Socks from the Toe Up
Introduction
Once upon a time, I was just a girl who wanted to knit socks. I started knitting socks after I was seduced by the self-striping yarns that first appeared a few years back. Anything that appears to work by magic amuses and entertains me, so I was hooked after my first peek at some sock yarn that knit up into tiger stripes.
I decided then that I wanted to knit my socks from the toe up. The most compelling reason for this is that I have always loathed grafting. Another reason is that it's ideal when you have a limited quantity of yarn. With a toe-up pattern I can knit until I run out of yarn, thus eliminating any anxiety about having enough to finish the sock.
I commute to my office by train, and sock knitting seemed like the perfect way to occupy my travel time. I wanted to make the process as simple and easy as possible, so I did some research on knitting socks toe-up and settled on the techniques that seemed the simplest: a provisional cast-on, a short-row toe, and a short-row heel. I worked up a pattern incorporating these techniques and memorized this pattern.
I later refined and wrote up a generic pattern for toe-up socks that could be used as a formula for any sock at any gauge and posted it on my website. Hundreds, if not thousands, of knitters have used that pattern, altering it to suit their gauge and foot size.
I fell out of love with socks for a year or two, until a friend requested a pair of hand-knit socks. I whipped out my generic pattern, knit the socks, and once again found myself hooked. I happily knit socks using my formula for another year.
A couple of years ago, all that changed. I became bored with my short rows and started experimenting with other toe and heel techniques. I worked up a couple more generic patterns with two different gusseted heels that mimicked the look of top-down socks but that were knit toe-up. And I started knitting all my socks using those generic patterns.
Shortly thereafter, I heard about a project that was forming in the online knitting world: the Summer of Socks 2007. The idea was to spend the summer focused on knitting socks. Whether to knit socks exclusively or mix them in with other projects was up to each individual participant. There would be contests and games and other assorted high jinks. Because it sounded like fun and there were very few rules, I decided to join in.
"Hey! Just for fun, let's see how many socks I can design myself and knit up during the Summer of Socks," I thought to myself. I got out the graph paper and pencils and got to work.
At the end of the summer, I had nineteen pairs of socks completed. Out of those nineteen pairs of socks, eighteen were my own original designs.
But I was not done with sock design. I kept writing toe-up sock patterns and knitting them. And that is how this book came into being.
The patterns I've included range from easy to challenging and include lace, cables, and texture. I've also included plain basic sock patterns with the three different heels that I like best, which you can use as a starting point to create your own original sock designs. In designing the projects for this book, my goal was to create patterns that are fun to knit and pleasing to the eye while still being comfortable to wear. I hope you enjoy knitting them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
TOOLS FOR SOCK KNITTING
SO YOU WANT TO KNIT SOCKS? TO START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT, YOU NEED THE RIGHT STUFF. YOU WON'T NEED MANY TOOLS IN ORDER TO KNIT SOCKS AND THEY NEED NOT BE EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU WILL WANT TO CHOOSE CAREFULLY TO AVOID FRUSTRATION DOWN THE LINE.
NEEDLE CHOICES
The most important and the only really necessary tool for sock knitters? No surprise there: knitting needles!
Knitting needles are available in a variety of materials, including bamboo, wood, metal, and plastic. Which material you choose is part personal preference and part practicality. Are you a new knitter or new to knitting socks? Try using wooden needles, as they have a bit of "grab" to them and will cling to your stitches. If you are using a particularly slippery yarn, such as some silk blends, a wooden needle will be less likely to slip out of your stitches as you work. As you gain experience and want to speed up your knitting, you can switch to faster, metal needles, which, because of their smooth surface, allow stitches to slide off the tips quickly and smoothly. If you are using a yarn with some texture, such as some cotton/lycra blends, you might want to use metal instead of wood needles because the yarn won't cling to the smooth surface of the metal needles. If you have a tendency to snap wooden needles, try using metal needles. You'll be hard-pressed to break those. Do metal needles seem too cold? Try needles that warm up with your body heat, such as wood or plastic. There's no rule that says you have to use the same needles for every sock you knit; knit with the needles that work best for the yarn you are using.
There are three ways to knit socks in the round: on double-pointed needles, on two circular needles, or on one circular needle employing what is called the Magic Loop technique. These different needle methods are described in detail in the techniques section.
DOUBLE-POINTED NEEDLES
Double-pointed needles used to come in sets of four in the United States but, happily, have popped up in sets of five in recent years. Double-pointed needles have typically come in sets of five in other parts of the world, so perhaps we have the Internet and easier global communication to thank for making them popular in the United States as well. I think a set of five works better than a set of four. Using a set of five double-pointed needles, you have your stitches divided over four needles and use the fifth needle to knit. Not only does this make it easier to differentiate the sole stitches from the instep stitches, but having your stitches divided over four needles rather than three reduces the chance of "ladders," or loose stitches at the junction of the needles, because less strain is put on the stitches at the joins. Double-pointed needles are available in a variety of lengths, from 4" to 10" (10cm -- 25.5cm) long, with lots of length choices in between. I happen to own several sets of 14"- (35.5cm-) long steel double-pointed needles in very small needle sizes that look particularly dangerous. I wouldn't recommend using these to knit socks, unless you want your needles to double as weapons -- you could easily injure anyone who gets too close to you while you are knitting!
I find 6" (15cm) double-pointed needles to be easiest to use for knitting socks. Any smaller and the ends of the needles have a tendency to poke me in the palms of my hands. Any larger and I'm slowed down and annoyed by the need to slide my work from end to end of the needles.
TWO CIRCULAR NEEDLES
Knitting socks on two circular needles has become my favorite method. You need two circular needles of the same size (for example, 2mm needles) but not necessarily of the same cable length. Some knitters like to use two needles with differing cable lengths because they can tell at a glance which needle is which. Some people prefer shorter circular needles, 16" (40.5cm), for example, while others are more comfortable with needles that are at least 24" (61cm) long. It really is a matter of personal preference, what you find most comfortable, and what length of needles you happen to have on hand.
ONE LONG CIRCULAR NEEDLE
One sock-knitting technique enables you to knit with one long circular needle. To execute this technique, start with a needle that is at least 40" (101.5cm) long -- 48" (122cm) is even better. Some people prefer a shorter needle, but it's easier to learn the technique with a longer one. Because you will be manipulating the needle cable, choose a needle that has a nice flexible cable and a smooth join.
TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING HEELS
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT HEEL STYLES YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR SOCKS. MY THREE FAVORITE HEELS FOR TOE-UP SOCKS ARE SHOWN HERE.
SHORT-ROW HEEL
The short-row heel is, to my eye, the heel that looks most like a commercially produced sock. Because there is no gusset involved, however, this heel might not be the best choice for a foot with a very high instep -- there is no extra ease in that area.
The short-row heel is worked exactly like the short-row toe with one exception. Instead of starting with a crocheted chain and working a provisional cast-on, you already have live stitches to begin with. You will work the heel over half the total stitches for the sock. Place these stitches on one needle. On the first row, knit across the heel stitches until 1 stitch remains unworked. With the yarn in front, slip the last stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work. On the second row, slip the first, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch around its base with the working yarn), and purl across the next stitches in the row until 1 stitch remains unworked. With the yarn in front, slip the last stitch and turn.
Continue in this manner working 1 less stitch on each subsequent row until you have the number of live stitches you want in the center of the heel. Now you will work the second half of the heel, picking up 1 stitch and its wraps at the end of every row until all the heel stitches are live again.
After you have completed the heel, you will resume knitting in the round on all stitches.
A plain sock pattern with step-by-step instructions for the short-row heel sock is included in the patterns section.
GUSSET HEEL
This heel is worked by first creating a gusset by increasing on every other round after you reach a certain point on the foot, approximately 2" to 2?" (5cm -- 6.5cm) shy of the desired total length of the foot. After you have completed the increases, you work in short rows, decreasing 1 stitch at the end of each short row until you have decreased back down to your original stitch count.
The resulting heel is nice and smooth and easy to work. I like to use this heel for sportweight socks because it doesn't add the extra bit of bulk that comes with the slip stitch heel. Extra thickness in heavier socks can be very uncomfortable.
A plain sock pattern with step-by-step instructions for the gusset heel is included in the patterns section.
SLIP STITCH HEEL
This heel is worked in a manner similar to the gusset heel. First, you create a gusset by increasing on every other round after you reach a certain point on the foot, approximately 3" (7.5cm) shy of the desired total length of the foot. When you have completed the increases, you work some short rows to form the curve of the back of the heel. Then you work across short rows, slipping alternate stitches and decreasing 1 stitch at the end of each short row until you have decreased back down to your original stitch count. This heel looks exactly like a traditional slip stitch heel sock that is worked from the top down.
A plain sock pattern with step-by-step instructions for the slip stitch heel is included in the patterns section.