Introduction
There are two ways to make socks, from the top and from the toe.Toe-up socks allow you to try on the sock as you knit, and workcolor and/or texture patterns right side up instead of upside down.The instep and the top of the sock are worked circularly, while the toe and heel are worked flat. You can choose either 4 double point needles or two circular needles for the circular part of the sock.
There are many techniques for shaping the toe and the heel, most of which pick up or increase stitches. I find that the short-row technique is my favorite for its look and for its ease of understanding – once you know how to make the toe, you also know how to make the heel!
Making a Sock
CAST ON
Cast on 1/2 the number of stitches needed to go around the ball of the foot, using a chain cast-on. (Use your gauge swatch to do that calculation). If you will be working a pattern at the top of the sock, cast on a multiple of the pattern repeat.
SHAPING THE TOE
Starting on a RS row, knit 1 row. Work short rows (hold an
additional stitch each row) until you have only 1/3 of the stitches still in work. End with a RS row. Work long rows (bring a stitch back into work) until all the stitches are back in work. End with a RS row.
WORKING THE INSTEP
Shift the toe stitches onto 2 needles and pick up the stitches from the cast on edge onto 2 more needles, removing the cast on yarn to get access to the stitches. You will now have all the stitches you need for the whole sock on your needles. (Count to ensure that you have the correct number of stitches – sometimes the last st on the cast on edge gets lost) If you need to, pick up a stitch by placing the loop between 2 sts on the needle.
Continue knitting circularly until the length of the sock from the tip of the toe is the length of the wearer’s foot minus the length of the toe shaping. (This works because the heel length will be the same as the toe length).
SHAPING THE HEEL
The heel is made with the same stitches that were used for the toe. When you are ready to start the heel, knit across the stitches on the two heel needles, leaving them on the same needle. (There will now be an extra needle – put it away for the rest of the heel and leave the extra stitches for the front of the sock on their needles and just ignore them). When you get to the end of the row, wrap the first st on the sock FRONT needle and turn. Work across the row, then wrap the FRONT st on the sock front needle and turn. These extra two wraps prevent holes between the front and heel, they don’t count in the heel shaping. Begin heel by working a RS row, making the first wrap of the heel stitches, Continue to work the heel like the toe (Yes this really DOES make a heel). End RS row. Shift the stitches back on to 2 needles.
WORKING THE ANKLE AND SOCK TOP
Continue working in circular knitting up the ankle. This is a place to change to a pattern stitch or add decoration as desired. I like to work 1”-2” of plain knitting for the ankle, then change to a rib pattern to work the top of the sock.
BINDING OFF
Continue until the sock top is the length you would like it to be, then use a very loose bind-off to finish the sock. A loose bind-off can be done by changing to 2 size larger needles and working 2 rows in pattern before binding off. Another option is to use a tubular bind-off technique. Another bind off comes from Nancy Bush: sl1, *k1, with LH needle point, go into these 2sts, from left ot right,, and k them together. Repeat from * to end.
TECHNIQUES
CHAIN CAST ON
Step 1: Using waste yarn, make a slipknot and place on crochet
hook. Chain 3-4 sts (not on knitting needle).
Step 2: Lay knitting needle on top of working yarn.
Step 3: Holding crochet hook in right hand, crochet a chain st by
reaching over the knitting needle and pulling yarn through loop on crochet hook. Yarn is now wrapped around the knitting needle.
Step 4: Move the working yarn back behind the knitting needle.
Continue steps 3 and 4 until required number of sts are on needle.
Step 5: Chain 3-4 sts (not on knitting needle) and lock chain.
SHORT ROWS(taking stitches out of work)
With short rows, all stitches remain on the needles, but only the
‘working’ stitches are being knitted in a ‘row’. The stitches out of work are ignored. Wraps are used to prevent holes between rows. Work the stitches on the row until you reach the last working stitch. 1) Bring the yarn to the back of the work if you are purling, and to the front if you are knitting. 2) Slip the first stitch on the left needle to the right needle, 3) Bring the yarn to the front of the work if you are purling, and to the back if you are knitting. 4) Slip the stitch back onto the left needle. 5) Turn your work and continue as if the stitch had been worked.
LONG ROWS(bringing stitches back into work)
Long rows are short rows in which you bring a stitch back into work. You do this by working an additional stitch at the end of the worked stitches, then wrapping the next stitch using the short row technique. The first 2 sts brought into work will only have 1 wrap and the rest will have 2 wraps on them.
To bring stitches back into work, when you get to a wrapped stitch, you can just work the st, or you can slip the wrap(s) off the stitch and onto the right hand needle. Slip the wrap(s) back onto the left needle, arranging the stitch and wraps so they lay correctly, then knit or purl the wrap(s) and the stitch together. Remember to wrap the next stitch, because you are still short rowing.