How to Make Socks on a Flatbed Knitting Machine
Traditionally, socks are knitted by hand on circular or double-pointed needles to avoid putting a seam in the sock. Socks are also made on sock knitting machines, which are round and specifically designed for socks only. You can make a sock on a flatbed machine, but only if you are willing to have a seam running up the back of your sock and are adept at short row techniques. Most experienced knitters who use a flatbed machine to make a sock use a ribber, which can make the alternating purl stitches without the use of a latch tool. This is a project for the experienced machine knitter.
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Things You'll Need
- Sock yarn (center wound or on a cone)
- Spare yarn (scrap yarn)
- Knitting machine
- Ribber
Instructions
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Take your main yarn and put on 75 stitches with a 1 by 1 rib pattern, meaning knit one purl one. This will make a nice, tight sock ribbing for the cuff of your sock. This will require you to set each second needle in the forward "B" position so that it will skip the alternating purl stitches on the ribber. It is easiest to set the stitch keys in place by working from the center outward.
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Put the yarn in the carriage and push it across the row. It will create a zig-zag pattern as it goes alternately between the ribber and the machine. Place your cast on comb on your ribber. This will weigh down your knitting so that it will hang properly on the machine.
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3
Knit a circular row by first pressing the "Part" button on your carriage. This means it will only knit from right to left on the main bed. Do similarly with the ribber by pressing the "Part" button to P-R, which will carry the stitches only from left to right. In this manner, you will achieve a circular row. Slide your carriage to the right, and back to the left, setting the counter at zero.
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Knit approximately 35 rows in this fashion. This will create the cuff of the sock. Using the double-eyed tool, take off all the stitches on the ribber and put them on the main bed. Drop the ribber bed so the stitches will not pick up with the passage of the carriage. Decrease seven stitches along the flat bed, slipping one stitch over on top of another.
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Pass the carriage once and even up the stitches using the transfer tool. Knit one inch of stitches and then break the yarn and thread in your scrap yarn. It is highly recommended that you use a yarn that contrasts greatly with the first yarn -- most knitters choose white. Knit six to eight rows with this contrasting yarn and end with the carriage on the right. Engage your ribber again, and pull up 34 needles to the "H" position.
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Look on the left side of your knitting machine ribber and look for the slider marked with a "P" and an "H." Slide it right to the "H" setting. Make sure that 34 needles are in the "B" working position on each bed. Take your sock off the machine and fold the scrap yarn back over the ribbing. Place 34 stitches from the front of the sock on the flatbed and 34 on the ribber. Change the yarn back to your original sock yarn. Knit 80 rows, making the sock from the heel to the toe. Decrease stitches two per row for the toe until you have about 10 stitches. Place the scrap yarn back onto the machine and knit about 10 rows.
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Cast off your sock. Take out the scrap yarn and, using a grafting stitch, sew up the sock of the yarn. For an easy beginner heel, take a set of double pointed needles and pick up the stitches that are below the remaining scrap yarn. Pull out the scrap yarn, and close up the heel in whatever method you prefer, whether it be a heel flap or short row. This is known as an "afterthought" heel.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit sock 6 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
