Old Socks and Fingerless Gloves

Do you have old socks with holes in the soles and heels, but otherwise perfectly nice leg parts?  I cut off the feet and was saving the legs for house cleaning.  Then I developed a bit of arthritis in my left thumb.  When it gets cold I need to keep the thumb warm.   Gloves are not handy if you want to do other things too, and then I noticed people making  fingerless gloves, which basically look a lot like my cut off sock parts.  So I made some.  Eeasypeasy, and here is the "recipe" in case you have a lot of old socks that need repurposing as well.

Our socks are mostly white or grey,  So these look a bit utilitarian.  I used black yarn so that the stitches are visible.  Some socks have a nice sort of "berber" inside, which, if turned out makes a "furry" edge.    At first I just took the straight sock part, stitched the space between thumb and forefinger together  to keep it in place and wore it that way.  But it ravelled.  Then I made a seam by hand and again stitched the space between thumb and finger together. 

Eventually I wanted it to look more finished, and I made a blanket stitch along the folded over top edge, about 24 of them, each about a quarter inch apart.

Then, with a crochet hook G,  (which was a bit big but good for visibility here) I made a double crochet  in each blanket stitch, and after that a piquot edge:  **5 slip stitches, slip 5 back through slip stitch 3, two more slip stitches and slip stitch through each double crochet.  Repeat all around from ** and finish  with final slip stitch.

But it doesn't really matter what stitches you use, as long as you know basic crochet.

Stitch the space between thumb and fore finger together, and you are done.

Then,  with the gray sock, I decided to just single crochet around the whole top edge  (lightly basted hem with removable thread and no blanket stitch) making single crochets all around (about 32) and then I did the piquot stitches in each single crochet.  Works well on a heavy duty type sock.  On more delicate socks  a smaller size crochet hook is needed or better yet, use the blanket stitch first.

 

There was a brand thingy on the top of the sock so I hid that with a little crocheted flower. 

The white  one also has no blanket stitch, I single crocheted straight into the basted hem at the top and  added the piquot row.  Then I added a slip stitch row of the fuzzy blue yarn below it.

Hope you like this and that it inspires you to do something with your old socks other than putting them under the mattress with your savings...  If you cannot crochet you could sew a row of ruffled lace along the top.  A warning: sewing a hem on the top part on an ordinary old sewing machine will stretch the sock out to unpleasant proportions.

Also published here:  http://www.favecrafts.com/Winter/Fingerless-Gloves-Made-From-Socks

FaveCrafts.com  is a great site for all sorts of different craft projects!  Check it out, and contribute your ideas!

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~ Tranquility and Tolerance ~