Now that Sock Summit has come and gone, I have to plan out what to do with all the yummy new sock yarn I have! Since I have a goal to use up all my Sock Summit purchases by the end of the year, I’d better get cracking. But, after having knit so many pair of socks, I’ve learned a lot about speeding up the process. First came the Magic Loop method and knitting two socks at once – that totally eliminated second sock syndrome for me. But what really sped things up was knitting my socks toe-up. That gave me the ability to finish the socks at any point I wanted past the heels, and not have to worry about running out of yarn before the toes were done.

But, toe-up cast-ons can be fiddly and hard to manage – and there are lots of them to choose from! So, how do you find one that suits you best, and how do you actually work the cast-on? To help, I did some short tutorial videos for the three toe-up cast-ons you’re most likely to encounter: the Backwards Loop cast-on, the Figure-8 cast-on, and my favorite – Judy’s Magic Cast-on!

What I really love about this cast-on in particular is that it blends so well with the fabric, and doesn’t create any funny ridges along the inside of the toe. Not to mention it’s super quick once you get the technique down!

What’s great about any of these toe-up cast-ons, too, is that they’re not just limited to toes. You can create seamless-looking bags, in-the-round scarves, and top-down mittens, to name a few! if you haven’t tried toe-up socks, now is a great time to give it a shot.

For those of you that are toe-up enthusiasts, what’s your favorite cast-on, and why?