Handknit Holidays - Warmest of all Bed Socks

A free pattern for cold winter nights... from 1947- A quick handknit for the holidays

Original 1947 pattern for Handknit bed socks. Love the kitty illustration at the bottom. The same kitty features throughout the publication.

These hand-knitted bed or slipper socks are a lightning-fast knit with those trusty old UK number 6 needles (5mm/US8) and some cozy blanket wool. The weather folks are claiming that these early December days are some of the chilliest ever in the Riverina, and for once, I believe them! Normally, down here in the southern hemisphere, we'd be dusting off our flip-flops and donning shorts and tees as we deck the halls. But instead, we're diving into our closets for cardigans and those trusty hand-knit socks.

Fresh off the pages of my well loved 1947 Australian Women's Weekly Knitting Book for Children and Adults, this pattern is here to remind us that the 1940s were all about keeping things simple, practical, cheap and tough as old boots. With today's weather and wallet woes, who wouldn't want another excuse to bundle up like a baby burrito and avoid cranking up the heater?

I've knit dozens of these bed socks over the years for the Vintage family and Miss Vintage has requested a new pair for her Christmas Stocking this year, so I thought I would pop on the interwebs today and share the pattern with all my lovely subscribers and casual readers.

Of course, in true vintage style, the pattern is written for one size only, but I have found that this one is super simple to adjust. The knit fabric itself is quite stretchy so knitted to the instructions given it will fit most adult women's or smaller men's foot sizes. Vintage blanket wool was considered a chunkier weight than usual, and most closely matches modern worsted, aran or heavy worsted weight yarns (10 ply to 12 ply).

The pattern calls for two skeins of yarn. In 1940s Australia yarn was largely sold in 1 ounce skeins (28 grams), so you will need approximately 60 grams of yarn, however this amount will vary dependant on how long you want to make the foot of your sock. I usually err on the side of caution and set aside 100grams (3 & 1/2 ounces) per pair.

For Mr Vintage and our two grown up Vintage fellas, I knit to pattern and just add a few extra rows before decreasing for the toes. For our youngest Miss Vintage (pre-teen at the time of writing), myself and our two adult Vintage ladies, I take the needle size down to a 4mm (old UK 8/US 6) and knit using 8ply (DK/ light worsted).

The Pattern

I've written this pattern out as published in 1947 with some notes at the end.

There is no gauge/tension provided.

The pattern abbreviations throughout are fairly standard (st/s = stitch/es; in = inch/es; tog = together; rep. =repeat etc).

Materials : 2 skeins of blanket wool, 1 pair size 6 needles.

Cast on 39 sts.

Knit into the back of sts +

K1, p2 to end.

Rep. this row for 6 in.++

** Next Row: K 12 turn, K12. +++

Next Row: K 11, turn, K 11.

Knit backwards and forwards taking 1 st less each time, finishing with a K3, turn, K3.

Next Row: K4, turn, K4.

Next Row: K5, turn, K5.

Knit backwards and forwards, taking 1 st more each time, finishing with a K12, turn, K12. **

Next Row: K1, p2 to end.

Rep. from ** to **

Next Row: K1, p2 to end

Rep. this row until foot measures required length, K2tog. at each end of last 6 rows.

Cast off.

Join seam down back of leg and under foot to toe.

Lay foot flat and join across toe. ++++

+I have always taken this as the first row and completed one row knit, but others have just taken it as knitting into the back of all knit stitches throughout the pattern. Works either way, so choose your own adventure

++6 inches seems like a lot, but it's designed to have a turn down cuff. You can make this as long or short as you like. If you are trying to use up yarn scraps and are worried you won't have enough yarn, work a shorter cuff. I do suggest at least an inch or so though, so your sock stays up. When knitting for smaller sizes I do approximately 4 & 1/2 to 5 inches for the turn down cuff.

+++ this is where you begin to turn the heel. You'll do one side then the other. If you want a more durable fabric I suggest doing a wrap and turn here so you don't end up with decorative little holes along your heels.

++++ For smaller sizes, rather than casting off, I run a thread through my toe stitches and draw them up to make a round toe. Larger sizes with bulkier yarn, i do the flat seam. Drawing up makes the toe too bulky to fit in Mr Vintage's flip flop slides when he needs to do a quick run and grab for more logs for our fireplace or take the furry diva outside.

Some final notes

These were designed to be knit in pure wool, so the soles felt down nicely with wear. But you might like to try stranding sock yarns together for an even harder wearing longer lasting pair. Or, if you feel so inclined, you could even add a felt sole. We tend to wear ours to bed, if not all night, at least when we first get under the covers until it gets all snuggly, so I don't bother.

As always, feel free to leave a comment. What handknit plans do you have for your holidays? Let me know how you found the pattern or share any tips you might have for other knitters attempting to make their own pair.

Happy Knitting.

Meg.

I'm about to start a new pair for Miss Vintage..... and maybe a pair for myself. They do knit up very quickly. Great for keeping your hands busy over a few evenings while you are watching the telly.