6 easy sock patterns for men
I recently took a little trip down memory lane (aka my Ravelry project list) and looked up what kind of socks I’ve knit for Papa Wolf before. Not all of the pairs I’ve made over the years actually ended up on my Ravelry account and not all of the ones that did have photos (I’m a really skilled procrastinator). But I thought I’d still share those patterns with you. As men’s socks usually go they are all fairly simple and nice patterns to try out for a beginner (sock) knitter.
Globe Trotter Socks by Jodie St. Clair
Globe Trotter knit by me
These socks look simple and elegant and will appeal to most men in their favorite solid or semi-solid colors. They would still look nice in a striped, hand-painted or heavily variegated yarn but Papa Wolf at least wouldn’t want to wear them then. These socks are knit in a seed stitch rib which is a nice variant on the plain ribbed sock and they fit just as well.
The pattern contains only written instructions (no charts) but with a simple, easily memorized stitch pattern like this one that is easy to follow even for someone like me who needs charts in order to have a higher chance of not messing up quite as much.
I’ve knit the pair back in autumn of 2008 when I had been knitting (again) for less than a year and they had turned out wonderfully.
The Globe Trotter Socks are available as a free Ravelry download.
Dangerous Socks For Boys by Hayley
Dangerous Socks For Boys screenshot from Ravelry
This is another pattern that incorporates seed stitch and ribbing. (The pattern says it’s moss stitch but I assume they are referring to British Moss stitch which is the same as seed stitch.) Again easily memorized and with a good fit. They look interesting and were fun and fast to knit and are Papa Wolf approved.
As with the Globe Trotter Socks you can knit these in anything between solids and heavily variegated and they would still look good. The Ravelry project gallery has a lot of examples for this.
The pattern Dangerous Socks For Boys is available for sale for £2.98 on Ravelry.
Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green
Harris Tweed Socks screenshot from Ravelry
These socks feature another simple stitch pattern made up solely of knits and purls. With only two different rows to the four-row pattern, they are again easily memorized and make for good travel knitting. The pattern is easy to follow and as with all of the patterns above, there are full directions for heel and toe as well.
I may not have a picture of the finished socks myself (see my note about being a master procrastinator) but as with all of the socks I’ve knit him so far they are again, Papa Wolf approved and would definitely suit most men. Check out the Ravelry project gallery for more examples.
Harris Tweed Socks are available for free on Ravelry.
Escalator Socks by Sara Amoroso
Escalator Socks screenshot taken from Ravelry
These socks look a little fancier than the ones we had before. The Rib and Welt Diagonals stitch pattern (by Barbara Walker) is a little more complex than the previous ones but after a couple of rows,
it is easy to follow and knit even without having the pattern on hand.
With these socks, I would stick to solids, semi-solids, striped or ombré yarn as more variegated colorways might obfuscate the pretty stitch pattern.
Apparently, I have neither taken pictures not made any notes on my own project but you can check out the Ravelry project gallery. There are a lot of examples there.
The Escalator Socks pattern is available for free on Ravelry.
Garter Rib by Charlene Schurch
Garter Rib screenshot taken from Ravelry
This pattern is a little different. The stitch pattern was taken from the book Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. In this book, she tells you how to knit a sock with a certain type of stitch pattern (4-stitch pattern, 6-stitch stranded, etc.). You can knit socks in pretty much any kind of yarn because she even tells you how many stitches to cast on based on your gauge and foot circumference. And then you can pick a stitch pattern in that category and knit the sock with it.
You will have to spend a little time reading the pattern and related techniques first. But this book is well worth your time. You basically get a seemingly limitless number of patterns when you buy them. It is also suitable for beginner sock knitters; there are a lot of good descriptions of different techniques (cast ons, bind offs, etc).
I knit Garter Rib socks for Papa Wolf, a 4-stitch ribbing pattern. There are plenty of similarly easy stitch patterns suitable for men (but also many more suitable for women) in this book.
Again, I took no pictures of the finished project but Papa Wolf always wore them happily. And you can take a look at the project gallery for more examples.
Sensational Knitted Socks is available for purchase on Amazon, though only through secondary sellers. Ravelry offers you a link to Martingale where you can buy the book as an instant pdf download for $16.95.
Basket Weave (4-stitch) by Charlene Schurch
Basket Weave screenshot taken from Ravelry
These socks were done the same way as the Garter Rib socks before. The pattern is from the follow up book More Sensational Knitted Socks. It is another simple knit and purl 4-stitch pattern very suitable for men. There are many more stitches in it that would make nice men’s socks. If you liked the first book then this would be a good addition to your library.
This time I have at least some notes on my project and you can again check the project gallery for more.
More Sensational Knitted Socks is also available on Amazon but again only through secondary sellers. Here Ravelry also offers a link to Martingale for a pdf download but unfortunately the link is faulty and only leads you to the first book. Here is the correct link. The book is available for $19.95 on Martingale.
What is your favorite sock pattern for men’s socks? Do you switch it up or always knit the same? Which pattern would you advise for beginner sock knitters besides plain stockinette or ribbed socks? Please, let me know in the comments below.
Again, I don’t know what I’ll write about next week. It depends on what I can get done during the next week and long weekend. Monday is a holiday here, so the kids are home and there is less time for me to work on things. Come back next week to find out!
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