Loom Knitting Socks: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting Socks on a Loom with Over 50 Fun Projects (No-Needle Knits) Paperback – September 29, 2009

As a beginning loom knitter (albeit intermediate needle knitter), I thought this book was very good. It has lots of information, from describing basic loom knitting techniques required to knit socks, to instructions on quite a few stitch pattern variations (knit/purl combos, cables, lace) which can all be adapted for use in other types of loom knitting on other types of looms (larger gauge, flat panel, etc).To specifically address some concerns noted by other reviewers:1) The patterns in this book are indeed for fine gauge (pegs ~ 5/16" on center) or extra fine gauge looms (pegs ~ 1/4" on center). The yarn used would most commonly be fingering weight, or possibly in some cases sport weight. However, though the patterns in the book are written for a certain number of pegs on the loom, this does not necessarily mean that you have to work them up in that size only. The pattern repeat (number of stitches) is listed for each pattern so that you can size your sock up or down, depending on what foot size of sock you want to make, or what size (peg number and or gauge - meaning distance between pegs) of loom you have. In one of the early sections of the book there are helpful charts and explanations of how to size your sock to your foot size, based on gauge of the loom and swatching. Of course, as previously mentioned, this is limited in that you are probably not going to be able to adapt these patterns very successfully to, say, a thirty peg loom using worsted weight yarn -- they are designed to give a finer knitted fabric than those specifics would allow, so if that is the kind of sock pattern you are looking for, then you would be advised to look for a different pattern book. Even so, I still think the basic principles of sock technique, construction and design as explained in this book would be valuable to a beginning loom knitter. I have the KB Sock Loom (fine gauge) and have resized many of the patterns written for 64+ pegs down to my 60 peg loom successfully.2) Though I found the instructions in the book fairly easy to follow, I have also augmented my learning of the techniques as described in this text by watching quite a number of videos online for the various techniques. Sometimes it seems that a demonstration of a technique in needlearts is much easier to understand than a written description. Likewise, some folks are more apt to learn from watching rather than just reading about prior to the doing. I do agree that in places throughout the book there are tips and tricks that are dropped so abruptly into the main text that it could become confusing for beginners, until a better understanding of the concepts is achieved. One such example is on page 26 where the author is describing reverse short row shaping. The tip of what order to work the loops off the pegs is just thrown in prior to the written description of how to accomplish the shaping and, upon first read, it appeared like this "tip" was supposed to be the first step in starting the shaping, rather than just a general concept to practice where appropriate during the working of the short rows. Kind of like the ambiguity that can occur when appropriate punctuation is not applied to sentences (ala "eats shoots and leaves"). Again, this can be resolved by augmenting one's learning by also checking out various videos for the basic sock techniques that are readily available on the internet. I would take a half star away on my rating for this less-than-optimal page layout that occurs sporadically throughout the book to give 4.5 stars, but can only do full star ratings on Amazon, hence the five stars.

Like the previous review said - if you plan on making socks on a loom with this book you have to have a 64 peg extra fine gauge knitting loom in order to make these socks. I didn't and was surprised to find out that I had to wait 3 -4 weeks after placing my order to receive my loom, and then I had to go back and order a different knitting tool because the one they sent with it was too big for the fine yarn! So, plan ahead when ordering this book.Now that I've said that - the book is excellent. The patterns in the book are some of the nicest sock patterns I've ever seen. There are lace socks, cable socks, socks with beads, socks with colorwork, plain socks, socks for men, yoga socks, sandal socks, pedicure socks and socks for kids. I honestly did not expect to find such nice patterns when I purchased this book. I'm new to loom knitting, so the first sock I've chosen to make is one without heels and it's going well so far. I'm a little nervous about trying heels with the loom, but I know the author has several videos online and I've used them for other types of loom knitting, so I'm sure I'll be fine when I'm ready. And the instructions in the book look very detailed.Another thing I like about this book is that since they are almost all for the 64 peg loom and those are the amount of stitches on my needles when I knit socks with needles, I'm planning on making some of the more complicated patterns with my dpns. So, even if I never get beyond the sock without heels on my loom, this book will still be very useful because of all the great patterns that I'll be able to knit either with my loom or with my needles.

I have a couple of loom knitting books from Isela Phelps. While her writing style isn't always the clearest, I'm used to interpreting her instructions by this point. And I have successfully made one sock, following her directions. It didn't necessarily look pretty, but it *did* look like a sock. So she is leading me in the right direction. With time, I fully expect to improve. (I suggest just trying a sock on a large gauge loom first, to get used to the directions. It'll work up quickly and help you identify your personal problem areas. And that way, you're not wasting expensive sock yarn on mistakes! The "house socks" on page 122 would be good for this purpose.) The book is full-color and printed on heavy paper; it should stand up to repeated bending of the spine!The beginning of the book is some pretty standard (for Isela) stuff about gauge, loom parts, tools, yarn, etc. It may even be recycled from her other books, but it's nice to have all that here for reference, so you don't have to carry around three books to work on one project. The drawings are generally quite clear, although sometimes I wish intermediate steps were illustrated. Usually, though, I can figure out what she means by comparing the drawings with the written instructions. Please do read the section about yarn, because one thing that is true for socks that is not as important for hats and scarves is that breathability is an issue. Synthetic yarns will probably make your feet sweat!I particularly like the charts on page 30-31 that match shoe size to measurements for circumference of the foot, etc., as well as the number of pegs on your knitting loom. While it would be possible to do these calculations on your own, here they are presented for easy reference. It takes out any guesswork and eliminates the possibility for mistakes.You will need an "extra fine gauge" loom for all but one of the patterns in this book (the house socks are the one pattern that use a large gauge loom). These extra fine gauge looms are usually sold as sock looms (I have the adjustable sock loom from Authentic Knitting Board and I expect it to work here). Please note that sock looms can take a bit of adjustment to work with because they're tiny and the pegs are close together (corners in adjustable sock looms may be especially troublesome). If you are just starting out with loom knitting, I'd suggest not starting with socks. Choose hats and scarves on a larger gauge loom to work on your technique. Sock looms will be waiting when you are ready to move on.Nearly all the projects in this book require super fine yarn (weight "1"). You may have to order this online as I could not find much to choose from at a local craft store. Even with the lightweight yarn, the socks appear to be fairly thick, based on the pictures (all are shown on models, which is actually a very good thing so you can see how they're supposed to fit). These would not be light, summery socks, but would be more suitable to wearing with booties, clogs, and the like.I will never have time to make every pattern in the book, but there are a lot that appeal to me. And, for once, there are only a few patterns specifically written for children (Isela's books often include quite a few baby- and child-oriented patterns so it's refreshing not to see that, for once). The majority of the patterns in this book are for adult foot sizes. Horizontal stripes and ribs are pretty common in terms of color and texture, respectively, although you will find a few other interesting patterns. There are a handful of colorwork patterns (mostly single bands around the ankle or lower leg) and some designs with cables (you'll need a separate cable needle for those). There's even a pair of socks with a beadwork pattern around the ankles, for the adventurous. (Designs are marked with difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 4. Specialty stitches and patterns other than stripes tend to get the "3" and "4" difficulty ratings. I generally agree with these assessments.) And don't forget, you don't have to use the colors used in the demonstration pieces.At any rate, there's a lot of variety in here. I'm pleased with the focus on patterns for adults; however, if you're looking for a book with a lot of children's patterns, you may want to look elsewhere. Start with Isela's "Loom Knitting Primer" if you're just starting out with loom knitting, though, and save this book for when you're ready for a bigger challenge (the Primer includes a handful of sock patterns so you can see if socks are something you'd like to try).

I had taken this book out from the library prior to buying and thought it was great. The directions are very clear and there are so many patterns. I love the chart inside the front pages which gives you different sizes without having to sit down and calculate it. This really is the definitive guide to sock knitting on a loom! One caveat - I would probably try to seek out some videos on YouTube before making socks on a loom. It's just hard to explain the heel/toe wrap/double wrap process otherwise (I don't think any book could do it!). So I wouldn't fault this book if the instructions seem a bit difficult at first. Once you make 1-2 socks, everything does make sense!

super! A new way to knit to add to my skills

There are 2 projects that teach 2 different ways of starting socks (toe up and top down method)Then there are a total of 48 more projects. (50 projects in total, but the 2 starter/learning projects are incredibly boring).Looms required include:- large gauge knitting loom with 24 pegs (the small round Blue Knifty Knitter loom)- Decor Accents Oval child's sock knitting loom with 36 pegs-WonderSock fine gauge knitting loom- Pink Long loom and loom clip with 24 pegs (that's literally how it is described in the book :( )- extra fine gauge loom with 50 pegsYarns required (how many projects with that yarn in parenthesis)- ww 1 (45 projects)- ww 2 (1 project)- ww 4 (1 project)- ww 5 (1 project)Projects available by difficulty level:level 1 difficulty - 4 projectslevel 2 difficulty - 17 projectslevel 3 difficulty - 16 projectslevel 4 difficulty - 10 projectIt is a good introduction to sock loom knitting, with different styles including:-simple socks- yoga socks- textured socks with designs, lace panels and cables on the cuffs of the sock- slipper style socks- kids/babies socksDefinitely a book you can be using for a long time and would be a great gift with a sock loom for anyone starting an interest in knitting socks.

Very good explanations and easy to understand

Good book to get you stated on loom knitting .