BASIC TOE UP SOCKS USING MAGIC LOOP. COMMENTS I will speak of needles this means the two tips never will you be using two circulars at once. ABBREVIATIONS. K M1 knit make 1 (pick up loop between the worked stitch and the stitch to be worked, place it on the left needle and work into the back of the stitch. w&t wrap and turn. Bring the yarn forward (to the front of the work), slip the next stitch onto the right needle purlwise, return the yarn to the back of the work (you have now wrapped the slipped stitch in the working yarn), slip the stitch back to the left needle. Turn the work ready to begin the next row. spwk2tog Slip next stitch to right needle, put left needle into the wrap around this stitch pick up wrap, leave this on the left needle and transfer the slipped stitch back onto the left needle. Work the stitch and the lifted wrap together (on a knit row knit together, on a purl row purl the stitches together), spwsk3tog Slip next stitch to right needle, put left needle into both wraps around this stitch pick up wraps, leave them on the left needle and transfer the slipped stitch back onto the left needle. Work the stitch and the lifted wraps together (on a knit row knit together, on a purl row purl the stitches together), MATERIALS 100gm 4 ply/fingering weight yarn. (either 1 100 gm ball or 2 50gm balls. Circular needle at least 80cm (100cm probably best length). Needle size as I said in the introduction go by the size recommended on the yarn band., adapting for your own approximate tension tending towards slightly tighter rather than looser. Needle for threading through ends the two yarn ends. Scissors Tape measure (optional as I will be telling you how to do the measuring without a tape measure, assuming you are doing the socks for yourself, someone with a similar size hand or the persons hand easily accessible when you are knitting!). PATTERN TOE. This cast on is likely to be the most difficult part of this workshop for most of you. You CANNOT use a normal cast on. This is a figure of eight cast on. Step 1.Make a slipknot onto one needle. This does not count as a stitch. It will be slipped off the needle later on in the cast on.. (or any type of knot that can be undone this is just to hold the yarn on the needle for the beginning of the caston but you don t want a knot left after wards to press into the toe). Photo 1 shows the slip knot in blue with a long green tail. This tail is simply to get the yarn to an easily recognizable point to get the socks matching. I tie it up, though there is no real reason why it couldn t be cut off leaving a small tail. (if you don t mind where it begins or you have a nonrepeating pattern or a solid
yarn then simply do a slip knot leaving only a short tail to weave in at the end. Step 2.Place the two needles parallel to each other with needle one (the one with the slipknot on it on the bottom (photo 2). Then bring the yarn up behind the second (top) needle, over the needle to the front and it between the two needles so that it is again at the back (1 st stitch). Photo 3 shows this, but very loose so it can be seen. Step 3.The yarn is then taken under the first (bottom) needle in front and then between the two needles (2 nd stitch). This forms a figure of eight round the needles.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 12 stitches on each needle (total of 24, not counting the slipknot). Photo 4 shows the stitches firm as they should be. Round 1 first half. pull needle one (bottom) through so its stitches are on the cable. Knit the stitches from needle two (top). Photo 5 hopefully show you what it looks like as you do it., turn the work Round 1 second half. Move the stitches as for normal magic loop so that the worked stitches are on the cable and the unworked stitches back on their needle. If desired a stitch marker can be used to mark the end of the row, but I never bother. The tail marks the MIDDLE of the round so the beginning of the round is the end with no tail. (and when you are working with such a fine yarn it really won t matter if you are half a round out.) Slide the slipknot off the needle. For these 12 stitches this one time only knit into the back of the loop. Round 2. K1, m1 knit to last stitch on needle, m1, k1. Repeat for second needle. After round 2 you should have 28 stitches (14 on each needle for the top and bottom of the foot.) Round 3. Knit round on both needles. Work rounds 2 and 3 until 64 stitches (32 on each needle). Work round 3 until desired length (see my hint below) (if doing identical twins begin the heel as close to a colour change as you can).
HEELS For the heel you work the stitches on ONE needle ONLY and work in rows (32 stitches at the beginningand end!). This is a short row heel, which means that each row is stopped before the end of the previous row and then you turn the work around. Simply follow the instructions, remembering that the rows you are working are getting shorter, but that you still have the other stitches on the needle. You are simply not working them for the first half of the heel. And for the second half of the heel you gradually start working them again. Row 1. Knit 31, w&t Row 2. Purl30, w&t Row 3. Knit 29, w&t Row 4. Purl 28, w&t Row 5. Knit 27, w&t Row 6. Purl 26, w&t Row 7. Knit 25, w&t Row 8. Purl 24, w&t Row 9. Knit 23, w&t Row 10. Purl 22, w&t Row 11. Knit 21, w&t Row 12. Purl 20, w&t Row 13. Knit 19, w&t Row 14. Pur 18, w&t Row 15. Knit 17, w&t Row 16. Purl 16, w&t Row 17. Knit 15, w&t Row 18. Pur 14, w&t Row 19. Knit 13, w&t Row 20. Purl 12, w&t This is the bottom half of the heel completed, now you begin to knit the top half which will pull the two halves together. I love watching how this comes out. Row 21. knit 12, spwk2tog, w&t Row 22. purl 13, spwk2tog, w&t Row 23. Knit 14, spwsk3tog, w&t (note the change from here on picking up the wraps). Row 24Purl 15, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 25. Knit 16, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 26. Purl 17, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 27 Knit 18, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 28. Purl 19, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 29. Knit 20, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 30. Purl 21, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 31 Knit 22, spwsk3tog, w&t
Row 32. Purl 23, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 33. Knit 24 spwsk3tog, w&t Row 34. Purl 25, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 35. Knit 26, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 36. Purl 27, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 37. Knit 28, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 38. Purl 29, spwsk3tog, w&t Row 39. Knit 30 slip the last stitch to the right needle pick up the two wraps return the slipped stitch to the left needle and knit all three together, turn Row 40 purl 31, slip the last stitch to the right needle pick up the two wraps return the slipped stitch to the left needle and purl all three together, turn Now return to working in the round. Knit the heel stitches and then knit the stitches that have been resting on the cable. Knit until the desired length leaving 5 10cms/1 2 inches for the cuff. (If using my measuring knit until the leg length is approximately to the beginning of the toe). Work in rounds of k2p2 rib. Until the desired cuff length (I usually do about the length of the toe so the two halves of the sock are the same size). Stretchy Cast off/bind off. Work 2 stitches, slip left needle into the two stitches on the right needle and work them together. *Work one stitch, slip left needle into the two stitches on the right needle and work them together. Work from * to end of round. Thread the yarn through the last stitch (as with the normal cast off/bind off). MEASURING HINT. I rarely use a tape measure for my socks. I use my hand. This method works for both toe up and cuff down socks. If you want to use a tape measure then about 5cm/2 shorter than the foot length is a guide. The length of your hand from the heel to the tip of your middle finger is the foot measurement before you begin to shape your heel or toe. Measure from the beginning of the work and when it is the length of your hand then you begin to shape the heel. And the foot and leg measurements work out well if they are the same. So for the leg work until the length is about the same as that from the heel to the beginning of the toe shaping. Then begin the cuff. Simply fold the sock across the heel shaping to measure. (For those who do or might do cuff down you can use the same principle. Work the cuff until it is about one thumb length. Then work the leg until it is hand length (including cuff), work the heel then the foot until it is the length of the leg up to the cuff and work the toe.) If I know the person I am knitting for has small feet I just make it slightly smaller than my hand, or bigger for a bigger foot. If working for someone with especially large or small feet then you can manage with a hand measurement of the person you are working them for. When working the second sock if you are making identical twins then pull the yarn out until you find the same point (Make sure you pull the yarn the same way as you did for the first sock i.e. both from the middle or both from the outside). And in this case I work until I reach the same point in the pattern as with the first sock rather than measuring for beginning the heel and the cuff. After all the change in pattern will be more obvious than one or two rows difference in length once they are on someone s feet.