Socks–Toe Up or Cuff Down?

I love knitting socks!  You would think that I would have lots of socks in that case, but actually, I tend to give away most of the good socks.  I’ve got a couple of pair that I don’t wear because of all the mistakes I made.  And I’ve got a couple of pair that have become separated in the wash – I thought that only happened with store-bought socks, but apparently not.

When knitting socks, you can either start from the top and work down to the toe or start at the toe and work up to the leg.  I’ve done both and they have their advantages and disadvantages.

Cuff down socks

Advantages

• I think these are great for a new sock knitter.  You start by knitting a tube and then make that tube turn 90 degrees when making the heel.  I think they are good to help you learn sock construction.
• You can do these one at a time on double points or using Magic Loop or you can do two at a time using Magic Loop.
• There are lots of cuff-down patterns available.

Disadvantages

• Most of the time, you do a grafted toe at the end.  This isn’t a problem if you already know Kitchener stitch, but if you are new to sock knitting, you’ll find there’s a pretty steep learning curve.  (That being said, I love doing grafting now that I’ve done a bunch of pair of socks this way.)
• You can’t try the socks on as you go (or, at least it’s more of a challenge).

Toe Up Socks

Advantages

• Judy’s Magic Cast-On.  This is one of the major advantages  of knitting from the toe.  The other cast-ons that I’ve tried for toe-up socks were so fiddly that they weren’t worth the trouble.  I always use Judy’s Magic Cast-On now.
• You can knit these with double points or using Magic Loop.  I prefer two at a time with Magic Loop.
• You can try on the socks as you go.  If it is a little too  snug across the foot, you can add some increases.  You will have the correct foot length since you can put your foot into the sock  (OK, so this isn’t a great argument if you’re making socks for someone else!)
• If you think you are short on yarn, knitting two socks at the same time from the toe up allows you to knit the leg to whatever length you want.  You may have enough yarn only for ankle socks, but maybe it will turn out that you can make the sock leg longer than expected.  Since the leg is the one part of the sock that can vary, it makes sense to do it last.

Disadvantages

• I didn’t start by doing toe-up socks, but I think that doing cuff-down socks is a better way to understand the basics of sock construction.  But, maybe that’s just me.

Whether you choose to make socks Cuff Down or Toe Up is completely your choice.  As you get more comfortable with different techniques you can start to mix and match to make the socks uniquely yours!

What is your favorite way to make socks?  Any other ideas?  Bring your socks into the shop and we’ll put the on the “Wall of Fame”.  Sometime soon, I’ll spend some time writing about the different kinds of toes and heels – so stay tuned!

Update–October 23, 2011

What’s up at The Knitting Nest these days?  Glad you asked!

• Our second session of Beginning Knitting started yesterday with two students!
• Upcoming classes include Crochet Amigurumi, Beginning Crochet, and My First Sweater.  Stop by The Knitting Nest to get signed up!
• I finished knitting my swirl jacket from Knit, Swirl.  Now it’s time to block it!  I’ll post pictures when I’m done!
• I’m currently working on a cardigan using some of our local wool and a Cottage Creations pattern.
• Christmas is coming!!  Make sure you have everything to make those Christmas gifts.  We also have some pattern books for Christmas stockings.
• We have a “Wall of Fame”!  If you’ve made something with some yarn or a pattern from our shop, send us a picture or stop by the shop and we’ll take a picture and put it on our “Wall of Fame”.  It’s a great way to show off your work and inspire other knitters and crocheters!
• Don’t forget BooFest next Sunday from 4-7pm!  We’ll be dressed up and have candy and finger knitting for kids!

Are there particular products you’d like us to consider carrying or classes you’d like to see taught?  Just let us know!

What projects are you working on?  We’d love to see pictures, too!

BooFest!!

 

The third annual BooFest in Weyauwega will be Sunday, October 30 from 4-7pm on Main Street!  There will be lots of candy and fun!!  The Knitting Nest will be open and will be handing out candy and teaching finger knitting.  We’ll see you there!!

Second Sock Syndrome

 

Yes, I am seriously afflicted with “Second Sock Syndrome”.  What about you?  Do you finish one sock and have no interest in making the second one?  Do you have single socks and/or partial second socks in your stash because you are too bored to finish the second sock?  Or, do you end up with socks of different sizes because you didn’t keep close enough track of the numbers of rows?

All of those apply to me!  I love knitting socks, but after I finish one, I don’t want to do the second one because it’s just not much of a challenge!

There is a cure, though!  And it’s not difficult!  The trick is to knit both socks at the same time.  I suppose you could have two sets of double points and knit one row on one sock then go to the other set of double points to knit the row on the second sock, but it seems cumbersome.  There are some crazy people who knit one sock inside the other!  There are not enough anxiety meds in the world to get me to try that!

No, the fix is much easier.  You knit both socks at the same time on a long circular needle, using the Magic Loop technique.  You can do the socks from the cuff down or from the toe up.  I prefer knitting the socks from the toe up using Judy’s Magic Cast-on with a flap and gusset heel.

Patrick and I are going to be teaching a class making socks using this technique, so you are welcome to join us.  The class is $60 which includes a skein of Cascade Heritage (wool/nylon sock yarn) and the pattern.  If you’re interested in this class, stop by The Knitting Nest to sign up!

Update–October 8, 2011

 

Sorry about the length of time between posts – we’ll just chalk it up to migraines.  But, now, on to the fun stuff – what’s been going on at The Knitting Nest!

• Old ‘92 is here!!  Come check out this gorgeous hand-dyed (and man-dyed!) yarn in worsted and bulky weight.
• Our first Beginning Knitting class is finished and was a great success!
• I’m almost finished with my swirl jacket from Knit, Swirl.
• A couple of customers have brought by projects that they’ve finished with Knitting Nest materials.
• We’ve got several classes coming up – Knitting 911, How to Read  Knitting Patterns, Crochet Amigurumi, Socks, and Sweater.
• Books!!  We’ve got a bunch of new books – come check them out!
• One of the new books is about brioche knitting.  I’ve made one brioche scarf and I LOVE this technique.  The book is all about brioche – single color, two color, cables, etc.  I don’t know enough about brioche to teach it, but I think a group of us could learn about it together and have some fun.  Whatcha think?
• I’m starting to work on things for our Christmas decorations and talked to Cathy from Premier Petals about some of what I want to do.  It’s going to be beautiful!!

What’s up with you?  Let us know what knitting and crochet projects you have going?