Has anyone used this pattern for socks? (free on their website) It calls for size 3 needles. I tried some sockettes with size 3s and fingering weight sock yarn and thought they were too loose. Just want a second opinion before I order some more needles from my new best friend, Jeff.
Candice
I think the general rule is that if you want a tighter sturdier sock you can go down a needle size or two. Keep in mind, though, that it will affect your gauge.
When I have used Simple Stripes I used size 1 addi’s. The socks looked nice using the 1’s, I also love using size 0 addi’s for socks, the fabric becomes much more dense & will last longer. My gauge (this is just me 
) with fingering wt & size 1 addi’s is around 8 sts per inch. With size 0 it runs around 9-10 sts per inch. Look @ the mm sizing when ordering addi’s … it’s often different from the dpns or circs that u may be used to
I always use size 1s for my fingering weight socks. Makes a nice dense knit that doesn’t feel bumpy on the bottom of your feet. I also always make them on dpns though, so I can’t really advise on circs.
I use size 3’s {3.25mm} when I’m using the Bernat Sox yarn. Since it’s an acrylic/nylon blend, it tends to stretch a lot. I also used them when knitting DHs socks out of worsted weight. For my own socks I’ve used size 2 {2.75mm} for the ones out of Kroy. I can’t recall what size my Bryspuns are, but that sock is probably getting frogged anyway… that lace pattern is a nightmare.
In any case, when it comes to fingering weight wool for socks, I would use nothing larger than a 3mm.
