Knitting socks from the toe up has been quickly becoming a favorite technique among knitters. At first, the idea of working socks from the toe up instead of the cuff down boggled my mind- how would you cast on, how would you work the heel, would there even be a heel flap? All of these questions came to mind, but eventually my curiosity grew to the point where I simply had to see how a toe-up sock came together. And I have to say, I’m so glad I gave it a shot! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I even found a few advantages to toe-up socks that I really liked.
So, if you’ve been on the fence to trying toe-up socks, this week’s technique of the week is here to help you get started! In the Figure Eight Cast On for Toe-Up Socks video tutorial, Kerin shows you a simple and effective way to cast on for your toe-up socks.
Just as with other knitting projects, there are several different methods to casting on for toe up socks. This technique that Kerin demonstates in the video is known as the Figure Eight Cast On for Toe Up Socks and is great for knitters new to toe up socks – it has just a few simple steps and is easy to memorize! The first time I cast on for toe up socks, I made sure to use scrap yarn so I could practice my cast on technique a few times first before moving onto the actual socks.
After I finished my first pair of toe up socks, I have to admit – I was completely obsessed and cast on another pair right away. One of my favorite things about working socks from the toe up is being able to try them on as I knit the foot. After knitting several pairs of toe up socks back to back, I also realized it was a very effective way to using up an entire skein of sock yarn. I was able to split my skein of yarn in half with the help of a handy yarn scale, and then I was able to continue the leg of the sock until my yarn ran out. The first time I did this and only had a small handful of yarn leftover, it really felt like a little knitting victory for me!
Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson
And if you are looking for more information on techniques for toe up socks, I would highly recommend checking out Wendy Johnsons’ book – Socks From the Toe Up. This was the book I carried in my knitting bag with my everywhere when I first discovered toe up socks. In addition to bring a great resource for various cast ons, toe increase, heels, and bind offs, my favorite part of this book is that Wendy gives you what she calls “plain vanilla” patterns for toe up socks that use different heel types. This really allowed me to focus on the basics behind toe up construction (especially the various heel types) before jumping into more complicated patterns with all over cables or lace.
So, sock knitters – do you prefer your socks cuff down or toe up? What are some of your favorite toe up cast on techniques?
