Cast-on and Toe Increase

As you can see in the above photo, I'm using a large Ziplock baggie to keep my yarn from getting tangled. The yarn comes out through holes in each side of the top, with the middle of the baggie pressed closed.

Cast-On

Using Judy's Magic Cast-On, I cast-on 20 sts for each sock, then worked one round, remembering to knit into the back of the stitch for the first round on the second side of each sock.

Toe Increases

I calculated that these socks will be 84 sts for the foot and leg. 84 sts equals 100%.

Round 2 (all M1 increases worked with a backward loop increase)

Side 1 (instep)
Sock A: K1, M1R, K to 1 st before the end, M1L, K1.
Sock B: K1, M1R, K to 1 st before the end, M1L, K1.
Rotate

Side 2 (sole)
Sock B: K1, M1R, K to 1 st before the end, M1L, K1.
Sock A: K1, M1R, K to 1 st before the end, M1L, K1.
Rotate

First increase round of socks completed.
Each sock now has 24 sts (12 sts on each side of each sock).

Round 3 (even)
Knit both sides of both socks with no increases.

Next Rounds (increase and knit even)
Repeat the last two rounds (increase and knit even) until 84 total sts

End work at marker having just finished side 2, sock A.
Each sock now has a total of 84 sts.
Each side of each sock now has 42 sts.

This is my row counter for the increases. I have it written down on a piece of paper. I mark each completed round with an "i" then an "e" for increase or even.

rnd   B  A
2-3   24 24 ie
4-5   28 28 ie
6-7   32 32 ie
8-9   36 36 ie
10-11 40 40 ie
12-13 44 44
14-15 48 48
16-17 52 52
18-19 56 56
20-21 60 60
22-23 64 64
24-25 68 68
26-27 72 72
28-29 76 76
30-31 80 80
32-33 84 84

When I reach 84 sts, I'll just start knitting Stockinette Stitch until the sock is about seven inches long from the tip of the toe. Then I'll start the gusset increases.

This yarn is so thin, and the needles are so small that I have to knit with my glasses off so I can see what I'm doing. I still don't have enough experience so that I can knit without looking at what I'm doing.

Gusset Increases, Heel Turn and Heel Flap

The last time this Sample Sock was seen, the toe had been shaped. Knitting the foot in stockinette stitch was very straightforward. When the toe and foot together measured about two inches, it was time to start the Gusset Increases on the sole side of the sock. The instep side of the sock was knit a straight 16 sts each round. The sole side of the sock was increased two sts each round (using the same pattern as for the toe increases), until there were 32 sts total. An even round was knit all around in between every increase round.

The nice thing about doing the gusset like this is, there aren't any stitches to pick-up, like there were in Ann Budd's cuff-down sock. I did not take any pix of the gusset increases in progress. There ended up being 16 sts on the instep needle, and 32 sts on the sole needle. Remember, the instep needle is the one with the stitch marker in the first stitch.

As usual, the heel turn is where the Magic happens. The heel is worked on the sole side of the sock. Starting on the knit side (right side):
Row 1: K8, PM1 (Place Marker 1), K15, sl1 (as if to purl), bring yarn to right side to wrap stitch, PM2 on left needle, slip st back to left needle, turn work to the wrong side (purl side).
Row 2: Bring yarn to wrong side for purl stitch. Purl to 2 sts before Marker 1. Sl2 (as if to purl), bring yarn to right side to wrap stitch, slip st back to left-hand needle, turn.
Row 3: (right side) Bring yarn in position to knit. Knit to 2 sts before previously wrapped stitch. sl1 (as if to purl), bring yarn to wrap st, slip st back to left needle, turn.
Row 4: (wrong side) Bring yarn in position to purl. Purl to 2 sts before previously wrapped stitch. sl1 (as if to purl), bring yarn to wrap st, slip st back to left needle, turn.
Next Rows: Rep Row 3 and Row 4 until all but the 3 center sts have been wrapped. End having completed a right-side row. Turn.

The Heel Flap was worked back and forth in rows on the sole side of the sock.
Row 1: (wrong side) Purl to 1 stitch before Marker 1. Sl1 (as if to purl), remove marker, slip st back to left needle, P2tog. Turn.
Row 2: (right side) Sl1 (as if to purl). Knit to 1 stitch before Marker 2. Sl st (as if to knit), remove marker, slip next st (as if to knit), place the 2 slipped sts back on left needle, and knit the two slipped sts together through the back loop. Turn.
Row 3: (wrong side) Sl1 (as if to purl), purl to 1 st before gap, P2tog. Turn.
Row 4: (right side) Sl1 (as if to purl), *K1, sl1 (as if to purl); rep from * to 1 st before gap, SSK, Turn.
Next Rows: Rep Row 3 and Row 4 until all the sts on the sole side of the sock have been worked.
End on a right side row. There are now 16 sts on both needles.

The legs are knit in stockinette stitch, just like the foot. As the above photo shows, I ran out of yarn as I completed the heel flap. If I'd had enough yarn, I would have knit an inch or two of leg, then done K1, P1 ribbing for an inch or so, finishing with a Bind Off. The trick to doing a bind-off on a toe-up sock is making it loose enough so the foot and heel can fit through it.

That's it! I guess I'm ready to make Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks with the fingering weight yarn and the US #0 circular needles.

Shaping The Toe

My goal is to be able to knit Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks with fingering weight yarn on one US #0 40 inch circular needle. But first I'm going to knit one Sample Sock with leftover Class Sock Aran / 10 ply (8 wpi) weight yarn on one US #5 40 inch circular needle. There are so many things to remember when learning how to do this that I had to make a list.

1. Judy's Magic Cast-on: 16 sts (8 sts per needle)
   
   
   
   • Yarn tail over index finger.
     
   • Working yarn over thumb.
     
   • Loop around Top Needle.
     
   • Loop bottom needle around yarn tail.
     
   • Loop top needle around working yarn.
     
   • Repeat until there are 8 loops on each needle (16 sts total).
     
   • End with a loop on the bottom needle (tail yarn).
     
   
   
2. Pull tail yarn over working yarn and to the back, out of the way. Knit first side (8 sts), rotate. Place marker on first st.
   
3. Knit through back loops on second side (8 sts), rotate.
   
4. K1, M1R (working yarn to back), Knit to next-to-last st, M1L (working yarn to front), K1, rotate.
   
5. K1, M1R (working yarn to back), Knit to next-to-last st, M1L (working yarn to front), K1, rotate.
   
6. Knit evenly all around.
   
7. Repeat 4., 5., and 6. until there are 32 sts total (16 sts on each needle).
   

I don't know why it has been so difficult for me to get my head wrapped around doing this, but I am making progress, albeit, slowly. I've been doing a lot of frogging.

KnittingHelp.Com: Increases.

Once the toe is shaped, Knit evenly around for the Foot until the Sample Sock measures 2 inches from the tip of the toe.

Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks

I'm expecting Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes to arrive on Friday, the 23rd of April. Currently, my toe-up socks are on a temporary hold until this book arrives. Why?

Well, there's more to socks than meets the eye! Knitting can be as simple as two sticks and some string, or as complex as yarn weight, needle size, knitting tension, and knitting technique.

The gauge swatch for the toe-up socks I'm planning to knit with fingering weight yarn, on US #0 needles, shows that I'm knitting 10 sts per inch. That's pretty tight.

The thing is, I knitted the gauge swatch on a set of five, eight inch, US #0 double-pointed metal (PHILDAR brand) needles (2mm) that were given to me. If I decide to use dpns to knit these toe-up socks, I'll want a second set of dpns, so I can knit both socks at more or less the same time. However, 8 inch dpns are much too long! The LYS has 5 inch dpns, and those are too short. The chain stores that have knitting supplies have 7 inch dpns, and those are still too long.

So the question is, since I'll have to purchase some needles anyway, why not wait a couple of days to see if the technique of knitting two socks on one long circular needle is within my technical ability, or not? If I think I can do it, I'll buy one 40 inch US#0 circular needle, and knit both socks on it. If the technique looks too complex for me, then I'll buy two sets of five needles, six inches long, and do them on dpns.

I kind of like the idea of being able to knit both socks at the same time on one circular needle. I've already been introduced to the Magic Loop technique, when I took the sock class. That was just knitting one sock on one circular needle. I'm thinking it shouldn't be too difficult to take that experience and translate it into doing two socks on one circular needle.

Anyway, that's where I'm at today. I don't have anything on needles at this point. Knitting teaches patience, and so does waiting for a new book to arrive in the mail.

Gauge Swatch with 0 Needles and Fingering Weight Yarn

Today I cast-on 40 sts onto US #0 (2mm) dpns in order to do a gauge swatch for making toe-up socks with fingering weight yarn.

The yarn is Paton's Kroy Sock Yarn, fingering weight (1), 14 wpi, self-striping, 75% Wool, 25% Nylon, given to me by my SO.



After measuring several places around the gauge swatch, it looks like I'm knitting 10 sts and 13 rows per inch.

The calculations for my toe-up socks:

The foot circumference around the ball of the foot is 9.125 inches.
I'm getting 10 sts per inch, and 10 sts X 9.125 = 90.125 sts.
With a 10% negative ease, I'd cast on for 80 sts (divisible by 4).
With a 5% negative ease, I'd cast-on for 84 sts (divisible by 4).
I've decided to go with the 5% negative ease for these socks.

The cool thing with a toe-up sock is, I can fit it as I go, and if
it doesn't fit, I rip-it out and start over, without too much work.
After all, it's only a toe, right?

Also, I can make the leg as high as I want to, or knit until I run
out of yarn. There's no leftover yarn!

Toe-Up Socks For Every Body

I recently added another toe-up socks book by Wendy D. Johnson to my socks knitting library. Once again, she has made a beautiful book, with beautiful socks on beautiful models. Toe-Up Socks For Every Body has an Introduction, followed by PART ONE, which has Basic Information for Sock Knitters, including Toe-Up Tools, Knit to Fit, and Pattern Essentials. PART TWO has the Sock Patterns for Lace Socks, Cable Socks, and Colorwork Socks. There are a total of 23 beautiful toe-up sock patterns in this book. All of the socks patterns in the book have been added to the Ravelry Patterns section. Finally, there is an APPENDIX of Techniques For Toe-Up Socks. I am looking forward to acquiring the skills needed to make some of the socks in this book.

Some Notes on the Sample Sock

I am not a hooker, and making the provisional cast-on with a crochet hook is difficult for me to do. I guess I just need to practice making chain stitches with some yarn and a crochet hook. One thing that has been pointed out in my books, is to use a smooth yarn for the provisional cast-on because it is easier to see the purl bump on the back of the chain, that needs to be picked up for the cast-on. I've tried it both ways, using a slightly fuzzy yarn and a superwash smooth yarn, and it is much easier to do the provisional cast-on with smooth yarn.

The wraps and turns on my sample sock sucked. They worked, but they looked like crap. So the first thing I did after I finished the sample sock was to look for a good tutorial on doing a Wrap & Turn (W&T). The best tutorial I've found is in this Universal Sock Pattern on Knitty.Com.

Even with a good tutorial, I'm still having trouble seeing the wrap when it comes time to lift it, in order to hide it when completing the short-row process. In my practice short-row toe, I'm using stitch markers to show me which stitches have a wrap, so I can figure out which part to lift. Just like making a W&T, there is a RS and a WS way of lifting a wrapped stitch.

I'm making practice short-row toes. These are just for practicing W&T. I do a long-tail cast-on of 12 sts, and proceed according to the sample sock pattern, except I have the tutorial in front of me, and I'm using stitch markers to keep track of where I am, as far as how many wrapped stitches I've done. Without having to do the provisional cast-on each time, the W&T practice toes are going pretty fast. I'm determined to learn how to W&T and how to lift the wraps so my short-row toes will not only look good, but be nice and tight as well.

Overall, the Short-Row Toe and Heel Toe-Up Basic Sock is a good sock to make. The toe and the heel are seamless. The provisional cast-on is a bit of a pain, but well worth the effort. One other thing to look into is a stretchy bind-off.

Knifty Knitter Circular Loom Socks 03

You can wear these socks with your Birkies...

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Or wear them with Garden Clogs...

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Or just lounging around on the Porch...

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Or as snuggly House Socks!

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Super Bulky Ribbed Toe-Up Socks

Skills needed:

Slip Knot
E-wrap
Knit Over / Knit Off
Knit
Wrap & Turn
Purl
Sewn Bind-Off
Weaving-in Loose Ends

Materials needed:

6-8 ounces of Super Bulky Weight Yarn.
60-70 inches of contrasting-color waste-yarn
Stitch Markers
Tapestry Needle
Peg Markers
Loom Pick
Blue 24-Peg Knifty Knitter Loom

       PEG
   (12)    13
    11     14
    10     15
     9     16
     8     17
     7     18
     6     19
     5     20
     4     21
     3     22
     2     23
    (1)    24

Refer to the above diagram.
With the loom in the above position.
Place peg-markers on pegs 12 and 1.

I knit a sock tightly on the Knifty Knitter Loom.
My gauge on this sock is 6 sts and 10 rows in 2x2 inches.

The Short-Row Toe:



With Waste Yarn of contrasting color, place Slip Knot on PEG.
1. E-wrap pegs 1 to 12.
2. E-wrap pegs 12 to 1. KO.
3. E-wrap pegs 1 to 12. KO.
4. E-wrap pegs 12 to 1. KO.
Undo waste yarn slip knot from PEG.

Leaving a 6 inch tail, place a Slip Knot of working yarn on PEG.
Cast-on: Wrap behind peg 13 and E-wrap pegs 12 to 1. KO.
         Place Stitch Marker in loop of working yarn on pegs 12 and 1.
         Wrap behind peg 24.

                                                   (T = wrap & turn)
The directions are on the left and a visual        (E = e-wrap)
chart is on the right. In the chart it is          (W = wrapped)
relatively easy to see the hourglass shape         (2 = 2 over 1) 
of the short-row toe. The key to the chart         (<- work left)
is to the right.                                   (-> work right)

Work back and forth on pegs 1 to 12 as indicated.

Decrease:                                               12  9 7 5 3 1  
  Row  1: E-wrap pegs 1 to 11. KO. W&T 12.           <-  TEEEEEEEEEEE
  Row  2: E-wrap pegs 11 to 2. KO. W&T 1.            ->  WEEEEEEEEEET
  Row  3: E-wrap pegs 2 to 10. KO. W&T 11.           <-  WTEEEEEEEEEW
  Row  4: E-wrap pegs 10 to 3. KO. W&T 2.            ->  WWEEEEEEEETW
  Row  5: E-wrap pegs  3 to 9. KO. W&T 10.           <-  WWTEEEEEEEWW
  Row  6: E-wrap pegs  9 to 4. KO. W&T 3.            ->  WWWEEEEEETWW
Increase:
  Row  7: E-wrap pegs 4 to 10. KO, 2-over-1 on 10.   <-  WW2EEEEEEWWW  
  Row  8: E-wrap pegs 10 to 3. KO, 2-over-1 on 3.    ->  WWEEEEEEE2WW
  Row  9: E-wrap pegs 3 to 11. KO, 2-over-1 on 11.   <-  W2EEEEEEEEWW
  Row 10: E-wrap pegs 11 to 2. KO, 2-over-1 on 2.    ->  WEEEEEEEEE2W
  Row 11: E-wrap pegs 2 to 12. KO, 2-over-1 on 12.   <-  2EEEEEEEEEEW
  Row 12: E-wrap pegs 12 to 1. KO, 2-over-1 on 1.    ->  EEEEEEEEEEE2

Put the loop that is attached to the waste yarn with the stitch marker
from peg 12 on peg 13. Put the next loop on peg 14, and so on, until 
all pegs to peg 24 have loops on them. The waste yarn should be free 
from the loom. No loops of waste yarn should be on any pegs. The waste
yarn may be removed after all the loops have been placed on the empty
pegs.

The working yarn should be between pegs 1 and 24.
Work from right to left (counterclockwise).
K12. This is the sole of the foot.
K1, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K1. This is the top of the foot with ribbing.
Repeat the above pattern for each round until pegs touch the leg, when
the sock is tried-on. I place a stitch marker every ten rounds on the
sole of the foot, to keep track of how many rounds I've done. Not
counting the toe, this sock was 34 rounds in length. The heel was
started on the 35th round. Your length will probably be different.

The Short-Row Heel Turn:
                                                   (T = wrap&turn)
The directions are on the left and a visual        (K = knit)
chart is on the right. In the chart it is          (W = wrapped)
relatively easy to see the hourglass shape         (2 = 2 over 1) 
of the short-row heel. The key to the chart        (<- work left)
is to the right.                                   (-> work right)           
 
Work back and forth on pegs 1 to 12 as indicated.

 Decrease:                                        12  9 7 5 3 1
 Row  1: Knit pegs  1 to 11. W&T 12.           <-  TKKKKKKKKKKK
 Row  2: Knit pegs 11 to  2. W&T 1.            ->  WKKKKKKKKKKT
 Row  3: Knit pegs  2 to 10. W&T 11.           <-  WTKKKKKKKKKW
 Row  4: Knit pegs 10 to  3. W&T 2.            ->  WWKKKKKKKKTW
 Row  5: Knit pegs  3 to  9. W&T 10.           <-  WWTKKKKKKKWW
 Row  6: Knit pegs  9 to  4. W&T 3.            ->  WWWKKKKKKTWW
 Row  7: Knit pegs  4 to  8. W&T 9.            <-  WWWTKKKKKWWW
 Row  8: Knit pegs  8 to  5. W&T 4.            ->  WWWWKKKKTWWW
 Increase:
 Row  9: Knit pegs  5 to  9. 2-over-1 on 9.    <-  WWW2KKKKWWWW 
 Row 10: Knit pegs  9 to  4. 2-over-1 on  4.   ->  WWWKKKKK2WWW
 Row 11: Knit pegs  4 to 10. 2-over-1 on 10.   <-  WW2KKKKKKWWW
 Row 12: Knit pegs 10 to  3. 2-over-1 on  3.   ->  WWKKKKKKK2WW
 Row 13: Knit pegs  3 to 11. 2-over-1 on 11.   <-  W2KKKKKKKKWW
 Row 14: Knit pegs 11 to  2. 2-over-1 on  2.   ->  WKKKKKKKKK2W
 Row 15: Knit pegs  2 to 12. 2-over-1 on 12.   <-  2KKKKKKKKKKW
 Row 16: Knit pegs 12 to  1. 2-over-1 on  1.   ->  KKKKKKKKKKK2


The working yarn should be between pegs 1 and 24. 
K12. This is the sole of the foot.
K1, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K1. This is the top of the foot with ribbing.
Repeat the above pattern for 10 rounds above the top of the heel.

At peg 1, start the K2, P2 Ribbing, and work this pattern for the
remainder of the sock leg.

Finish the sock by threading the last of the yarn onto a tapestry
needle and doing a sewn bind-off all around. Weave the loose ends
in.

A. Short-Row Toe: 12 rows.
B. Foot: 34 rows.
C. Short-Row Heel: 16 rows.
D. Heel: 10 rows.
E. Leg: 34 rows.

The Short-Row Toe (A.), e-wrapped for elasticity, so the free loops can be stretched onto the empty pegs of the loom (pegs 13 to 24), is worked on half the loom (pegs 1 to 12). The Foot (B.) is knitted in the round, K12 for the sole and K1, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K1 for the instep, which centers the K2, P2 Ribbing pattern that will be knit on the leg. The Short-Row Heel (C.) is knit on half the loom (pegs 1 to 12) for 8 rows of Decreases, then 8 rows of Increases to make the heel turn. The Heel (D.) adds 10 rows in the round to the top of the turned heel because it not only looks better, but I think the Short-Row Heel is too short for a heel. These 10 rows follow the same pattern as the Foot. The Leg (E.) is 34 rows of K2, P2 Ribbing. However, because this sock is Toe-Up, the Leg can be made any length.

Toe-Up!

I was inspired to learn how to knit socks by Wendy D. Johnson's book, Socks From The Toe Up, and toe-up socks are something that I'm very interested in learning about. So the other day, when I was in my LYS, I saw Chrissy Gardiner's book, Toe-Up!, which she self-published. It comes highly recommended by reviewers at Amazon.Com, so I went ahead and added it to my sock knitting library. I'm glad I did!