While staying with Son#3 and DIL#3 after the birth of their charming wee man, Son#3 asked me how long it would take me to knit a pair of socks. It seemed that they had already discovered that commercial socks didn't stay on. I took up the challenge. After all, it's sweet to be able to knit for a newborn family member.
As one does in these cases, I turned to the Internet and discovered various patterns that I adjusted to suit my needs. There are several good patterns on Ravelry for baby socks. Such as here (also has a very helpful chart for foot length at different ages) and here, and here (both stitch patterns are nice and stretchy) and here, in which case, I don't think I need to write another one, but I will share my notes in the hope that they will help someone else. If you know how to knit socks, then these notes might be sufficient to get you going. (You will notice that stitch gauge and needle size varies between each of these patterns but stitch count is similar - which is why it can be so difficult to choose one that you know will fit - and why I hope my notes might clear up some confusion.)
These notes are for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months) where the total number of stitches for each is 32 (36, 40). I have tested size newborn and 6 months to date so far. The Most Charming Grandson#1 happily modelled the newborn size at less than 10 days old ...
I used scraps of sock yarn (also known as fingering yarn or 4 ply yarn) and size 2.25 mm needles. I actually ran out of blue on the first pair and had to "borrow" some blue from a multi-coloured ball I had with me (since, being away from home, I didn't have my usual [small] stash to hand). I'm not sure how much yarn I actually used but I'm guessing 25g would be more than sufficient.
My gauge was roughly 8-9 stitches per inch. Despite being a tight knitter, I chose my favourite needle size which tended to be smaller than the one specified in the patterns I used as a base and the socks still fitted easily. At this size, I found that being out by just one stitch on the gauge made little difference. It also helped that I chose stitch patterns that were stretchy and thus ideal for litte feet.
I preferred the look of a short row toe. I started with a provisional cast on of 16 (18, 20) stitches for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months) and worked short rows until I had 6 (8, 10) stitches live. For those who prefer a magic cast on, start with 6 (8, 10) stitches and increase to a total of 32 (36, 40) stitches (and for top down, you would start with this number of stitches).
I also chose a short row heel because I think they work best with this age. That's just my personal opinion. Disregard as you will. I made the socks slightly longer than the foot: 22 rounds (28-30 rounds, 36-40 rounds) for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months). Adjust as desired but remember that little feet grow quickly.
The leg had a similar amount of rows as for the foot. Making the leg long enough to fold the cuff down was an additional help in ensuring the sock stayed on the foot, but the garter roll at the top also served a similar purpose. Follow suit or not as you wish.
Now to the fun part: choosing stitch patterns for tiny feet ...
As one does in these cases, I turned to the Internet and discovered various patterns that I adjusted to suit my needs. There are several good patterns on Ravelry for baby socks. Such as here (also has a very helpful chart for foot length at different ages) and here, and here (both stitch patterns are nice and stretchy) and here, in which case, I don't think I need to write another one, but I will share my notes in the hope that they will help someone else. If you know how to knit socks, then these notes might be sufficient to get you going. (You will notice that stitch gauge and needle size varies between each of these patterns but stitch count is similar - which is why it can be so difficult to choose one that you know will fit - and why I hope my notes might clear up some confusion.)
These notes are for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months) where the total number of stitches for each is 32 (36, 40). I have tested size newborn and 6 months to date so far. The Most Charming Grandson#1 happily modelled the newborn size at less than 10 days old ...
I used scraps of sock yarn (also known as fingering yarn or 4 ply yarn) and size 2.25 mm needles. I actually ran out of blue on the first pair and had to "borrow" some blue from a multi-coloured ball I had with me (since, being away from home, I didn't have my usual [small] stash to hand). I'm not sure how much yarn I actually used but I'm guessing 25g would be more than sufficient.
My gauge was roughly 8-9 stitches per inch. Despite being a tight knitter, I chose my favourite needle size which tended to be smaller than the one specified in the patterns I used as a base and the socks still fitted easily. At this size, I found that being out by just one stitch on the gauge made little difference. It also helped that I chose stitch patterns that were stretchy and thus ideal for litte feet.
I preferred the look of a short row toe. I started with a provisional cast on of 16 (18, 20) stitches for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months) and worked short rows until I had 6 (8, 10) stitches live. For those who prefer a magic cast on, start with 6 (8, 10) stitches and increase to a total of 32 (36, 40) stitches (and for top down, you would start with this number of stitches).
I also chose a short row heel because I think they work best with this age. That's just my personal opinion. Disregard as you will. I made the socks slightly longer than the foot: 22 rounds (28-30 rounds, 36-40 rounds) for newborn (6 months, 9-12 months). Adjust as desired but remember that little feet grow quickly.
The leg had a similar amount of rows as for the foot. Making the leg long enough to fold the cuff down was an additional help in ensuring the sock stayed on the foot, but the garter roll at the top also served a similar purpose. Follow suit or not as you wish.
Stitch Pattern#1: Broken Rib
Round 1: (knit 1, purl 1) repeat
Round 2: knit
Newborn Size Stats:
Stitch Count: 32
Rounds on foot (excluding toe and heel): 22
Rounds on leg: 20
Cuff: 8 rounds 1 x 1 rib
Stitch Pattern#2: Rib and Garter
6 rounds of 2 x 2 rib
followed by 5 rounds of garter stitch (purl one round, knit one round)
[Do more rounds of rib and/or garter as desired. I made these in newborn size and required 22 rounds on the foot so made the pattern to fit exactly.]
Newborn Size Stats
Stitch Count: 32
Rounds on foot (excluding toe and heel): 22
Rounds on leg: 22
Cuff: None
Stitch Pattern#3: Garter Rib and Mini Cables
Round 1: (k2, p2) rep, k2
Rounds 2 and 4: knit
Round 3: (RT, p2) rep, RT
Six Month Size Stats:
Stitch Count: 36-40 (increased 2 sts on instep and then 2 sts on leg because I thought the mini cables might pull the sock in but it was probably unnecessary)
Rounds on foot (excluding heel and toe): 36 (this pattern seemed to need more rounds for length than other patterns)
Rounds on Leg: 24
Cuff: 8 rounds of RT x p2
Comments