Monica Knits

CuffThe cuff has both decorative and functional purposes. Designed to stretch and hold the sock up, there are many rib patterns to choose from, from simple to elaborate. For the basic cuff, I use a 2 x 2 rib pattern, the length of which is determined by the type of sock. For an ankle sock, I would typically knit a 1.5" cuff. For a sock which measures 14" high from the sole of the foot, I would use a 3" cuff, as I did for the light khaki colored sock in this Basic Sock photo series.

With self-striping yarns, I may use a 3-1/2" cuff for aesthetic reasons; the stripe pattern will dictate the proportions. For example I might stop the cuff just before a narrow band of color, which would make a good accent for the beginning of the sock body.

This article is one segment of the "Basic Sock" series. The demonstration sock, a woman's medium size, is based on 64 leg sts. To link to other articles in this series, either: a) click on the index hyperlink in the masthead, then socks and select the desired article or, b) click on the Basic Socks link at the bottom of this article, then click on the desired topic.

Basic Sock - Cuff
Having cast on the requisite number of stitches and joined the foundation row in the round, it is now time to knit the cuff. In this pattern, the round consists of 64 stitches, and 2.25 mm dpns are used. Please refer to the "Basic Sock" or "Long-Tail Cast-on" for details on the overall sock construction or the cast-on method.

Cuff_2The 2 x 2 rib pattern is a 4 stitch repeat pattern of (K2P2) across for each round. In the photo at left, the needle is pointing to the knit (K) stitch. The purl (P) stitches are the valleys of the rib pattern.

An advantage of knitting in the round is that you don't have to alternate rows of K2P2 with rows of P2K2. If you divide the stitches over 3 dpns as follows, you also start each needle with a K2 and end with a P2.
Needle 1: 24 stitches
Needle 2: 20 stitches
Needle 3: 20 stitches.

I knit the cuff with dpns to get a finer, more appealing rib stitch. If I were knitting a sock with an overall rib pattern, then I would use 2 circular needles for the cuff as well.

When using 2 circular needles, place 32 stitches on each needle. When using circular needles, I use 2.5 mm needles for the cuff and body for consistency of the rib pattern over the entire sock.

Quality Control Tips

1. When each needle has a number of stitches divisible by 4, then you always start a needle with K2 and end with P2. This way if you have a one stitch error, you will know it by the end of the needle and can fix it before you've done more than 1/3 of the stitches. (This prevention technique is called a Check Sum.) You also don't have to remember what part of the pattern you are on when you start the next needle: it starts with K2.
2. The tail of yarn on the foundation row marks the beginning of a round. I make sure that when I have to stop my work, I do so at the end of a round, not in the middle of a round.
3. The tail also provides a reference so that you always knit the circle in the same direction for a given project. In my case I knit clockwise, so the tail is to my right when I start a round. This is important if you are knitting cables, where the direction of the twist matters.

CUFF KNITTING INSTRUCTIONS
Round 1: (K2P2)* across
Rounds 2 & up: Repeat round 1, until the desired cuff length is reached, 3" in this case.

Cuff_3 NEXT STEP - Sock Leg
In preparation for this step, transfer the stitches to 2 circular needles, 32 stitches per needle.

Click here to transfer to the Basic Socks article.