Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

lindaspong — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:56:08 GMT

I got the video of the sole-free sock and I like it BUT you have to figure out how to do a full-size sock on your own. There is not pattern for a full size sock and I need one! I don't care about the stranded sock. I just want a pattern for making a plain sock in this method.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

gabikali — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:49:22 GMT

@mykidlets if you knit your socks top down you could always rip back the toe, pick up stitches and reknit. if you like to go toe up you could still make the toe easy to replace by starting at the foot: magic cast on the number of stitches for the foot (or some other provisional cast on), knit the toe as for top down socks, then knit the foot/heel/cuff -- or toe last, either way, depends how badly you need the extra needles :) similar idea to an afterthought heel.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

CeecyN — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:12:17 GMT

In point of fact, the Vikings and those before who used nalbinding always made the foot of undyed wool, just so it could be replaceable, and the cuff with the expensive (especially time-wise) coloured wools so they could be reused. (The wool naturally felted to provide the stronger sole, too.)

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

WarpedOze — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 01:23:36 GMT

Oh Great - and I thought I was so clever with doing just this very thing on my last pair of bed socks which I am now having to replace the sole and heel!!!!!

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

sealed4ever — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 23:06:40 GMT

This is wonderful. Does anyone remember EZ's "re-tread socks" from decades ago? Same idea.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

puchteca — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:40:21 GMT

Mary Thomas published a sock pattern with a separate sole in her 1938 "Mary Thomas's Knitting Book" (republished by Dover in 1972) - see page 224.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

delmondar — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:06:02 GMT

Some of you commenters are being way too critical about this article. Maybe this is not "new" to you, fine! But, obviously, it is the the author and to others as well.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

HereKitty_2 — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:55:52 GMT

These are in Ann Budd's Sock Knitting Master Class book. Why no mention of that here?

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

WendyB@6 — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:02:28 GMT

This is so terribly clever. I must try this technique. I learned how to darn socks as a measure of being frugal (make-do-and-mend self-challenge). I expected this to come in handy (footy?) if I was going to knit socks and be so invested in them, that I wouldn't want to discard them simply because of worn toes and heels. This is a related and terribly clever solution.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

seifert@acsalaska.net — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:36:20 GMT

I admire the lovely sock made by Ms Zilboorg, but perhaps a nod should be given to Elizabeth Zimmerman for her Mocassin Socks. There is also an adaptation of her pattern, with credit given, in the Interweave book Favorite Socks.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

CGJ — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:00:13 GMT

Nothing earthshattering new - During and after WWII, we reused old socks and re-knit sole. That is over 50 years ago. And my grandmother taught her children and us how to do this.

To "Mykidlet" cut the sock about 1/2" below the little toes, pick up the stitches and knit a toe, You can always darn the toes if you do not want to knit this new part of your sock.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

MelissaM@52 — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:57:41 GMT

Sounds a lot like Elizabeth Zimmerman's Moccasin Socks.

The stranding is quite pretty.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

Rhonda — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:18:10 GMT

Anna Zilboorg is a living legend and a knitting genius! But as others have mentioned, there's nothing new under the sun, and EZ (and apparently a few others, too!) got there first. Those half-stranded socks are beautiful! Anna Zilboorg is always great.

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

katieo@naxs.net — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:48:06 GMT

This is a brilliant concept that has been around for a long time. My great-grandmother talked about knitting socks with replaceable heels and soles when she was a child..

re: Reinventing the Sock: Free-Sole!

frithest — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:21:47 GMT

All I can say is "brilliant"!