Why knit socks on a machine
Socks are one of the most common knitting projects — but they take hours by hand. On a circular knitting machine, you can knit a sock tube in minutes. The catch is that the heel and toe require shaping, which most hobby machines cannot do automatically — those parts are finished by hand.
What machine do you need
For socks, you need a machine with a smaller diameter — 22 needles (Sentro 22, Addi Express small). Larger machines (48 needles) will produce a tube that is too wide. An alternative is a dedicated circular sock machine (CSM) such as an Erlbacher or Legare — these have an additional mechanism for knitting the heel, but cost between 15,000 and 50,000 CZK.
Process on a small circular machine
Cuff
Knit 15–20 rows on the machine. This will form the cuff — you will fold it over and sew it down later (the machine cannot knit ribbing on a single-bed circular machine). Alternatively, you can knit the cuff by hand in rib stitch.
Leg tube
Continue knitting in stockinette stitch — turn the handle. For an adult sock, knit approximately 40–60 rows (depending on the desired leg length). Check the yarn tension and evenness as you go.
Heel (by hand)
Remove half the stitches from the machine onto a sock needle. Leave the other half (instep stitches) on the machine or on waste yarn. Knit the heel by hand — using either the heel flap or short-row method. Once the heel is complete, place the stitches back onto the machine.
Foot
Knit the foot tube on the machine — 30–50 rows depending on the foot length.
Toe (by hand)
Remove the stitches from the machine onto needles. Knit the toe by hand with decreases and close it using the Kitchener stitch.
Sock yarn for the machine
Use sock yarn (fingering weight, 75% wool / 25% nylon). It works well on the Sentro 22 — the needles are fine enough. On larger machines with bigger needles, sock yarn will be too thin and the result will be too loose.
Tip
To start, try knitting tubes without a heel or toe — as leg warmers. You will get used to the machine and sock yarn before tackling a complete sock with hand-finishing.
