One sock yarn, many gauges

You know how it goes with some sock yarns. They are twisted so tightly to help them be more durable or to keep the short fiber staple from pilling, or they are too loose, or just a single-ply yarn, and need to be knit tightly to keep them intact. Either way, these different twists don’t always lend themselves to knitting at different gauges. The first project knit with Wacki Saki in my home was a little sweater for a baby boy; more on this towards the end of this feature. But for now, let's see the swatch. My wife, Pam, has become a sample knitter for my designs recently, and she volunteered to knit this baby sweater and worked up this swatch for me so I could design to the gauge she was going to knit at. Using a size 4mm needle, she knitted a 20 sts per 4″ swatch, and the faux Fair Isle look still works great in the center rows. The top and bottom rows are in garter stitch to prevent curling. This swatch, blocked, came to 26.5 rows per 4″ on US 6 [4mm] needles. Here’s the reverse side.

Wacki Saki sock yarn knit at a looser gauge with 4mm needles.

Wacki Saki sock yarn, knit on size 0 [2mm] needles

Reverse stockinette stitch and garter stitch rows on a swatch knit on 4mm needles. Working towards the toe shaping on this Wacki Sacki sock.

I also wanted to design some socks. I just cast on 56 stitches on two circular needles, size US0 [2mm], and started off. I haven’t knit with such small needles in a while, and well, at the gauge I got, I should have cast on quite a few more stitches to make a sock to fit an adult. These socks come in at 40 sts and 44 rows per 4″. The fabric is quite dense and would make for a very sturdy sock, but there is less give because of how tight I knit them. I think they will outlast the child’s foot that’ll wear them at this size. The space-dyed effect is still lovely and the stripes are just a little wider. After finishing the baby sweater, Pam thought it would be great to make herself a pair of socks because she liked the softness of Wacki Saki and the sturdiness. But she doesn’t like to knit on tiny tiny needles much, so she worked 56 stitches as well, but on size US2 [2.75mm] needles. Her gauge came to 31 sts over 4″ and 36 rows. The result is a very comfortable sock that has give and yet the ribbing grips her ankles well. Knitting on and off, she finished these ankle-length socks in 4 days.