I am knitting over the knee socks, 4ply, and want a firm band. How do I incorporate knitting elastic. Have never used this before.

I assume you are using the thin thread of elastic? Then you just use it together with your yarn. Hold the two together as one, and knit with it. It will make your yarn stretchy and pull in tighter on the ribbing. I suggest that you use a 2/2 rib for better elasticity.

You can also add the elastic later by threading it through the stitches, but I find it too much work.

2 Comments

• At 2010.01.30 07:54, Led Zyppin #7to11 said:
  

  What I would do is sew an extra length a little longer than the band’s width. For Example if the band is 1/4" wide I would knit an extra 3/8" into the length on my sock and then I would fold the extra length over the band and seam it in the back. So on the top of your socks there would be about a 3/8" length section that is doubled over with the elastic seamed between the knitted sections. To make it even sturdier I would make this section ribbed, which would add more elasticity and tension. So if you had a 1/4" band and you knitted 3/8" to go over it you would knit in a rib for 3/4" (3/8" for each side of the band).
  References :

  [Reply]
• At 2010.01.30 08:27, hairbender said:
  

  I assume you are using the thin thread of elastic? Then you just use it together with your yarn. Hold the two together as one, and knit with it. It will make your yarn stretchy and pull in tighter on the ribbing. I suggest that you use a 2/2 rib for better elasticity.

  You can also add the elastic later by threading it through the stitches, but I find it too much work.
  References :

  [Reply]