About socks

The thing about socks is that should use 2 different sizes of double pointed needles. Double pointed needles are needles that have a point on each end of the needle. You will notice when you go to your local craft store, or on line that there is some smaller needles, smaller as in length not diameter. You will also notice that they have two points, one on each end. Those are sock needles. Now you ask yourself what size should I use, or what size should I get? Size meaning diameter, or how big around. When doing socks you need to ask yourself. What is the purpose of these socks? Are they every day wear, or are they Ski socks? If you are thinking that everyday wear you might want to go with a finger weight yarn or a "sock" yarn and then you will need a small size needle like a 0 or a .25. If you are going to make a ski sock you might want to have a worsted weight yarn, which is thicker. You would like to use a size 4, 5, 6 size needle. Most of the time a pattern will tell you what size needle and what size thread. Make sure when you read your pattern that you realize that there is a U.S. size and then there is a metric size. So make sure that you get the right size for you pattern. Their are also different kinds of needles. Stainless steel, (which I don't care for) plastic, Nickel plate, Brass tipped, wooden, Bamboo, glass, and so forth. Nickel plated and Brass tipped I like, the yarn just glides right off. Bamboo glides as well but it also holds the yarn as well so it doesn't quite fall off your needle. I never used glass, but I have seen them and they are beautiful. I would be worried that they would break easy. Now back to my first statement that I made. You should use two different size needles, when making the sock you are going to wear. The first size needle should be the needle that you are going to make the majority of your sock. The second needle should be a size smaller, this needle is used for the ribbing so that it can help the ribbing cling to you leg or ankle or what ever. So if you are starting out on the opening of the sock, cast on with the bigger needles first so that the cast on stitches are loose. Then change to the smaller needles on the first round of the ribbing. Then switch to large needles again when you are finished with the ribbing. Jenn