n a n cy b u s h

folk
socks
the History & Techniques
of Handknitted Footwear
U p d at e d Edition
 the origins of the sock
from hide to hose
the origins of the sock
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 skins
around each foot for better protection from the cold and coarse ground.
The concept of a sock does not appear in the writings of any shaped, piece made from animal hair, worn on or over the foot,
people in any language prior to the eighth century b.c. Milton inside a shoe or sandal.
Grass’ History of Hosiery tells us that in the hieroglyphics of “And on your feet bind boots of the hide of the slaughtered
Ancient Egypt, the cuneiform writings of Babylonians and ox, fitting them closely, when you have cushioned their insides
Assyrians, or in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible, there is with felt.”
no word that describes an inner foot covering or what we have Although there are no written references until shortly before
come to recognize as a sock or stocking today. the start of the first century a.d., it is very likely that
One of the earliest written mentions of a socklike some form of sock was worn by the people of the
­article occurs in a poem entitled “Works and Days,” Roman Empire, due to trade and exchange with
attributed to the Greek poet Hesiod, who lived about the Greeks. The Latin word fascia (fasciae, pl.) is
700 b.c. Hesiod describes the joys and troubles of defined as “a strip of material, bandage, ribbon
the farmer’s everyday life and warns of cold weather, band or puttee worn around the legs and ankles.”
advising the farmer, “And on your feet bind boots of the Fasciae were made of cloth or leather and covered
hide of the slaughtered ox, fitting them closely, when the shin and leg (these were fascia crurales) and
you have cushioned their insides with felt.” “Felt” is sometimes the foot. They were commonly worn by
the translation of the Greek word pilos (piloi, pl.), older men and women as protection from the cold,
which later referred to any article made from felt. but considered a sign of weakness when worn by
The origin is an older word meaning “hair.” The men who were not on military duty.
technique of matting animal hair into felt was very According to Grass, by the first century a.d.
likely known to man before spinning or weaving, attitudes had changed and fascia were worn by
so this reference is probably to a felted, perhaps men as a sign of affluence. This change of attitude is

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 chaussettes de dentelle
Finished Size
About 8" (20.5 cm) foot circumfer- chaussettes
de dentelle
ence and 9" (23 cm) foot length
from back of heel to tip of toe.
Yarn
Brown Sheep Company Wildfoote
(75% washable wool, 25% nylon;
215 yd [196 m]/50 g) #Sy-10 Plain
Vanilla, 2 skeins. These socks were inspired by the fine lace
Needles stockings and socks knit throughout Europe
Size U.S. 000 (1.5 mm): set of four
double-pointed needles. and beyond during the eighteenth and nine-
Adjust needle size if necessary to teenth centuries. Many variations of this
obtain the correct gauge.
Gauge lace, which is related to the famous Shetland
22 sts and 28 rnds = 2" (5 cm) in St
st, worked in r nds.
Feather and Fan pattern, show up on socks
and stockings over and over again. This sock
Stitch Guide was adapted from one made of linen. It can be
Scallop Lace Pattern
(mult of 17 sts) found in the Daughters of the American Revo-
Rnd 1 *K2, p13, k2; rep
from *.
lution Museum in Washington, D.C. There was
Rnd 2 Rep Rnd 1. no date or maker’s name available. It reminds
Rnd 3 *Ssk, k13, k2tog;
rep from *.
us that the styles, ideas, and techniques that
Rnd 4 *Ssk, k11, k2tog; were created in Europe found their way to new
rep from *.
Rnd 5 *Ssk, k9, k2tog;
lands and were carried on by knitters building
rep from *. a new life. These socks have a Round Heel
Rnd 6 *Ssk, k7, k2tog;
rep from *. shaping and a Wedge Toe finish. They are, of
Rnd 7 *[K1, yo] 8 times; rep from *
5 more times.
course, for ladies.
Rep Rnds 1–7 for patt.

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Finished Size
About 71⁄2" (19 cm) foot cir-
cumference and 9" (23 cm)
foot length from back of heel
to top of toe.
Yarn
Berroco Wendy Guernsey
5-ply (100% wool; 245 yd
[224 m]/100 g): #590 Bright
Red, 2 skeins.
Needles
Size U.S. 1 (2.25 mm): set of
4 double-pointed needles.
Adjust needle size if necessary
to obtain the correct gauge.
Gauge
15 sts and 21 rnds = 2" (5 cm)
Merike’s socks
Merike’s
socks
Traveling 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
man’s socks, go up a needle size and work
more stockinette-stitch rounds in the foot to
add length before beginning the toe shaping.
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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 book that launched the sock-
The Patterns: Socks for
all the world’s feet knitting craze, beautifully updated
Stockings with Clocks Originally published in 1994, Folk Socks taught knitters in North America all about
Norwegian Stockings how to knit socks with Nancy Bush’s careful instructions, charts, and illustrations.
Mamluke Socks Folk Socks offers a collection of 18 sock patterns pulled from European and British
Chaussettes de Dentelle traditions, including boot socks, Birkenstock socks, lacy stockings, kilt hose, cabled
Welsh Country Stockings and clocked socks, and more. There is also a chapter on essential sock-knitting
Finnish Socks techniques for heel turns, toe shaping, and top ribbing for knitters of all skill levels.
Merike’s Socks Folk Socks still contains the same in-depth history and the same step-by-step
Latvian Socks instruction from Nancy Bush that sock knitters have come to love and depend on.
Highland Schottische Kilt Hose
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.
Chalet Socks
A classic reference, now updated, this is a must-have for any sock knitter.
Estonian Socks
Lithuanian Amber Socks Nancy Bush, an expert on knitted socks and knitting techniques of Estonia, teaches
Shetland Socks 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
St Peter Port Stripes
Socks, and Knitted Lace of Estonia (all from Interweave). Nancy lives in Salt Lake City, Utah,
Country Socks where she owns The Wooly West, a mail-order and online yarn business.
Ukrainian Socks
Flammegarn Socks
New! Estonian-inspired Socks
Yarn Suppliers Paperback
8½ × 9, 152 pages
Bibliography
ISBN 979-1-59668-435-5
Index $24.95
Available December 2011