Simple Socks, Plain and Fancy: A Short-Row Technique for Heel and Toe

Rating:
Summary: Sockmakers have waited for years for this information!
Review: As one who views socknitting as an engineering design challenge, I am always looking for ways to improve shaping and fitting the socks I make. I have never been happy with the way toes are shaped, and wondered why we couldn't use the "short-row" technique on toes just as we do on heels, then make a straight join on top of the foot, as commercially made socks do. I was delighted to discover that it is not only possible,but this author tells us exactly how to do it, and then goes on to give us an extraordinary variety of other ways to vary our designs. This is not a book of "patterns"; it is much more valuable than that! You can find the General Laws of the Sock-knitting Universe in this book and then you will become the master all all the socks you can knit. This book should belong to every person who knits socks. If you know a sockmaker, give them a copy of this book. You will be rewarded for years to come!

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I hoped
Review: I checked this out of the library, because I had heard good things about it. So far I am not impressed enough to buy it unless the price comes down. While it does have some good techniques, the drawings were not as clear as they could be, and the directions are not written very clearly either--I understood what the author was getting at only after reading another person's description of the technique. The line drawings of the socks also didn't do a whole lot for the overall effect.

Also this particular edition has not only very large margins, but also several repeats of the measurements page (to make socks for others). One to copy is plenty. So, overall, the book is somewhat overpriced for what you get. In fact, I got the impression that it was an expanded magazine article, and a lot of the same information is already out on the net. So check it out to see if you understand what she's driving at first, and wait for it to come out in paper.

Rating:
Summary: A technical manual for specialized sock knitting techniques
Review: Priscilla Gibson-Roberts is a combination anthropological knitter and technical guru; if you want to know about Eastern European socks and stockings, she is the ultimate source. She also spins her own yarns and designs anatomically-fitting socks using the "short-row" technique.

For some knitters (like spatially-challenged little old me), the short row heel and toe method is hard to grasp, so if you long to do that kind of construction on your knitted footwear, this is a valuable reference book. The explanation of the shaping (it's an hourglass) and the description of what parts of the "hourglass" go where (front, back, top , bottom) are good. They are accompanied by ink drawings to illustrate the text.

There are schematics for various types of socks; toe up, toe down, short rowed, stripes vertical and horizontal, motif knitting in the round, and an especially good set of drawings on doing intarsia such as argyle, in circular knitting. Normally, intarsia is done flat knitting only.

The book has only line drawings with ink dots for shading. While it serves to put some dimension to the flatness of the sketches, I found the dot shading made the sock drawings look a bit strange.

If you are a sock knitter and want to advance your technique, this is a useful reference book and should be on the shelf next to Nancy Bush's Folk Socks. It's not as pretty a book as some, but I recommend it as a good technical reference.

Rating:
Summary: the ultimate guide for a bored sock knitter
Review: This book is the ultimate guide for someone who's knit many, many socks and wants to try something different on his or her next pair. The notables of this book are the short-row technique for heels and toes, and the toe-up direction of knitting.

I really like the tone and style of this book. It is written clearly and in an organized fashion. The diagrams are hand-drawn and black/white, but are extremely clear and not distracting. The book first discusses sock sizing, which was very interesting to read - as different as all humans are, the proportions of their feet are universal. The author discusses accommodations that can be made for high arches, flat feet, and blunt or pointed toes and heels.

The largest portion of the book discusses how to knit socks using the short-row technique for toes and heels. Both top-down and toe-up variations are covered. It is a very thorough discussion, from the best cast-on, to dividing stitches on needles and joining rounds, to short-row heels and toes (of course), to grafting or binding off when you're done.

Lots of little details are mentioned - weaving in ends, making a cuff which folds down easily, and importantly the pros and cons of using the toe-up and the top-to-toe techniques. The book deals with the short-row technique exclusively, so other types of heels and toes are not discussed, except in passing. The author is not shy about letting the readers know that she prefers the toe-up direction, but at least she discusses both directions.

Several ideas are presented for variations: contrasting color at heel and toe, which looks much neater with short-row shaping than traditional square heel with gusset, stripe variations, color-stranding, intarsia, and textured patterns. The last section is a small chapter on knitting mittens using the techniques presented.

The reason that I'm giving this book only four stars is because it doesn't contain even one basic pattern. So, it is truly a theory book. I think it would be simple for some knitters to go from the theory presented in this book to practice, but others might need a tangible pattern, even if most basic. A basic pattern would also help in illustrating how short-row patterns are written in condensed form, and allow a side-by-side comparison to discussing the technique at length as is done in the book.

Rating:
Summary: No more sock suffering
Review: Until I got this book, stuffed it into my knitting bag, socks were tedious, livened only by color or a cable here and there. Whatever I did, fit was chancy, we won't discuss heels, and frankly, they were boring to make, not to mention time consuming and frustrating.

Then along came Simple Socks. Ahh. Instead of chancy fit, there's exact fit, including a chart so fitting son Brian with the size 13 needs is as easy as fitting my friend's size 6 feet. Instead of a week of intense work, 3 days. Toes fit, heels fit, I can zip up from the toe or down from the top with nearly equal ease. The techniques are amazingly simple to understand, once you get over the inclination to panic. Clear diagrams, charts, and instructions.

Then came the extra treat: the expansion of the technique to mittens--always a necessity in cooler climes!

I may never BUY socks again...