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Discussion of Three Toe Construction Methods

Mon, 08/24/2009 — Monica

Of the three toes discussed for the toe up sock: Kitchener Stitch Toe, Short Rows Toe, and Rectangular Toe, my favorite is the Kitchener Stitch Toe from aesthetic, fit and speed of construction standpoints. There are still other toe styles to choose from, but for most socks one of these suffices. I will briefly compare and list the advantages and disadvantages of each of these three toe up sock construction methods. There are other toe up sock construction techniques, but these are not discussed in this article.

Kitchener Stitch Rectangular Short Rows
Intermediate difficulty Possibly the easiest of these three methods Trickiest of these three
Clean finish, invisible toe, paired parallel decreases, quick, once learned Obvious toe (not of course if shoes are worn), paired parallel increases Clean finish, not too obvious toe, paired parallel increases
Starts with provisional cast on of 64 sts Starts with provisional cast on of 12 sts Starts with provisional cast on of 32 sts
After the provisional cast on, a few rounds of the foot are knitted, then the toes are picked up from the provisional stitches and completed in the same manner as for a cuff down sock, with paired, slanted decreases (SSK and K2tog) until there are 10 or 12 stitches remaining. The last step is paired passed over stitches, followed by the Kitchener Stitch binding. After the provisional cast on, a few rows are knitted to create a small rectangle. Then the provisional stitches are picked up from the opposite long side of the rectangle. The round is begun by picking up 4 stitches along a short side, knitting the provisional stitches, picking up another 4 stitches and knitting across the original long rectangle side. After the provisional cast on, short rows are created with the last st in each row unworked. YOs (normal and reverse) are used to prevent gaps. When 12 sts remain between the YOs, YOs and sts are worked and the provisional stitches are picked up by the second needle. The last paired YOs are worked during the first round (a k2tog and SSK). This method is a little more complicated than the other two, but produces a nice looking toe.
Least complicated and best looking. Some authors complain about ears or peaks on sides of the Kitchener toe--many instructions miss a critical step that prevents these. It is best to use 4 dpns (plus 1 working dpn) to create the square and start the round. It is awkward with 2 circular needles. Works best with a circular needle--I find otherwise I have to put a stopper on the furthest end to prevent sts slipping off the dpn, particularly if I set the knitting aside.

Related Articles -- Stepwise Illustrated Instructions
Toe Up - Using Kitchener Toe
Toe Up - Using Rectangular Toe
Toe Up - Short Rows Toe