SURPRISE SOCK SIZING
Q
I’m planning to knit some socks for a friend as a birthday gift as she’s often admiring mine. I want them to be a surprise, but I’m not sure how to make sure they’ll fit her right without letting the cat out of the bag. Do you have any ideas? Rebecca Edwards, Hampstead Handmade socks are marvellous gifts – unlike bought ones, they’re knitted to perfectly fit the people who are going to wear them which makes them a bespoke gift that’s guaranteed to make the recipient feel special (and keep their feet warm!).
The size of your knitted sock is based on foot circumference, not shoe size, so you do need to know a few details before you cast on. If the gift isn’t a secret, that’s easy. You can ask your intended recipient to measure their feet for you and work out the cast on number (there’s a calculation on the Winwick Mum blog to help with this: www. bit.ly/sockstitchcalculation) – and what you often find is that even if you don’t want to give away too many clues, asking someone for their foot measurements actually adds to the excitement as the person knows that you are making something that’s just for them. You don’t have to give away any details – you are simply making sure that your gift will fit and even before they open the package, the anticipation will be building. Sometimes, that can even mean that your gift is more warmly received which is something that all of us knitters enjoy!
In your case it’s a little more complicated. If you definitely don’t want your friend to know, at a minimum you need to find out her shoe size, otherwise you have no way of knowing whether the socks will fit. Perhaps you can drop it into a conversation, sneak a look in her shoe cupboard, or find someone “on the inside” who can tell you. Ideally, you want the foot circumference as well, but if not, you’ll have to make your best guess. Perhaps compare her feet to yours or work out a ruse to get her to try on a pair of your socks she so admires, but don’t worry too much – there are only four stitches between each of the sock sizes so the chances are that you’re not going to be too far out.
However you manage it, your finished handknit socks will be a gift that are treasured for years to come! Christine