Cosplay Knitting: Tabi Socks

Ever since my string of madness back in February, I have been happily knitting away and starting more projects than I can finish. Just like every knitter. 😜 I am enamored with the idea of yarn craft/fiber craft costumes, but it is certainly not an efficient method. I'll get faster eventually, but for now, I'm doing the inefficient right-hand/English knitting instead of the quicker continental knitting. Anywho...let's talk tabi! 

This is how far I got before restarting.

Capturing the Essence

The nice thing about most shows is that they don't get too crazy with the sock design.  Demon Slayer, for most characters, uses either a white or "black" or Dark solid color. There are exceptions, of course. (Glaring at you, Mitsuri...and your delicious pinstripe thigh highs.)

I do love her aesthetic.

When it comes to the height of the socks, most of the major characters have leg wraps (kyahan) or long pants (hakama). This means you can make the ankle bit as tall as comfortable. You can just go to the ankle bone or higher! 

When it comes to making these socks via a knitting technique, you will lose the distinct seam you see in sewn tabi. (Unless you knit flat, like the book pattern I link to.)

Techniques Used 🧶

When going through knitting patterns, I found that these were the most common knitting techniques used. You don't have to learn ALL of these to knit socks, but this will at least give you some search terms to learn things you may not be familiar with yet. 

• Knitting in the round
• Magic Loop 
• Knitting with Double Pointed Needles (DPN)
• Kitchener Stitch
• Brioche Knit
• Ribbing
• Judy's Magic Cast-On
• Turkish Cast-On
• Long Tail Cast-On
• Jenny's Stretch Bind Off
• Knit and Purl (Stockinette Stitch)
• Stranding Color Change/Fair Isle
• Duplicate Stitch
• German Short Row
• Short Row Knitting (Wrap and Turn)
• German Short Row Heel
• Afterthought Heel
• Gusset Heel

Suggested Patterns

When looking for sock patterns, I used the following search terms: Tabi, Split Toe, Flip-Flop Sock, Sandal Sock, and Thong Sock. 

This did bring up several free patterns. One thing to keep in mind is how you start the sock. Some patterns start from the toe, while others start from the top. For an easier Cast-On method or a very tall sock (looking at Mitsuri's thigh-high socks), it is easier to start from the top. If you want to start with one of the many tricky bits, making and connecting the two toe pieces is the way to go. 

Free Patterns:🎁

• Camy's Loft Top Down Tabi
• Drops 119-39 Big Toe Sock  (Might work well for Mitsuri)
• Drops 119-40 Big Toe Sock 
• Gréta Split Toe Up Tabi Socks
• Basic Split Toe Sock Worked From Toe Up
• A Recipe for Split Toes on Socks
• Flipflop (or Ninja!) Socks
• Ann Marie: Pink Ribbon Stockings (for Mitsuri)
• Very Long Socks (for Mitsuri)
• New: Loom Knit Toe/Sandal Socks (video)

Purchase Patterns: 💰

• Tabi Toes
• Brioche Topped Thigh High Socks (for Mitsuri)
• Sidewalk Talk Flip-Flop Socks 
• New: Knit your socks on straight (book)

Personally, I'm using the Sidewalk Talk Flip-Flop Sock pattern from VeryPink.com and the loom knit toe sock video. Regardless of the pattern you use, the supplemental video for this pattern is RICH with techniques for this type of sock. That is IF you are making a toe-up sock. 

Although I think her explanation and demonstration of Judy's Magic Cast-On is a little better in her German Short Row Sock video. 

Supplies🎒

Patterns may suggest specific needle sizes and yarn types. In general, for sock knitting, you will use pretty small needles and lightweight yarn. Generally, you will likely use circular needles or Double-Pointed Needles (DPN). 

For knitting in the round, use either DPNs or a 9" circular needle. 

For Magic Loop, you will use DPNs, a circular needle with 16" or more cable, or two circular needles (preferably 16" or shorter). 

Yarn for socks can be very particular because you will want to consider not only how the sock feels but how it handles moisture, traction, stretch, and ease of care. Many sock knitters suggest wool or wool-nylon blend for soft and stretchy socks. Natural fibers are always preferred for socks but not so much silk or bamboo. (Only because they're kind of slippery.) It is pretty universal not to knit with synthetic (acrylic) yarn for your socks. They don't handle foot sweat well. 💦😰

Sock Yarn is often times very fine. I have seen it called Lightweight, Fingering Weight, Sock Yarn, or Weight 2. The stitches are pretty tiny and fine. 

My Tips ☝

Here are some of the things I've found out along the way while learning how to knit socks. 

• It's better to buy the nice yarn even if it is not readily available at the craft store chains. Originally, I got a ball of Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in Black. I will say it is a good yarn to learn with and practice the pattern. I don't think it makes for the nicest finished product. The texture is a bit rough, which is great for keeping small stitches on a needle, but not as nice to handle or wear. 
• If you are not a knitting fan, I have seen a crochet pattern too. It's definitely a different look and may not be as stretchy. 
• Any character with dark tabi, I would recommend not going with a pure black. A charcoal grey, dark grey, or even a darker navy looks a bit more defined than pure black. I think white is usually fine unless the leg wraps or kyahan are also supposed to be white-ish. One of those things will be ivory, off-white, or light grey. 
• For Mitsuri's tall socks, I would start top down with a navy color for the top trim and green the rest of the way down. The patterns I've linked above use ribbing to create a sense of pinstripe. If you want to make it a more distinct pinstripe, you could use duplicate stitch with the navy yarn. 
• Magic Loop can be confusing. I find using two circular needles that look slightly different helps me keep track of my front and back needles. Otherwise, mark the front and back needle or use DPN. 
• Judy's Magic Cast-On methods sometimes will mention that there are some ways to do it where the purls (wrong side) are on the outside. There is a way to make sure the stockinette stitch is on the outside. This was driving me a little crazy because I couldn't figure out why the purls were always on the outside. 

My Project

I'm following the VeryPink pattern and learning about magic loop and Judy's Magic Cast-on. There is so much 🌟MAGIC🌟. I'm using 16" size 2 circular needles and DPNs. I'm sussing out how I want to make the sock body. 

For yarn, I got two balls from Patty Rabbit's Yarn shop in Berrien Springs, Michigan. (Got them on my trip.) I got a ball of 100% Merino Wool in dark charcoal by Madeline Tosh. and another that was a blend of Merino wool and sparkling stellina in...charcoal. But it also has metallic tinsel. Very cute.