I just would like to know what size needle you all are using to get 7-8 stitches per inch on your sock weight yarn? I was first using #1 and got 10 to the inch, then tried #2 and got 9 to the inch, so now I’m on #3 and it just seems loose…please help. I’m also posting in the kal section for Sockentine kal.
:wall: :shrug: :?? :wall: :shrug: :?? :shrug:
You don’t want the knit to be too loose otherwise the socks won’t be warm and won’t stay up very well. I once read that you should always use the smallest possible needle size that still works with the yarn you are using. I have trouble getting 7-8sts/1" with fingering weight yarn, honestly. Usually with socks I use a size 1 needle with fingering weight but it ends up being a lot tighter than 7-8sts/".
You should try to get your hands on ‘Sensational Knitted Socks’, it is a GREAT book and you can use any yarn/needle/gauge that you want with any of the patterns. So if the knit fabric that you like with the needle size that you like gives you a gauge of 10sts/", it will tell you how many stitches to cast on, etc.
I asked my dh for that book for Christmas, and the second one in that sequal too, More Sensational Knitted Socks.
I read somewhere to measure the ball of your foot and then subtract 15% and then multiply that number by you # of sts per inch and that’s how many to cast on. worked with my sons slipper socks. 10sts per inch seems too stiff on #1s and 8 seems too loose on #3s, guess I’ll stick to the #2s and do 9 sts per inch. That shouldn’t make too much of a diff should it?
The good thing about knitted socks is that they are somewhat stretchy and as long as the cuff is loose enough and the length is good, they should fit.
To paraphrase what KnitQueen said, it makes sense to start out by working up a fabric that looks and feels good to you, then adjusting the number of stitches to that personal gauge. (This applies to all knitting, not just socks.) It really makes no sense to match the pattern’s gauge if you hate the fabric you produce that way.
“Sensational Knitted Socks” lets you do just that.
Another great resource is “The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns” by Ann Budd. Her basic sock pattern lets you knit socks at your gauge, with any yarn you choose, from children’s to large adult sizes.
What KnitQueen and I are saying, I think, is that it’s good to trust the pattern, but not to be enslaved by it. Knitting becomes more fun, more creative and more fulfilling when you learn to trust your own taste and observations.
thanks girls 
hope I get Sensational Knitted Socks for Christmas…