As I’ve been searching for the perfect sock pattern for my perfect yarn, I’ve come to a startling discovery.
I apparently have rather large feet for a woman. I knew this already. It was quite evident to me at thirteen, when I had to buy size 10 shoes. Especially when there were no cute shoes left. I think this gave me a slight loathing of shoes…
Anyway, all the patterns I’ve been looking at list the size as for an “average” woman’s foot, ranging from 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 inches around the foot. Which is depressing, since my foot is 8 1/2 inches on a good day. I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised, but still, it would be nice to knit a pattern without trying to alter it for size.
I suppose I should go look at the patterns I’ve already knitting (Broadripple and Jaywalker, for example) and see what they list as the “foot size.” If it’s the same as what all these patterns are telling me, then I’ll be fine.
If it’s different, then I might just have to cry myself to sleep tonight, because I think I want to knit the Fancy Silk Sock from Nancy Bush’s “Knitting Vintage Socks”, and it says that the finished sock has a foot circumference of 7 1/2.”
Update: Oh, I checked alright… Broadripple doesn’t post a target foot circumference, and Jaywalker lists its as 8 inches. Well, I wonder just how much that half inch matters?
- “The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes,” Take This to Your Grave: Fall Out Boy
Jaywalkers has a larger size in parenthisis for 9″. That’s what I’m knitting right now.
Dang it!! I forgot about that larger size, and that’s the size I knit, also. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to up-size the pattern I want, or knit and hope for the best…
I’m thinking knit with a larger size needle, and hope for the best.
Thanks for the info!
I have an idea…. I just knit up a swatch of the Jaywalkers andhad to frog it because I knit as if my life will end if you can see through the stitches or something. So, instead of changing needle size, because I like the way the stitches look, I’m going to edit the pattern to fit my foot. I’m pretty wide around the foot because I have short, stubby feet (thanks, Mom), about 8 3/4″ just above the toes and 9 1/4″ where my ankle breaks and my instep starts. If you knit up a gauge swatch of the chevron pattern (let me know which sizing you’re using), I’ll see if I can edit the pattern to suit you.
Meanwhile, I edited a pattern in worsted weight to suit my foot too. I finished one sock in about 6 hours. If you want an instant-gratification sock, knit a guage swatch in the round on #5 DPNs and I’ll see if I can modify for you.
You gotta measure your foot for me too. Around the bones just above your toes and where your ankle breaks.