# Toe-up sock pattern recommendations



## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

I finished the first skein of sock yarn! :bouncy: There's only 230 yards though, so I think I need to try a toe-up pattern so I can knit till I run out of yarn (thanks GAM - brilliant idea!)

I've always done top down socks. I looked on Rav for some patterns, and one recommendation is the 'Sock It To Me Plain' socks. 
Ravelry: Sock It To Me Plain Toe-Up Socks for the Family pattern by Debbi Young

What do you think? Anybody else have an easy beginner pattern? I will be in the car for a few hours tomorrow, so want to have these to work on.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

PKBoo, 

Dont you still have another ball of that same roving?
230 yards will be plenty of yarn for most any single sock. 
Most commercial skeins of 100 grams (3.5 oz) sock yarn have between 410 and 460 yards of yarn.

All this is just to say that I think you nailed the fingering weight thing. :dance:

On the toes-up: are you going to do them on DPNs, or circs? 
The first thing I recommend is learning the 'magic cast-on'.

[YOUTUBE]lhBIS0AhhQY[/YOUTUBE]


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> All this is just to say that I think you nailed the fingering weight thing. :dance:


WOOHOOO!! So happy to hear that! I wasn't sure how much yardage I should have - phew!



gone-a-milkin said:


> On the toes-up: are you going to do them on DPNs, or circs?
> The first thing I recommend is learning the 'magic cast-on'.


I was going to use DPNs, just cuz that's what I've got, and I don't know if I have small enough circs. 

I watched the video (haven't tried it yet, but looks easy enough). BUT - the 'Sock It To Me' instructions say to 'cable cast on' which I found here:
knitty.com

So instead of using the cable cast on, and distributing the stitches to two different needles like it says, I use the magic CO, and the stitches will already be on two needles... I think I've got it!

Dry, yarn, dry! It's hanging on the line now - shouldn't take long in this heat! :bored:

Thanks GAM!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

This is what I do:

Cast on (knit on) 12 stitches. Make 5 rows stockinette stitch. (do not knit slip knot, drop it off). On that last row, k 9, then add a 3rd needle, k 3, pick up 3 side stitches. Pick up 9 stitches from the cast on. Pick up 3 side stitches. You now have a patch with 29 stitches. 1) Knit around, making an increase in the middle of the cast on side. Knit to beginning less 2 st. Mark
2) *increase 1, K5* 6x. 36 stitches
3) Next round, knit. 
4) *increase 1, k6* 6x. 42 stitches
Every other round, make 6 increases until you have enough stitches for the circumference of your sock. Knit in rounds to the leg, make the heel, then knit the cuff.

You can use any cast on that will give you the ability to pick up stitches. You can also use a provisional cast on if you know how, and pick up live stitches. You can make the toe patch square by knitting more rows and picking up more stitches on the side. Make it with more or less stitches. A large foot might need 16 or 18 st cast on, a child's an 8 st cast on. Make any heel you like, the flap heel works as well from the toe up as it does top down, just put your padded heel in the second part instead of the first.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Then you get to decide what method of heel to use. :teehee:

There are so many to choose from!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Pick a heel???? Yikes - I'm just going to follow this pattern for now...

I'm using needle size 1, and the toe seems so SMALL! I've got 10 rows done, and only 12 more increases to go. It just doesn't seem large enough  Only my first two toes fit into it right now...

yarma by BooPK, on Flickr

I guess I can just keep increasing until it fits my foot? Or do I need to start over with a larger size needle?

(And NO, I didn't knit a gauge swatch :grit: )


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

You could always just switch over to a bigger needle too. 
As long as you remember to do the same stuff on the 2nd one. :teehee:

Or keep increasing til you can get your whole foot in there. Either way. 

Looks good so far! Did you do that magic cast on? What did you think of it?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Oh good! I'll just switch to bigger needles then. I wrote down where I switched

I LOVED the magic cast on! My first attempt was really tight so I just kept my finger between the needles on the next one. Cat bordhi's fidgeting on the video drove me nuts haha but it was a great tutorial! Thanks GAM!

I can see how these toe up socks will quickly become a favorite


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Now that you've started, figure out your gauge. Knitting in the round may give you a different gauge than knitting back and forth, so measure the st with the #1 needle, and then the st with the #2 needle so you get an accurate fit.

Looks good!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

*sigh* I should have stayed with the #1 needles... 

After knitting for about 2 inches, I tried it on, and it was BIG! So I switched back to the #1s again. It's ok though - it fits right to that widest part of my foot. 

Maura - I did check my gauge, but it doesn't match at all! It said 28 stitches = 4 inches, and 28 stitches = 3 inches on mine. But it's fitting now, so I'm just going to keep going.

I have another question now - there's a 'line' of stitches that seem wider than the others that run down from where the two needles meet. Here's a close up, of me holding the stitches apart:

yarma by BooPK, on Flickr


I rearranged the stitches on the needles so the 'line' wasn't running down the middle of the sock. Now the changes to the needles line up with the sides. How do you prevent that? I'm not liking it at all!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Oh, that is called "laddering".
A lot of that will actually balance out when you wash them the first time.
You need to be really sure that the needles are resting right against eachother when you make that first stitch on a new needle.
It will go away though with wear and laundering. 

Put the strongest line of laddering on the bottom of the foot if it bothers you. 
I swear though, it will even out quite a bit once you wash them.

It looks like you are a tight knitter. So am I.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

... also tighten the first TWO stitches on the needle. Not just the first one, the first two.

Knit it and give an extra tug. Knit the next, and tug. Then knit as usual. This eases laddering substantially.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I always take an extra stitch or two from the next needle. This way, those needle gaps are in a different spot on each round.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Oh no - I'm stuck! I did the heel, and watched a video for the SRW, but now I'm not sure if I did it right. 

The directions for SRW say (on right/wrong side) slip 1, move yarn to front/back, move slipped st back to left needle, move yarn to back/front, turn.

I did that, and did NOT leave the 'wrap' on the needle. Now the instructions for turning the heel say to pick up the wraps. "To pick up a wrap on a knit stitch, simply knit the wrap and the stitch together"

Here's a picture of the 'spaces' that were created from the wrap. Should I be picking those up as I knit? What is the purpose of this (to make it stronger?)


yarma by BooPK, on Flickr

Maura - great idea about moving the needles around. I do believe you GAM, but those 'ladders' bother me  frazzle, I've been trying to tighten the two stitches on both sides, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I can SEE the last stitch is looser, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to tighten it up...


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

PKBoo, the wraps are not on the needle.
They are like collars around the slipped stitches. I can see them from here. _

Another herky jerky Cat Bordhi vid. :teehee:

[YOUTUBE]_yVikAvPuE4[/YOUTUBE]


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The purpose of those wraps is to fill in the holes left where you turned.
My reason for using THIS video to illustrate how to pick up the wraps is that it works better than the 'regular' way.
It really does.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Thanks GAM - she's a genius! Her hands weren't as spastic in this video 

I LOVE her analogies - they are hysterical :hysterical: And she does go slow enough that I can follow along knitting at the same time. 

So yahoo! Turning the heel is in progress! Thanks GAM!


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

NICE looking sock !!! Love the colors ! Cat Bhordi ROCKS !!! My "go to " sock pattern is one of hers ... keep posting pics of your sock , it's fun to watch your progress !!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

So I finished turning the heel, which was super easy (I think!) So much better than picking up those gusset stitches :run:

But, here's what I got so far. The first picture is the sock laying flat. It's almost like the heel is a tube like the foot is though:

yarma by BooPK, on Flickr

Here's a picture with a little bucket holding up the heel (it's a leftover favor from DD's wedding shower :indif: and handy!)

yarma by BooPK, on Flickr

It just seems like the heel is a 'pocket' instead of a 'cup'...

ETA: NEVER MIND!!! I just tried it on, and it WORKS!!! :bouncy: I couldn't take a picture of my 'cankles' and poison ivy scars, and mosquito bites covering my legs  .... Onward and forward!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Just to keep ahead of you a bit, here is your bind off. 

Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off, Fall 2009

Pretty soon you will have to spin the yarn for the 2nd sock.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

LOOKIN' GOOD !!!! Heels are amazing , arent they ?!?


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Thanks GAM!! I've been working on the socks and the sock yarn about equally so hopefully the next skein will be ready when the first sock is done


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

They're done! :bouncy: I learned a LOT from these (that I LOVE toe up socks most of all!)


yarma by BooPK, on Flickr

The one on the left is the one I spun/knit first. I 'decided' that they were a little too flimsy, so spun the next skein a little thicker. It changed the pattern and weight of the second sock (the one on the right). And I really like the feel of the thinner one now, so I should have stuck with that the whole way through. Live and learn!

Here they are on my daughter's feet (I'll be wearing them but I have CANKLES haha!)

yarma by BooPK, on Flickr


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

GORGEOUS !!!! It's WAY COOL to see hand spun finished products !!! 
I noticed the color striping is bigger on the larger spun sock .... looks good both ways !


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Looks great PKBoo!


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