Monica Knits

Although the rectangular toe is relatively quick and easy to accomplish, the toe I prefer from a fit and aesthetic perspective is the traditional tapered toe with a Kitchener stitch bind off. It can be used for both the cuff down and toe up sock. This segment describes the construction for a toe up sock. It begins with a provisional cast on of the number of stitches required for the leg--for the basic toe up sock it is 64 stitches.

This article is one segment of the "Basic Toe-Up 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 Toe Up Sock link at the bottom of this article, then click on the desired topic.

Materials

1. 2.5 mm crochet needle
2. 2.5 mm circular needle
3. 2.0 mm circular needles (2)
4. Waste yarn, fingering weight (light green in photo)
5. Sock yarn, fingering weight (dark blue)
6. 1.75 mm dpns (3) for Kitchener Stitch
7. Darning needle (1) for Kitchener Stitch

Basic Toe Up Sock - Kitchener Stitch Toe
For the provisional cast on, it is important to use a high contrast color yarn of the same weight as the sock yarn. The sock is actually begun on the foot 2" up from the toes. After a few rows (4 minimum) of the foot pattern have been knitted with 2.5 mm needles, then the provisional stitches are picked up with 2.0 mm needles and the toe is knitted with decreases exactly as the toe for a traditional cuff down sock.

1. Using the Basic Toe Up Sock - Provisional Cast On instructions, the waste yarn, a 2.5 mm crochet needle and a 2.5 mm circular needle, cast on 64 stitches.
2. With the main color yarn, knit one row.
3. Take a second 2.5 mm circular needle and split the stitches between the two needles as described in the Circular Needle - Cast-On article.
4. 4 RowsNext 4 or more rows of the foot (direction away from the toes) are knitted (stocking stitch for the basic toe up sock). This is a minimum number to give working room between the foot stitches and the toe stitches and to make it visually obvious which is which.
5. Using the first of two 2.0 mm needles, pick up half (32) the provisional stitches. Using the second 2.0 mm needle, pick up the remaining provisional stitches. Detailed instructions and photos for picking up stitches can be found in the Rectangular Toe article. A smaller diameter needle is used to create more durable toes.
6. Sole View Instep View The next step is the toe decreases.
   Round 1: On needle 1 *(k1, ssk, k across until 3 sts before the end of the needle, k2tog, k1); repeat from * on needle 2.
   Round 2 and all even rounds; k all sts across both needles
   Repeat rounds 1 & 2 until 10 or 12 sts remain on each needle (the width depends on the shape of your toes).
   Cut yarn, leaving a 10" tail.
7. In preparation for grafting the toes, transfer the knitting to two small diameter dpns; my preference is 1.75 mm diameter. Using smaller needles provides ease for threading the darning needle through the loops. Click here to link to the instructions for the Kitchener Stitch (Grafting Toes).

Quality Control Tips

1. The start of a round is the beginning of the needle that holds the heel stitches. Place a marker at the center of each needle. In the photos above the sole sts have the single marker at the center of the toe. The instep stitches have 2 additional markers to mark the repeat pattern for the foot's lace scallops. The photos were taken when 1/2 the toe decreases had been completed.
2. At the end of a round, each of the two circular needles has the same, even number of stitches. Periodically check to make certain. The mostly likely error is to decrease at one end of a needle and forget to do so at the opposite end. By checking the count periodically, this can be caught and remedied before the error is compounded.
3. If you find a needle with an odd number of stitches, the characteristic "V" of 2 stitches coming together can indicate which end was missed. Another method is to count stitches on either side of the markers placed for exactly this purpose.

Click here to transfer to the:
Basic Sock - Toes
Basic Sock - Kitchener Stitch (Grafting Toes)
Basic Toe Up Sock - Provisional Cast On
Basic Toe Up Sock article.