Crocheting Socks

Ever wanted to try crocheting a sock? Yeah, me neither. But sometimes you just need to live life on the edge, man.
I like knitting socks. I’ve knit upwards of forty pairs (having put that in writing, I’m thinking I perhaps need to get out more). And I’ve pushed plenty of people, such as the delightful Mary Tang, into trying it too, for better or for worse. 🙂

  
But I was interested in trying a different effect and texture. So I just did an online course in how to crochet a sock. I also thought that it might be a quicker option than knitting them and might give a nice thick sock for boots for the next trip to Finland. 

I pretty much expected to skip easily through the pattern. Yeah, nope, that didn’t happen. The ‘basic sock’ pattern which accompanied the course – which is an e-patternscentral course by Rohn Strong – involves using foundation double crochet, front and back post stitches for the ribbing and extended single crochet. Wtf. It isn’t that hard, but none of these I would consider basic. The foundation double crochet in particular needed heaps of practice to get smooth. There was a LOT of frogging and swearing going on at Ravensridge over the weekend.
One of my first attempts, using Lana Grossa Meilenweit India.
  
The first few tries came out way too big following the pattern and suggested hook size, so I eventually gave in and decided to swatch. I finally got gauge with a tiny 2.5mm hook instead of a 3.75mm as suggested. Weird.
A further attempt with a different yarn just felt awful and dense and scratchy. This is Drops Fabel Long Print.

  
So I went back to a tried and true Australian yarn, Bendigo Woollen Mills sock yarn. The colours are not me, but it worked. 🙂 Right size, nice fabric feel, and I’ve got the hang of the stitches now.

  
Another benefit to the crochet version is being able to easily try it on as you go.

   
   
The finished sock fits well and stays up. It’s hard to take photos of socks on your own feet. 

   
   
I really like Rohn Strong’s designs, and the course presentation was fine, although there’s a couple of numerical errors in the accompanying printed pattern.
Will I crochet more socks? Well, at least one more, to go with the one I’ve finished. It uses more yarn to crochet them, as you would expect, but makes a nice dense fabric, and now I’ve got the hang of it I think it will actually be much faster than knitting. So I would say…yes. Yes I will. Next up I’ll probably try some for M as he only wears boot socks. And knitting a size 14 on 2.5mm needles? Ain’t nobody got time for dat. Not even me. 
B 🙂