The Ultimate Guide to Cabin Sock Knitting
Cabin socks (also known as house socks or worsted weight socks) are a warm alternative way to knit up a pair of woolly socks. Whether it’s your first step into sock knitting or you’ve been wanting to cast on something new, cabin sock knitting is easier (and cozier) than you may think.
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Contents
- What is cabin sock knitting?
- This sounds just like regular sock knitting!
- Why would I want to knit cabin socks?
- What matters about cabin socks
- Is cabin sock knitting for you?
- Essentials of cabin sock knitting
- Yarn weight
- Fiber
- Needles
- What if I’ve never knit socks before?
- How to knit cabin socks
- How to care for your knit cabin socks
- Washing cabin socks
- Why I don’t block my cabin socks
- How to mend your knit cabin socks
What is cabin sock knitting?
When most people think of sock knitting, they imagine fingering weight yarn and tiny needles.
Cabin sock knitting is the same idea and structure as traditional sock knitting, but with different supplies and a different purpose.
Cabin socks aren’t quite slippers but are thicker than socks knit with sock yarn. With cabin sock knitting, you typically use worsted weight yarn and size US 6-8 needles.
Like traditional socks, cabin socks can be knit with double pointed needles or circulars. You can use the magic loop method, two-at-a-time, cuff down, or toe up.
Knitters can insert any heel type, use cables or lace details, or knit a straight vanilla sock!
This sounds just like regular sock knitting!
It’s so similar!
Most people either have already become fans of cabin sock knitting, or have it in their knitting bucket list. But there are some skeptics.
Why would I want to knit cabin socks?
Cabin socks are a quick knit. You can finish a pair in a week! And I mean with regular knitter speed, not knit-like-it’s-my-job pressure.
It’s so enjoyable to see cabin socks knit up that you’re less likely to experience second sock syndrome. Second sock syndrome is when you spend so long knitting up a sock. When it comes to the second sock you have a hard time casting on or working through what’s essentially the same project a second time.
You can also knit up a bunch of cabin socks to add to a gift later basket to avoid panic and procrastination at holidays and birthdays.
I live in northern Illinois, and the winters here are cold. If you find fingering weight socks too thin (especially on kitchen and bathroom tiles!) you will love knit cabin socks.
What matters about cabin socks
The most important thing about cabin sock knitting is realizing the intent for the socks.
Cabin socks are not fingering weight socks. That seems obvious. But if you knit cabin socks and expect them to fit in your regular shoes, then you’re going to be disappointed. While I wear my cabin socks in clogs during springtime, as well as winter boots and rain boots, they are truly made to be house socks.
Cabin socks are a subgroup of socks, like shortie socks. You wouldn’t wear shortie socks with winter boots, right? Sounds uncomfortable, and I’m having flashbacks to sledding as a child with socks falling down in my boots.
No, cabin socks are for cozy days at home or with friends and simple adventure.
Is cabin sock knitting for you?
Because they use worsted weight yarn and bigger needles, cabin socks are a great intro to sock knitting. Choose a light neutral so you can see your stitches.
Because you’re still shaping the heel and adding all the same elements like a cuff and toe, working the sock will teach you the structure of the socks up close so you can easily understand what the stitches create. Then you can knit with smaller sock yarn once you understand the process from your previous cabin sock knitting.
But expert knitters also love cabin socks! They’re part of many knitter’s dream fall evening: knitting cozy socks while wearing cozy socks, while watching Gilmore Girls and sipping tea.
Essentials of cabin sock knitting
When you get down to the real essentials of slow knitting today, all you need to knit with are yarn and needles.
Yarn weight
What do you need to knit worsted weight cabin socks? Worsted weight yarn! My favorite worsted weight yarns for cabin sock knitting are:
- Wool of the Andes Worsted Tweed by Knit Picks
- The Heather Line by JaggerSpun
- Galway Worsted by Plymouth
Fiber
You’ll want yarn that’s mostly, if not all, wool.
There are plenty of worsted weight yarns out there with a wool/nylon blend if you want more durability. I prefer 100% wool socks because I wear them for warmth. There’s way less wear and tear on heels and toes (remember, I don’t wear them with regular shoes!).
The game changer is finding a soft wool. Cabin socks will soften on their own anyway, but I want to wear squishy soft and warm socks right out of the gate, don’t you?
Needles
Just like regular sock knitting, there are a lot of methods for cabin sock knitting.
For tutorials on two-at-a-time, magic loop, and DPN’s, I recommend the Crazy Sock Lady’s YouTube channel.
My sock knitting preference is using 9″ bamboo circular needles. These are my favorites. When you get to the heels and toes, switch over to wooden DPN’s like these.
What if I’ve never knit socks before?
Like I said earlier, you can start cabin sock knitting whether you’re a
- Beginner knitter
- Intermediate knitter
- Expert knitter
If you can knit, purl, k2together to decrease, and slip stitches, you can follow a simple cabin sock knitting pattern. If you’re totally new to knitting, head over to this post to learn to knit.
How to knit cabin socks
- Start with the cast on.
- Knit your leg length.
- Choose your heel.
- Work the foot.
- Close the toe.
- Repeat for 2nd sock.
I don’t personally have trouble keeping the excitement going for second sock syndrome when each one knits up so simply. I have also come to enjoy intentional knitting, and have been finding joy in the process of knitting rather than knitting quickly to get something off my needles.
How to care for your knit cabin socks
Washing cabin socks
Every week or so, I fill up my sink with warm water and a bit of wool wash. You could also add a drop of lavender oil and set out a vase of fresh flowers for some extra enjoyment during the chore.
I don’t wash all my knits weekly, but if I’ve worn a garment or socks more than a few times that week, in they go. Sometimes socks that have been several times need a wash to tighten those stitches back up and refresh the fibers again.
After a good soaking for an hour, gently squeeze out the excess water. You don’t need to rinse wool wash out. Lay the socks flat on a towel, then roll the towel up with the socks inside. I wear slippers for this job, or ask my kids to hop on. A few quick steps on the towel roll gets the rest of the water out.
Lastly, I hang my socks on a drying rack in the sunroom, open windows, and turn on the fan. Because I have toddlers and a dog, I close the door in that room for the day. I love the idea of drying knitwear on our clothesline, but it’s not worth the sun fades and little bits of leaves getting in the wool!
Why I don’t block my cabin socks
When I first finish a pair of cabin socks, occasionally I’ll put them on my sock blocker to take photos of them. But I don’t actually block socks. I find that wearing them on my feet all day naturally forms them to the shape of my feet even better!
The only exception to this for me is if I’m gifting cable knit cabin socks and want them to unwrap beautifully out of their package.
How to mend your knit cabin socks
It’s inevitable that wear and tear will eventually catch up to your cabin socks. Even regular socks get holes in toes and heels, or snags from wood floors and everyday use.
A good idea is to keep a small mending stash with a couple yards of leftover yarn to mend heels and toes with. Even better, write down the yarn and pattern and tag it to the yarn scrap. That way you’ll know exactly which yarn to pull out!
A friend of mine once suggested to make a day out of washing and mending your knitwear. Put on music or a show, and intentionally wash then mend your knits.
While I could see this tending to your craft as being very enjoyable, I have 4 small kids to tend to first! Do what you can, and don’t compare your schedule with another knitter’s.
That’s it! That’s the cabin sock knitting guide!
Knitting worsted weight cabin socks is so enjoyable. Wearing them is such squishy woolly goodness! Although they’re not long to knit up, slow down and savor the stitches and the craft.
Slow knitting is so rewarding when we stop comparing and competing against others, ourselves, and time.
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