The Only Cast-on You Need To Know for Toe-Up Socks...

...is the Turkish cast-on. The others (figure 8, judy's magic) are harder and do not add any additional value, IMO. The Turkish cast-on is ridiculously simple and can double as a provisional cast-on. Why use up valuable braincells on any others?

I've blogged about this one before, but it seems my favorite resources are gone off the InterWebz, so here are some photos and a little "how-to". I had to teach my local knitgroup this cast-on, which resulted in some excellent tips, which have been incorporated into this instruction set.

For first-timers, use a light coloured wool. It's easier to see what you're doing. I'll describe the process for two-at-a-time socks.

1. using one ball of the yarn, make a slipknot on one end of your circ. Hold the needles in your left hand so the tips are pointing to the right and the slipknot is on the bottom needle.  See below.

[slipknot on bottom needle]

2. Now start winding the yarn around both needles, from the back to the front ("like the sun rising over the horizon, towards you", a helpful tip from one of my knitgroup knitters!), counting as you go for each stitch thus wound - ie. cast - on. I usually do 12 to 14 stitches for a pair of grownup socks.

[start winding, up over the top, from the back to the front]

[keep going until you've wound on enough stitches]

3. When you've wound on / cast on enough, trap the yarn between the two needles to hold it while you cast on for the second sock.

[trap the yarn between the needles so you can cast on for the next sock]

4. Start with a slipknot on the bottom needle again. Note: it's a little easier to get the slipknot on if you pull the bottom needle out a little! Then wind on again, the same way as you did for the first sock, and trap the yarn between the needles again.

[slipknot on bottom needle for second sock, pull the bottom needle out a little]

[cast on complete for both socks]

5. Done, that's the cast-on. Unbelievably simple, eh? Now comes the fiddly bit, which is where you start knitting. Free the yarn from between the two needles and make sure it comes up from the bottom needle, behind both. Gently pull the bottom needle out (to the right) and use it to start knitting off the top needle. It should feel quite natural and not hard, the yarn loops should lean the correct way and it shouldn't feel like you're making twisted stitches. If it does, it means you wound on in the opposite direction ("setting sun"), so yeah, you'll need to start over.

[untrap the yarn, keep it behind the needles, and start knitting off the top needle]

6. Once you've knit both socks' worth of top-needle stitches, you'll have all the stitches on the top needle, which is now facing left, and a loop hanging on your right. Your other needle is hanging on the left, and it will shortly be the new bottom needle. Carefully and slowly push the bottom cord into the stitches and pull on the top needle, maintaining that loop on the right, until the bottom needle (rather than the cable) holds the stitches and the top needle is free. It's helpful to maintain the orientation of your knitting, don't flip it around just yet. 

[top stitches all knit, tip of needle is on the left (I'm holding it) 

and loop is on the right; 

push the bottom cable to the right, into the stitches; 

pull the top needle left, out of the stitches.]

7. Now flip everything over (swing the needle tips around 180 degrees) so that the needle holding the stitches is on top and the tip is pointing right. You'll see the slipknots on the top needle, as the first thing. Remove the slipknot. Drop it off the needle. Do not knit it. Being very careful to use the correct yarn - ie. NOT the end hanging off the slipknot! - knit the rest of the cast-on stitches. That's it. You are done, with two rows knit already, and you are ready for the cast-on part of the toe end of your sock! 

[almost ready to knit the other row; 

the slipknot is first on the top needle]

Now just continue as per usual, increasing for the toe of your socks. It's just that easy! Another tip from my knitgroup: use a YO increase every other row - it's much easier to see than a Kfb. On the plain knit rows, you can tighten them up by knitting the YO's TBL. 

Here's a photo of my socks, showing a few rows knit (and increased). You can see the cast-on is basically invisible from both front and back. 

[up close you can't see the cast-on, in the middle of this knitting]

[invisible from the back, too!]

To use this cast-on as a provisional cast-on (note: it has the same number of stitches in either direction, which is something you won't get from some other provisional cast-ons - like the crochet cast-on, for instance), cast on over a second circular needle, which you simply leave hanging. You can replace it with a holder (ex. string) later. 

Intarsia for Socks, v1

I have not done a lot of intarsia knitting in the round - when I do it, it's not very neat - but I have experimented a bit with in on sweaters. The basic trick with intarsia in the round is that it's not actually in the round. It's flat knitting, done back-and-forth to a skngle stitch, the magic "turnaround point"...so lots of purling involved. To make the knitting round (ie. a tube) you hook the start and end points together by winding the yarn ends around each other. You'll see how in the linked video below.

While I was OK with the result of the one intarsia sweater I designed, I never cracked a book or YouTube to see how anyone else had solved the problem of making a nice turnaround point - with the obvious result that my turnaround point wasn't all that it could be! 

Then recently I came across a few simple intarsia sock patterns on Ravelry, which passed on this super video demonstrating a clever way of doing intarsia in the round. So now of course I've got to try it!!

The simplest intarsia pattern is a single solid stripe up the front of a sock, and if you are new to intarsia in the round that's what I'd recommend. That way, there are only 4 ends to darn in (one in each colour at the start and finish of that stripe). I say this because of course my first try has been more complicated - I got inspired by this pattern and decided to imitate it and also to see if I could do it two-at-a-time! 

Note: because I didn't actually use her pattern, my design is a bit different: the stripes are an odd number of rows high, spaced out by a different number of rows, and I don't follow the "rule of thirds" in placing them...

And yes, I figured it out. And I have about a million ends to deal with! Urk.

So here are some tips.

1. as I said, for first-timers, best is to try a plain sock with a single solid contrasting stripe up the middle of the front (or back) of the sock. It's easiest if the two socks are identical (ie. if you offset that stripe to one side of the sock, you might prefer to have mirror image socks instead, which of course are then not identical - and that takes just a little more thinking to get right).

2. WATCH THAT VIDEO BEFORE DOING ANYTHING. Pay attention to what she calls the "turnaround point" - where her marker is.

3. Start your sock(s) - either top down or toe up. Once you get to the point where the intarsia starts, you will need to arrange you sock(s) so that the turnaround point is the start of round. For 2AAT socks, this means the needles come out of the sock at the turnaround point, see picture below. My marker (if I used one) would be hanging in the air between the front and back needles. Note how the colour blocks (ie. the stripe!) start with the first stitch on the front needle! Because I'm doing 2AAT using magic loop (two circs would be similar), I'm not using a marker. My needles always indicate the turnaround point. But feel free to use one! *** see footnote

[sock positioned so that last stitch on back needle is where I turn around]

3. You might try on a single sock first, with the YouTube video playing in front of you, as you get the idea established in your brain. Then put the sock on a holder and start the second one. Once it's the same length, get both socks on the needles with the turnaround point in the right place, and you can proceed 2AAT. If you are doing a stripe down the front of the sock, both socks will be arranged slightly twisted on your needles - the first stitch of the stripe has to be the first stitch on the front needle for both socks!

[now I've got both socks arranged on the needles for 2AAT. 

Note that the two socks are twisted differently;

these socks are mirror images of each other because the blocks are off to the side]

4. yarn management becomes an issue pretty quickly. For my first try, I had only 2 colours per sock, so I put each smaller ball (for the intarsia stripe) inside its respective sock as soon as I could. Really cuts down on the tangles. If you are doing cuff-down, try pinning a sandwich baggie on the inside of each sock to hold its yarn.

5. I always joint new colours using a slipknot. This allows me to snug the new yarn up nice and tight, and allows for adjustments later. A slipknot also undoes rather easily, so when time comes for weaving in the ends I can unpick it, adjust the tension, and weave in. See the photo below.

[join new yarn using a slipknot for easy adjustment]

6. If your intarsia pattern continues over the instep, when you get to the heels, you will need to reposition your socks on the needle(s), to remove that twist. The start of row needs to be at the side of the sock to make the heels properly. Then, when you're finished the heels, reposition again if your patterns calls for more intarsia. 

[done!]

*** OK. To be completely honest, you can put your turnaround point anywhere you like on your socks. But you need a ball of yarn for every time you change colour between the start of your row and the turnaround point. So by judiciously positioning your turnaround point to start with a new colour like I demonstrate here, you cut down on the number of balls required by 1. It's a tradeoff between the number of balls of yarn to manage, and repositioning - you can add 1 more ball per sock of the main colour and then can have the turnaround point at the side of each sock, just like usual.

Sweet Tomato Hybrid

This is my first try with hand-spun sock yarn.

It's spun 3-ply from a southdown sheep fleece from the UK, hand-dyed by HilltopCloud in Wales.

 

[lovely southdown fleece from HilltopCloud]

The yarn is very elastic, thanks both to the fleece itself (which is very "crimpy" or curly), and to the extra twist that handspinning usually gives to the yarn (commercial yarn is usually spun with as low twist as possible, for economic reasons). Apparently this type of fleece does not felt readily (some even claim that the resultant yarn is dryer-safe!), and I'm hoping that it will wear better because of the extra twist. It's 100% wool with no nylon. Apparently it is also quite warm, again thanks to the high crimp, which traps air.

I'm not a very consistent spinner (yet) and am still working on spinning "thin enough" for sock yarn, so that this stuff is on the thick side (sportweight at least). The socks are definitely "boot socks"! The yarn is not soft - this is not merino - but softness is not a requirement for me, for hiking socks. They feel like those grey work socks you get at WorkMart.

[3-ply yarn, sportweight]

I am trying a variant of Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel on these. I am knitting 2 at a time, toe up. Here is the recipe:

• divide sock in half if you've not got it this way already, with 1/2 the stitches on one (side of the circular) needle and 1/2 on the other.
• start heel when you reach the end of your arch, as shown below. For me, this is when I "just barely" feel the needle under my heel when I fit the sock on.

  

[where to start the heel, when knitting toe-up]

• increase the number of stitches on your sole needle as follows (I typically have a multiple of 4 stitches on each needle): K2, m1, [K4, m1] to last 2, K2. This is about a 25% increase.
• execute 3 or 4 wedges of sweet tomato heel (video here). My variation: I don't use Cat's method of hiding the gap. I use "hoiked stitches" when I do the short rows (in a nutshell, knit - or purl - to end, turn, always slip 1st st of new row PW WYIF, pull yarn over back of needle to hoist 1st stitch up, raising its two legs onto the needle, keep yarn tight, then continue purling or knitting to end of row). When knitting over these "hoiked" stitches treat their two legs as one stitch and "knit them together".
• Note that when I'm doing 2AAT with these heels, I will do a complete wedge on the first sock, then move onto the second, and then knit the "boomerang" rows all around both socks. This brings be around to the first sock again, so I'm ready for the next wedge on the first sock. 
• when finished 3 "tomato wedges", knit a row all 'round the sock, and try it on. If the sock comes over the biggest part of your heel, you are done. If not, make another wedge. I find that 4 wedges are required for my heel. It depends a bit on where you start the heel. The further back (towards the heel) you start it, the fewer wedges you will likely need. It also depends on the number of stitches you started with, and the shape of your foot...
• Once you're satisfied with the fit, knit a few rows all around the sock(s), keeping in plain stockinette on the sole side. After 2 or 3 rows, decrease away all those extra stitches you added on the sole: K1, K2tog, [K3, K2tog] to end. You might need to fudge it a bit, but you'll need eventually to have the same number of stitches on the front and back of each sock, just like when you started.
  
  
  
  
  [sweet tomato hybrid, done over 1/2 the sock sts, 4 wedges]
  
  

That's it!

This gives you the option of the sweet tomato heel, but doesn't require you to use 2/3 of the stitches, like Cat's original recipe. I find that the traditional recipe is a pain to execute 2 at a time, and also it interferes with most designs on the front of the sock.

But, I am still not 100% satisfied with this recipe. I find that it is still a little tight across my instep (see how some of the stitches at the "edge" of the heel are stretched out in the photo above?), and also that the 4th wedge is just a little too much (I get a slight bulge above my heel where the excess sock fabric collects). So be warned: some tweaking might be required! Put in a lifeline before you start your heel, and that way you can always rip it back easily.

Possible tweaks: increase every 3rd stitch rather than every 4th for a 33% increase in the number of heel sts. I judge I probably need 4 more stitches for a good fit. Then,  make the last tomato wedge narrower (instead of turning when you're 2 stitches short of the end of the row, turn when you are 3 or maybe even 4 stitches short). This will reduce the width of the last wedge by a few rows.

I will be putting these socks to the ultimate performance test this fall: a 5-day hike in the French Tarn Gorge!

Flap heels for 2-at-a-time, top-down socks

OK, you've cast on two socks, and you have knit tubes that are as long as you want your socks to be (up your leg). Now you are going to knit the heel flaps and turn the heel.

To knit the flaps, you will be going back and forth on one side of the two tubes. You should use a chain-selvedge along both sides of the flap. Knit across one sock, then across the other, then turn and go back across the two. In this way, they will both be exactly the same length.

[half-way done the heel flaps. Note chain selvedges on both sides of flap, and slipped stitches for reinforcement. Click picture to enlarge.]

This is a good time to think about reinforcing the heel, because it sees a lot of abrasion. You can:
1. use some kind of reinforcement thread (wooly nylon serger thread or official reinforcement thread - but NOT polyester sewing thread which will actually cut into your yarn over time) - just hold it together with your yarn and knit as one,
2. use slipped stitches to create more thickness in the knit fabric ("eye of partridge", slipped stitch ridges, or linen stitch are all examples)
3. knit the flap with a different type of wool with tighter ply and/or higher nylon content (often done commercially - think of those grey work socks with red heels).

Once you have knit the flap to the desired length (I do a minimum of 2.25" for ladies' socks, 2.5" for men), you are ready to turn the heel (or use your favourite from Knitting Vintage Socks). You will turn the first sock's heel first, ending with a RS row. Then pick up and knit stitches along the side of that sock's flap that is closest to your needle, and then move on to the second sock to turn its heel, as shown in the graphics below (note: the orientation of the diagrams is as if you put the work down on the table in front of you, with the flaps at the back. Just like in the photo above. It's not the view you have while knitting,it's the view of your onlooker.) :

[1st sock, leftmost, with turned heel. Pick up & knit sts along flap - red arrow]

[Now you turn the heel on the second sock, as per the arrow.]

To avoid the common hole at the corner of the heel flap and instep, you can knit a stitch out of the cross-ways yarn right after you've picked up all the side sts, before the first instep stitch. Working it TBL, as shown in the link, closes the hole.

When you're finished turning that heel - ending again with a RS row - you are ready to pick up sts along the same side of the 2nd sock's flap:

[Done turning both heels. Pick up flap sts on 2nd sock, as per arrow.]

Again you can pick up another twisted stitch to prevent a hole if desired. When that's done, knit across the insteps of both socks.

Now you pick up the sts on the other side of the 1st sock's flap.The hole-preventing extra stitch is now the first thing to do, if you think you need it!

[ready to pick up remaining flap sts on leftmost sock...]

Now knit across the heel stitches and down the other side of the flap, and you are ready for the second sock. (oops, I notice a mistake in the picture below. The working yarn for the second sock is pictured in the wrong location! It should be at the bottom of the flap, having just finished the instep sts. My bad.)

[Almost done! Now pick up the remaining flap sts on the 2nd sock.]

Once you have picked up the last flap's stitches, you can start knitting in the round again. I usually knit the first row of flap-side stitches TBL, twisting them to tighten them up.

There are many ways of picking up the flap stitches that will work, but this particular sequence ensures that all the instep stitches end up on one "side" of the circular needle, and all the gusset+heel stitches are on the facing "side". This configuration is not a requirement for knitting the rest of the sock - I know, I've done it differently a lot of times! - but this gives the most logical and straightforward setup and leads painlessly into the toe construction.

That was the trickiest part of knitting two-at-a-time top-down socks! Now you just continue to knit in the round, completing the gussets, the rest of the foot, and the toe. You can fit as you go.

I start the toe decreases when the sock hits the bottom of the nail of my little toe (try it on!).

Casting on for 2-at-a-time, Top-down Socks

Casting on for two-at-a-time, top-down socks is a bit tricky. You'll need a long (47") circular and a helper needle (a single-point one) of the same diameter (or a bit smaller, not critical). 

[use a helper needle and a long, flexible circular needle]

Step 1: Hold one end of the circular needle and the helper needle together, points in the same direction (you will be totally ignoring the other end of the circular throughout this whole procedure.) Cast on over both the helper needle and the circular - this will keep the stitches a bit looser and make it easier to knit the first round. Cast on half of the stitches for the first sock (shown in green below), and then all of the stitches for the second (pink) sock. Place a marker exactly halfway in the second sock.

[half of the first sock, all of the second cast on, with marker halfway.]

Step 2: now, pull the helper needle out of the stitches of the second sock, but not out of the first.

[remove the helper from the second sock]

Step 3: now pull on the end of the circular needle that comes out of the second (pink) sock, bending the stitches around. You want to fold the flexible cable in half sharply and pull it through, between the stitches. Use the marker as a handle and yank the cable through. 

[pull the cable through and start bending it]

[Pull on the marker, fold the cable, and yank through between the stitches]

Step 4: you have finished with the second sock (pink one). Move it out of the way, by continuing to pull on the marker to pull more of the cable through (not too far though, you don't want to loose the stitches of the first - green - sock!). Take hold of the end of the circular needle that comes out of the second (pink) sock, and hold it against the helper needle, so you can cast on the remaining stitches. Make the two needles point in the same direction. Remember: you are always using the same end of the circular needle. The other end is being ignored.

[helper needle and circular point in the same direction!]

[remaining stitches cast on over circ + helper]

Step 5: Now you can remove the helper needle. It has done its helpful job! Then, fold the circular needle over to meet its other end...in the picture below, that means I'm moving the point clockwise (to the right).

 

[helper needle removed, folding stitches over]

This is what you should have:

[done!]

Notice that the wool ends are in the same position on both socks. The ends of the circ are off to the right, and the marker to the left.

You start knitting with the wool ends on the right and with the needle farthest from you. Yank the far side of the circ out to free it totally and move the stitches so that the first sock (green) is actually on the needle closest to you so you can knit it. Be careful when pulling on the circ to keep the marker end of the loop from sucking into the stitches - you want the "magic" loop to be maintained. Join, being careful to avoid twists in the stitches. I usually grab both ends of the wool (the remaining tail as well as the end heading to the ball) and knit a couple of stitches with both, this anchors everything.