was 11. Knit for a few years (mostly scarves) then set it aside. When I was in my late 20s I picked it back up again--first thing I knit was socks. You can do it!

I knit tons of socks! I even teach sock knitting. My favourite way to knit socks is two at a time, toe up. I found that for most people, socks are fairly universal. I know how big my socks knit up and just make adjustments from there. A few more stitches for men, a few less for children. And I will just tell them I need their shoe size. When they ask why, I just tell them I need it. Now, for something completely different, would you like me to kitchener your toes? I used to hate doing it, but now find it quite relaxing.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

For sure! As a hand knitter, I've used the same sock pattern since 2006 - it fits and it's great. I would adjust up and down as needed for mens and kids. But for the sock machine, it's just required a different approach because certain settings of the machine are fixed. And that's such a lovely offer to kitchener toes for me! ❤ I've been doing them while I was a show with my husband now... it's not too bad, but as always I would prefer knitting 😆

@gship23

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your videos. I just found them and have really enjoyed watching. I respect your candor and transparency. I am curious about a few things. How do you make calf-length socks for a woman that is tall, slender ankles with full athletic calves? What needs to be considered and what do you not worry about? Also, are there sock patterns and materials that are better for diabetics? I am a novice knitter who loves the idea of a CSM.

One of the best tool for gift sock knitting I have if the katrinkles sock ruler. It has inches, centimetres, men and women’s shoe sizes engraved on it, as well as a suggested ease. I am a hand sock knitter and I have also asked shoe sizes or a tracing of a foot from family members. On this tracing I will keep trace of rows for length and stitches cast on in case future adjustments are needed. Kathy

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Love this! It would be so helpful to have a tracing of every family member’s foot 💗 thanks!!

@peterandkathymoran9004

Жыл бұрын

To take the tracing on step further, I have made cardboard templates from the tracing and used them as a ruler. This also helps you get an idea of creating the best sock fit.

My favorite way to get shoe size information from people without letting them know I’m knitting them socks is to either compliment them on their shoes and ask their size along with jokingly threatening to steal said shoes OR I tell them I’m creating a universal chart for future use while emphasizing the math involved. People usually tune out when you say “Knitting Math”. 😂 The real trick is asking people random size questions, frequently, without making anything for them. They just get used to you being weird. 🤣

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Love this!! Great suggestions 💗

Have you ever made socks on the flat bed machine with the ribber?

Have you tried kitchenering from the purl side of the sock? Very easy and takes just a few minutes per sock. Sue Vunesky has a picture tutorial floating around on the web that is easy to follow.

*Sigh* I really need to get on the ball and order a 64 cylinder. My Legare came with the typical 72 and 54, and that does not make a good fabric in a size that will fit me, which has been discouraging me from getting cranking. I have a bit of a backlog of yarn to knit up, and my current socks are wearing out.

@amanneful

Жыл бұрын

Same machine, same cylinders. I bought a 60/60 combination from Dave Lord in Quebec and I'm happy with that for socks that fit me and the girls in my family. 64 is nice, too. Wish I could afford both!

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Aww, yeah, I originally started with the 72 and 60... and just needed that one in the middle... seems like such a small thing, but 4 stitches makes a difference to the gauge and fabric, I found.

Hi, I'm a newbie at knitting and learning everyday. I was wondering if you could tell me where to get that pattern for your sweeter because I like the look of the stitches? Love your channel. Thank you

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Tracy! You can find the pattern here: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beekeeper-cardigan and I made a little tutorial about knitting it here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qaFlwaODYLe5pqw.html

😍🥰❤️👏👏👏🧵✂️🪡😘👍

I’ve been watching videos and reading blogs about knitting socks on a CSM, but when it comes to size, only the length is mentioned. How do you make sock fit on a narrow foot for instance? When knitting a sock by hand, 64 stitches is much too large for my tiny feet. If you intend to make more sock videos, it would be interesting to hear how you have approached this.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely, I got a 48 stitch cylinder to knit socks for my kids and that makes a narrower tube. Some people go to a 60 or 54 slot cylinder for smaller feet. You can also add Lycra to your sock to make it cinch in a bit and snug up to your feet. ☺️

I have never knit socks. I did work in a sock factory for years. Mass produced socks have elastic in them. How does that compare to hand knit?

@RoxyKnits

Жыл бұрын

You’ll never want store bought socks again as once you’ve perfected the fit, wool socks are so comfortable and warm.

@jenthulhu

Жыл бұрын

Wool is fairly elastic, depending on breed. You may be thinking of cotton socks--cotton has no stretch and must have added elastic to retain shape and hug the body. That said, you can also use elastic when knitting socks by hand or by machine. You can get cones of cobweb elastic and carry it along with your normal knitting yarn. I've tried it. It's not my favorite since it changes the look of the yarn. For me (for most people), wool is stretchy enough.

I could have sworn your original cylinder was a 60 but in this (ep 196) you referred to as a 64. Could you clarify, as I'm about ready to place my Erlbacher order and I've have vacillated between these 2 choices, 60 or 64? I live in CA so heavy weight socks are not really my goal. Also, if you had the opportunity to pick yet another cylinder size beyond the 2 you have, what size would you choose and why? Is there a size that lends itself to a hat? Thank you in advance for your time.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

For sure! I originally got the 60 and 72 with my machine but ended up also getting the 48 and 64. I use the 48 for kids socks, the 72 for men’s socks, and the 64 for women’s socks. The 60 was good but I couldn’t get a tighter gauge for the yarn I wanted to use. I would have started with the 64 if I could have done it again…

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

For a hat, I’m not sure… I’ve heard you can use a ribber at half pitch to get double the stitches but I haven’t tried it yet.

@sweetgeorgia

Жыл бұрын

Oh! I made a video in October about handspun on my CSM and talked about the different cylinder sizes and my experience with that…

This is for a different machine, but it is a toe up method, rather like a heel method. (I went looking for the toe up tool, since you didn't have a link in your description box, and found this. I'll bet I can do it without a special tool.) kzread.info/dash/bejne/c22cl5qRZpbWaNo.html

@majasmagic

Жыл бұрын

Oh that a sweet tomato heel