My default knitting is two-at-a-time (2aaT) socks Magic Looped on a circular needle. I can get away with a round toe but prefer asymmetric ones. Sometimes they will be a K2-P1 rib with a cable down the outside front of the leg (it’s easier to sort the toes to the correct foot on a groggy morning), sometimes there’ll be a pattern I have to pay attention to (like the “chain mail” red), or the glory that is entrelac, which is mindless knitting once set up. The latter gives a bias fabric as comfortable as support hose (and much more stylish).
I prefer knee socks with a stockinette section at the cuff turned to the inside: they’re comfortable and stay up without adding elastic. They’re shaped by changing needle sizes: from 1 down to 00 (rarely, 000) for the ankle. Sock bottoms are worked separately (see link) on size 1s.The example above is basted together with white fishline to check its fit before its permanent sewing.
My preferred heel is the twinned-stitch shadow-wrap short row, which I first saw on Socktopus’ blog.
Yarn: a fine wool, such as merino, paired with a substantial (25%+) of nylon for longevity. When the bottoms are done separately, the uppers can be comparatively fragile, such as cashmere.
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/BreiKonijn/crocheted-blank-tutorial
I started dyeing sock blanks (either knit on oversized needles, or by using separated pieces of thrifted sweaters) a while ago and have never looked back.
Somewhere in the dim mists of time I’d made four pair of bottoms in recycled 60% wool/40% nylon. Last night I dyed them to more-or-less match. They’re stockinette but I’m hoping that hulking great nylon content (and keeping up with pedicures) will make them durable. And I have them. Why not use them?
The ones at right obviously could have been closer but hey, it will be another pair of wearable socks. I’d dyed these previously so the little grabby bonding hands couldn’t manage much more color.