Measure your foot circumference: Take the measurement around the ball of your foot, which typically is the largest circumference. Do not include a bunion in this measurement. You should be standing when you measure your foot.

Measure your foot length: The easiest way to do this is to place a piece of paper on the ground and then trace around your foot. Make sure that you’re having your full weight on the foot while tracing. If your foot does not fit into one paper, tape two pieces together. Then take your drawing and measure the outline from the back/central part of the heel to the end of the longest toe.

With Turkish cast-on method CO 16 sts (8 sts / needle).

Knit one round.

You can place a marker at the beginning of the round.

Increase round

• Needle 1: k1, k1fb, k to 2 sts from end, k1fb, k1.
• Needle 2: Work the same way as Needle 1.

Repeat increases every round 3 more times. You should now have a total of 32 sts.

Now keep on increasing every other round (knit plain stockinette rounds between the increase rounds) until you reach desired sock circumference.

Typically fingering weight women’s sock has 56-68 stitches and men’s sock 64-76 stitches.

Measure the length of your toe and write it down. This measurement is used for calculating the heel placement.

Knit in the round until your work measures

Desired lenght of socks foot - the length of your toe after increases

I recommend making the sock 10% shorter than the foot you are knitting it for.

If you are gifting the socks you can use this size chart for estimating the foot length based on shoe size.

In the sample socks, each stripe is 4 rows but you can knit your socks with one color if you like.

Needle 1: Using a tapestry needle, insert a strand of yarn into the stitches on Needle 1. This strand of yarn is called a lifeline and it allows you to later unravel the heel opening safely.

• Needle 1: Take a piece of scrap yarn in a different color and leaving the working yarn aside, use it to k the sts on Needle 2. Then, transfer all those sts back to the left needle (without twisting) and k over the scrap yarn using the working yarn.
• Needle 2: k all sts.

Needle 1: Using a tapestry needle, insert a strand of yarn into the stitches on Needle 1.

You have now two lifelines for the heel opening in your work.

Work until your leg measures 1″ (3cm) less than desired length.

Typical leg measurements below:

• Kids: 3.5 – 6.5″ [9 – 16.5 cm]
• Women: 6-8″ [15 – 20 cm]
• Men: 7-9″ [18 – 23 cm]

Work 1″ (3cm) of 1-by-1 ribbing (knit 1, purl 1) and bind off using some stretchy bind-off method.

The easiest one is the elastic bind-off method as follows:

Work the first two stitches in pattern, then knit those stitches together through the back loop, work the next stitch in pattern and knit the worked stitches together through the back loop.

Remove the waste yarn, placing the live stitches onto two needles. You should now have the same amount of stitches as you had with the body of the sock divided evenly into two needles. You can now remove the lifelines.

Round 1

• Needle 1: k all, pickup and knit 2 sts between the Needle 1 and Needle 2
• Needle 2: Work the same way as Needle 1.

See this very helpful video tutorial of how to pick up stitches for an afterthought heel without any gaps or holes.

Knit one round.

Decrease round

• Needle 1: k1, ssk, k to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1.
• Needle 2: Work the same way as Needle 1.

Repeat decreases every other round until you have a total of 32 sts (16 sts per needle) remaining. Now decrease every round until you have a total of 16 sts (8 sts per needle) remaining.

Break the yarn leaving approximately 12″ (30cm) tail. Close the heel using the Kitchener stitch. If the Kitchener stitch is not familiar technique please see this tutorial.