Make your own sock blockers out of cardboard

Do you like to block your socks? This is one of those topics that is completely up to personal preference, and there is no right or wrong answer. But personally, I do like to block socks, especially if they’re gifts for other people.

Sock blockers can, however, be a bit expensive. If you use them often, they are definitely worth the money. But if you’re not planning on using them often, or you’re not sure yet, or they’re just not in your budget, you can make them yourself. In my case, I wanted a pair of sock blockers for blocking gift socks, but I didn’t want to spend a fortune on blockers I’ll only use about twice a year. There are other tutorials out there that use different types of plastic to make them watertight, but to cut down on cost and effort, I wanted to make them with materials I already owned: tape and cardboard.

I do want to mention that these are not expected to last. They held up well through the first use, but I wouldn’t count on them to last for years. However, they are cheap and fairly quick to make, so they are easy to replace.

What you need

So without further ado, you will need:

• a sock blocker template. I used this (https://cyberseams.com/patterns/knitting-patterns/socks/how-to-make-your-own-sock-blockers/) one from Cyberseams.com, but there are others available. You can also find tutorials on how to make one specifically catered to you.
• cardboard. Make sure the piece is big enough to fit your template without any folds.
• wide tape. Preferably transparent, but any watertight tape will do.

Firstly, you’re going to cut out your template and trace it onto the cardboard. If you’re not too sure about the size, you can compare it to your sock. If you’re happy with the size, then cut out the blockers.

Cut a few holes in them if you want. That will increase the airflow and help your socks dry quicker, but on the other hand, they will most definitely make the taping part of this process more annoying.

If you’re using transparent tape, now is the time to mark them if you wish. I’m using these to block gift socks and am planning on making more blockers in different sizes, so I marked these with the (EU) shoe size.

Now comes the fun part. Start covering your cardboard shapes in tape. Work neatly, because you want to make sure every bit of cardboard is covered. A few wrinkles here and there are fine, but try to make this as neat as possible. It can be a bit tricky to wrap the curves, but if you take your time, it will be fine. You can use scissors to cut the tape of use some regular sticky tape to cover some smaller bits if you need to.

And that’s it! Now you’re ready to wet your socks and stretch them over the blockers to dry. Enjoy your neatly blocked socks!