Measuring feet for socks

#1

Hi all,

I’m tackling my first sock project in many, many years…

I’ll be doing Priscilla Gibson-Roberts Eastern European Footlets from Interweave Winter 2003. It’s a toe-up, short row toe & heel pattern.

From the directions:

Finished Size: 8-1/4 (9-1/2)" circumference around foot. To fit a woman (man).

Well, hmmm…when I measure around my foot in the instep area and over the top at the highest point, I get 9-3/4 - 10"!!! Are my feet really that gargantuan, or am I not measuring in the right place?

She does say later on:

You can achieve a custom fit by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches in 4-stitch increments. To customize the foot length (measured from tip of longest toe to ankle point [is that where the ankle bone sticks out the furthest???]), work in stockinette to 2-1/2" less than desired length, then work pattern band.

Any help appreciated. :??

Diane

#2

The sensational knitted socks book says to measure your foot just above the toes…8 & 1/4" is pretty normal for a woman’s foot!

#3

[color=blueviolet]I’m sorry I haven’t made enough socks to comment, but the best sock book I’ve ever tried to learn from is Queen Kahuna’s Crazy Toes and Heel. I know I’ve been talking about this book a lot here lately but I just can’t praise it enough. I also have odd feet. They are 5" long, but have a 8" circumference. The Queen has you take many measurements so you can get perfect socks that fit you no matter what your gauge is or what weight of yarn you use. You might want to check it out. I mean really can you have too many knitting options? I think not.[/color] :teehee:

#4

This may not be useful, but I thought I’d throw it in anyhow… for future use. If you are going to make socks for someone else, and can’t take measurements, this site has approximate heel to toe inches, if you know the person’s shoe size.

http://www.softmoc.com/us/shoesize.asp

#5

I fit and measure for custom figure skates (for people like Kurt Browning etc)… and a womans foot will range from about 8" in circumferance at the widest part of the ball to nearly 10".

Everyone is different!!!

#6

My understanding is that you’re supposed to measure the widest part at the ball of the foot – i.e., where your “footprint” has the greatest spread. The instep area is going to have a larger circumference than the ball, but that width will be accommodated by the gusset – or in the case of the pattern you’re using, short row shaping.