First we started with the toes, now this is where the sock really truly becomes yours. Start with the slip knot, leave a tail a couple of inches long, then do a chain with as many links as it takes to measure roughly from your big toe to you little toe, make it fall perhaps 2 links short, this will enable the sock to be a little snug and not loose and floppy as you walk around. One thing we did with this sock is leave it square-toed, this way it doesn't matter which foot you put it on.
Once you have done the chain measuring across your toes, do single crochet back along that chain until you get to the end. When you get to the end link, do 6 single crochet into that one link, it should make a semi circle and bring you around and ready to crochet along the other edge of the chain. Again when you reach the last link of the original chain, do 6 single crochet into that one link. This is the only time, on this part of the sock, that you will need to do more than one single crochet in the same link/stitch.
It might look a little fiddly at first and then like a little bag but keep working and don't forget, you are measuring it against your own foot, so try it on. You will need it to reach the start of your heel, once you have made it this long you will need to work out which half is going to be the top half and then work only on the top half.
The sock, so far, will flatten naturally thanks to the first chain you made for the toes, this helps to find the top half of the sock to work on. Now you will need to work back and forth doing single crochet and missing the first stitch when doing each row (i.e, don't make a single chain and then go back into the stitch you made, instead go into the second stitch), this will make the rows slowly become smaller and give an almost triangle appearance. Yes you will get a slightly different pattern with your work, this is nothing to worry about, it actually adds a little something to the sock. From here, try the sock on and when the top half reaches just above your ankle, you start the next trick. Finish that row and then make another chain. You will need to try the sock on a few times to get this part right, but that's all part of the fun with making a sock specifically for you.
Soon as you have the chain long enough to reach around your ankle, making sure it is not too tight, continue on with single crochet, don't worry, it will go around in a spiral but will barely be noticeable. Only complete 2 rows and then try the sock on again to make sure that your foot will fit. If you are having a bit of trouble, pull back the stitches to the chain and add a couple more links. If you are finding it too loose, again, pull back to the chain and remove a couple of links.
Once you have it all comfortable and fitting well, continue on for 8 rows however long you like, as this will be the section that covers your leg, so if you only want little socks, probably do 5 rows, if you want a sock to warm your ankle and a little more, do 8-12 rows. When you have finished, leave a couple inches to the tail, tie a knot to secure your work and put that piece aside for now.
What is a sock without a heel? We had better work on a heel now. We had tried starting with a circle but found it wasn't working the way we wanted, so same as the start of the toes, make a chain a little less than the width of your heel and, just like the toes go back over the chain with single crochet until you get to the last link, put 6 single crochet into that last link to bring your work around so you are ready to work on the other half of the chain, again when you get to the other end of the original chain, put 6 single crochet into that one link to turn your work. As per normal, singlet crochet around roughly 5 rows until the heel starts to take shape.
Try the heel on, don't be shy, you need to know it is fitting well. It should look like a little fabric bowl on your heel, notice how your heel isn't perfectly round like the heel you are making for your sock? Your crochet now needs a bit of adjusting from the heel to the underside of the foot and from the heel up the ankle/leg. Here is where you will learn to make little corners to change the shape of your heel. While wearing the heel, note where the underside of your foot meets the side of your heel, look at both sides and remember this. The next row of crochet will involve extra stitches in the place. When you find you are at one of these sections, do a single crochet then a single chain and then a single crochet again before continuing on with single crochet. Try the heel on again and this time, note what stitches are at either side of the back of your heel, these will need little corners like you have just learned.
When it comes to the next few rows, the single crochet, single chain, single crochet needs to be done in the previous single chain. Now it is time to put on the other part of the sock and then the heel, take a look at see if the front of the heel meets up with the underside of the sock, it should be close. Continue until these two just meet, this helps with the snug fit. Now there is a lot more to do on the sides and back of the ankle area, so forget going around the heel completely, instead, turn around when you get to the front of the heel as this is now the end of the row and work back, continue crochet like this for roughly 2 rows and then you will see that you need to shape the sides.
We found that after the final stitch, make a 2 link chain and go back into the 3rd stitch and start crocheting again from there, do this until the sides are complete and even, this should be about 6 rows but that depends on your foot after this there should only be a little left to complete which will be perhaps 3 rows which cover around the ankle and will join the heel to the band around the ankle/leg which you made on the other piece. When you try both these pieces on and you can see they will fit, it is then time to tie off on your work on the heel and this time be sure to leave a tail roughly 15 inch or 30 cm in length as you will use this with your wool needle to stitch the two pieces together, an easy way to thread your needle is to take your needle in one hand, loop the wool over once, pinch this tight over the needle, slide the needle out and hold it close to your pinched finger and thumb. Now slowly open up/roll back your finger and thumb a little and push the wool through your needle as you do so. From here the stitching is just a basic stitch remembering to keep it tight.
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