Toe-up Sock Pattern
by Wendy Johnson
editor’s note: knitting tow-up is a great way to ensure you’ve got enough yarn for the sock pattern. Divide your total yarn amount into two balls of yarn and knit your cuff to the desired length or until you run out of yarn. Having reserved the second ball, you know you’ve got enough to complete two socks.
Size: women’s medium (large)
Note: You can adjust this pattern for any size, any gauge. Measure around the ball of your foot. Multiply the number of inches you get by the number of stitches you get per inch when you do a gauge swatch. Then subtract 10% from that total. Fudge your number so it’s divisible by 4. This will make a nice, snug-fitting sock. This pattern is written using 60 stitches around for the sock, with changes for 64 stitches in parentheses.
Gauge: 8st/inch — I use US size 0 (2mm) needles with sock yarn. Your mileage may vary — check your gauge!
Start Your Toe
Using a provisional cast-on, cast on 30 (32) stitches (half the total circumference of the sock). I do my provisional cast-on using a crochet chain as follows:
Using waste yarn, crochet a chain that is several chain stitches longer than the number of knit stitches you need. Knit into the center loops of the back side of the chain, 30 (32) stitches. Purl back across stitches.
Row 1: Knit 29 (31) stitches. Move the working yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work.
Row 2: Slip the first, unworked, stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch around its base with the working yarn) and purl across to the last stitch. Move the working yarn as if to knit and slip last stitch. Turn.
Row 3: Slip the first stitch and knit across to the last stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.
Row 4: Slip the first stitch and purl across to the stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until 8 (9) of the toe stitches are wrapped and on left side, 14 (14) stitches are “live” in the middle, and 8 (9) are wrapped and on the right. At this stage, you should be ready to work a right side row. Your toe is half done.
Note: How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock toe to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.
Now you’ll work the second half of the toe:
Row 1: Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch.
Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
Row 2: Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.
On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.
Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 30 (32) “live” stitches.
When all 30 (32) stitches are once again “live,” divide those stitches over 2 needles. Unzip your provisional cast-on and divide those 30 (32) stitches over 2 more needles. On your first round, you may want to pick up an extra stitch or two between the “live” stitches and the stitches you’ve picked up from the cast-on, to close up any holes there might be there. On the next round remember to decrease back down to 15 (16) stitches per needle.
Note: Insert the tip of your needle into the stitch you knit up from the provisional cast-on before you unzip the chain – this will make it much easier to pick up the loops of the stitches. I usually insert my needle through four or five loops at a time, unzip the chain from them, do the next four or five loops, unzip, until I’ve picked them all up. When you unzip your provisional cast-on, you will have one less stitch than the total you picked up and knit. You can create that extra stitch at the end, by picking up the loop between the last stitch created with the provisional cast-on and the first live stitch.
You now have a total of 60 (64) stitches.
Work straight until the foot is about 2 inches shorter than the desired finished length. Place the 30 (32) instep stitches on one needle and put the 30 (32) heel stitches on another needle. work a short row heel on the 30 (32) heel stitches as for the toe, as follows.
Short Row Heel
Row 1: Knit 29 (31) stitches. Move the working yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work.
Row 2: Slip the first, unworked, stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch around its base with the working yarn) and purl across to the last stitch. Move the working yarn as if to knit and slip last stitch. Turn.
Row 3: Slip the first stitch and knit across to the last stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.
Row 4: Slip the first stitch and purl across to the stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until 8 (9) of the heel stitches are wrapped and on left side, 14 (14) stitches are “live” in the middle, and 8 (9) are wrapped and on the right. At this stage, you should be ready to work a right side row. Your heel is half done.
Note: How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock heel to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.
Now you’ll work the second half of the heel:
Row 1: Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch.
Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
Row 2: Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.
On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.
Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 30 (32) “live” stitches.
When you have all stitches live again, divide the stitches as you did for the toe. Once again, on your first round, you may want to pick up an extra stitch or two between the “live” stitches and the stitches you left on a needle for the instep, to close up any holes there might be there. On the next round remember to decrease back down to 15 (16) stitches per needle.
Work until the leg is the desired length to the ribbing, then work in ribbing to the desired finished length.
Note: Individuals with wide feet and/or heavier legs might find it difficult to get socks on and off. I sometimes increase stitches when I start the ribbing for the cuff. If I start out with 15 stitches per needle, I’ll increase to 16 stitches per needle, and do a k4 p4 rib. If I start out with 16 stitches per needle, I’ll increase to 18 stitches per needle, and do a k3 p3 rib. As you can see, it’s not an exact science – you can fudge wherever you feel the need to, to suit the sock’s recipient.
Cast off loosely.
