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8/7/2019 Folk Socks BLAD

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theHistory &TechniquesofHandknitted Footwear

NANC Y BU S H

folksocks


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Te concept of a sock does not appear in the writings of anypeople in any language prior to the eighth century .. MiltonGrass History of Hosierytells us that in the hieroglyphics of

Ancient Egypt, the cuneiform writings of Babylonians andAssyrians, or in the Old estament of the Hebrew Bible, there isno word that describes an inner foot covering or what we havecome to recognize as a sock or stocking today.

One of the earliest written mentions of a socklikearticle occurs in a poem entitled Works and Days,attributed to the Greek poet Hesiod, who lived about700 .. Hesiod describes the joys and troubles ofthe farmers everyday life and warns of cold weather,advising the farmer, And on your feet bind boots of thehide of the slaughtered ox, fitting them closely, whenyou have cushioned their insides with felt. Felt is

the translation of the Greek wordpilos(piloi, pl.),which later referred to any article made from felt.Te origin is an older word meaning hair. Tetechnique of matting animal hair into felt was verylikely known to man before spinning or weaving,so this reference is probably to a felted, perhaps

shaped, piece made from animal hair, worn on or over the foot,inside a shoe or sandal.

And on your feet bind boots of the hide of the slaughteredox, fitting them closely, when you have cushioned their insideswith felt.

Although there are no written references until shortly beforethe start of the first century .., it is very likely that

some form of sock was worn by the people of theRoman Empire, due to trade and exchange withthe Greeks. Te Latin word fascia(fasciae, pl.) isdefined as a strip of material, bandage, ribbonband or puttee worn around the legs and ankles.

Fasciae were made of cloth or leather and coveredthe shin and leg (these were fascia crurales) andsometimes the foot. Tey were commonly worn by

older men and women as protection from the cold,but considered a sign of weakness when worn bymen who were not on military duty.

According to Grass, by the first century ..attitudes had changed and fascia were worn by

men as a sign of affluence. Tis change of attitude is

from hide to hose

the origins of the sock

theoriginsofthesock

The history of the humble sock is a long and interesting one. No one knows

exactly when man first found he would be more comfortable if his feet were

covered. Perhaps as he sat huddled beneath an animal skin and tucked

a part of it over his feet, it occurred to him to wrap and bind small skinsaround each foot for better protection from the cold and coarse ground.


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chaussettesde dentelleThese socks were inspired by the fine lace

stockings and socks knit throughout Europe

and beyond during the eighteenth and nine-

teenth centuries. Many variations of this

lace, which is related to the famous ShetlandFeather and Fan pattern, show up on socks

and stockings over and over again. This sock

was adapted from one made of linen. It can be

found in the Daughters of the American Revo-

lution Museum in Washington, D.C. There was

no date or makers name available. It reminds

us that the styles, ideas, and techniques that

were created in Europe found their way to new

lands and were carried on by knitters building

a new life. These socks have a Round Heel

shaping and a Wedge Toe finish. They are, ofcourse, for ladies.

chaussettesdeden

telle

Finished SizeAbout 8" (20.5 cm) foot circumfer-

ence and 9" (23 cm) foot length

from back of heel to tip of toe.

YarnBrown Sheep Company Wildfoote

(75% washable wool, 25% nylon;

215 yd [196 m]/50 g) #Sy-10 Plain

Vanilla, 2 skeins.

NeedlesSizeU.S. 000 (1.5 mm): set of fourdouble-pointed needles.

Adjust needle size if necessary to

obtain the correct gauge.

Gauge22 sts and 28 rnds = 2" (5 cm) in St

st, worked in r nds.

Stitch GuideScallop Lace Pattern

(mult of 17 sts)

RND 1 *K2, p13, k2; rep

from *.RND 2 Rep Rnd 1.

RND 3*Ssk, k13, k2tog;

rep from *.


rep from *.


rep from *.

RND 6 *Ssk, k7, k2tog;

rep from *.

RND 7 *[K1, yo] 8 times; rep from *

5 more times.

Rep Rnds17 for patt.


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Finished SizeAbout 712" (19 cm) foot cir-

cumference and 9" (23 cm)

foot length from back of heelto top of toe.

YarnBerroco Wendy Guernsey

5-ply (100% wool; 245 yd

[224 m]/100 g): #590 Bright

Red, 2 skeins.

NeedlesSize U.S. 1 (2.25 mm): set of

4 double-pointed needles.

Adjust needle size if necessary

to obtain the correct gauge.

Gauge15 sts and 21 rnds = 2" (5 cm)

Merikes

socksTraveling twisted stitches have been used

to decorate stockings from Bavaria, Tyrol,

Alsace, and Norway. Traveling stitch clocks

can be found on Danish and Estonian stock-

ings. The pattern here takes elements from a

number of stockings with traveling stitches,

yet has a Bavarian flavor. The traveling

stitches begin several rounds below the end

of the ribbing or welt, and there is a deco-

rated seam running down the back of the leg.The heel shaping is a Half-Handkerchief Heel

and the toe is the longer version of the Wedge

Toe. This pair of socks is sized for a lady. For

mans socks, go up a needle size and work

more stockinette-stitch rounds in the foot toadd length before beginning the toe shaping.

Merikessocks


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Paperback

8 9, 152 pages

ISBN 979-1-59668-435-5

$24.95

Available December 2011

The book that launched the sock-knitting craze, beautifully updatedOriginally published in 1994, Folk Sockstaught knitters in North America all about

how to knit socks with Nancy Bushs careful instructions, charts, and illustrations.

Folk Socksoffers a collection of 18 sock patterns pulled from European and British

traditions, including boot socks, Birkenstock socks, lacy stockings, kilt hose, cabled

and clocked socks, and more. Tere is also a chapter on essential sock-knitting

techniques for heel turns, toe shaping, and top ribbing for knitters of all skill levels.

Folk Socksstill contains the same in-depth history and the same step-by-step

instruction from Nancy Bush that sock knitters have come to love and depend on.

Now you can get this popular resource with updated information on new yarns as

well as modifications that Nancy has learned since first writing this book.A classic reference, now updated, this is a must-have for any sock knitter.

NANCY BUSH, an expert on knitted socks and knitting techniques of Estonia, teaches

workshops for guilds, shops, and at retreats throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad.

She is the author of Folk Socks, Folk Knitting in Estonia, Knitting on the Road, Knitting Vintage

Socks,and Knitted Lace of Estonia(all from Interweave). Nancy lives in Salt Lake City, Utah,

where she owns The Wooly West, a mail-order and online yarn business.

contents

Introduction

From Hide to Hose:

The origins of socks

Looped Fabrics and the Legwear

of Queens: The beginnings of

knitting and knitted hose

Knitting in Great Britain:

A way of working and a way of life

Knitting in Other

European Countries:

Traditions and stocking styles

Carrying on the Tradition:How to knit a sock

A Classic Sock Pattern:

With some variations

on heel and toe

The Patterns:Socks for

all the worlds feet

Stockings with Clocks

Norwegian Stockings

Mamluke Socks

Chaussettes de Dentelle

Welsh Country Stockings

Finnish Socks

Merikes Socks

Latvian Socks

Highland Schottische Kilt Hose

Chalet Socks

Estonian Socks

Lithuanian Amber Socks

Shetland Socks

St Peter Port Stripes

Country Socks

Ukrainian Socks

Flammegarn Socks

New! Estonian-inspired Socks

Yarn Suppliers

Bibliography

Index

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