sock tutorial part 2!

OK, you've done the cast on and set up. (BTW, if you're still having trouble with the cast on, go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search for magic cast on. There's several videos there. Warning, the cat Bhordi one is really long, but it is good. )



OK, so now you're ready to start back on needle #1. Turn the work so that needle 1 is in front and the working yarn is hanging on the left. Slide the needle so that the stitches for row 1 are resting on the left tip, and the other tip is in your right hand, ready to knit. The stitches for row 2 should be resting on the cable for needle 2.



Now begins the increases for the toe. The increases are a 2 round repeat, as follows:



Round 1: (both rows), k into the front and back of first stitch (from now on referred to as kfb), k to last 2 sts, kfb, k1. Repeat for second sock and for row 2 of both socks.



Round 2: k across.



How to tell if you're coming to an increase round--this particular increase makes the new stitch look like a purl stitch. if the second stitch looks like a purl stitch, you are NOT on an increase round. If the purl stitch is a row down, it is time to increase again. In this photo you can see the horizontal lines on the right hand side, a couple of stitches in. Those are the increases. See how they are spaced a couple rows apart? That is how it should look in case you set the socks down and forget if you were on an increase row or not. :-) I've made that mistake before!

Now you just keep increasing until you have 60 stitches for a medium women's foot. This is just a guideline, if you have wider or more narrow feet, are making these socks for a guy in your life or are using different yarn/needle sizes, you can change this number. The great part about this method is you can TRY THE SOCKS ON AS YOU GO! :-D Isn't that great?!? So try 'em on, see if they are wide enough for your (or the recipient's) foot, and when they are you can stop increasing. The toe should be about 2" long. And I made a mistake yesterday, which I will go back and fix, but the cast on should be about 1.5 inches, not 2. Sorry! If it is wider, it isn't a big deal. some people actually prefer it that way :-)

so just keep doing the 2 rounds until your sock is as wide as your foot. It should look like this:

Next step for my socks is just plain stockinette stitch the whole length of the foot. I haven't gotten there yet so I don't have photos or a measurement, but I will soon :-) If you're more adventurous, you can add ribbing or lace with whatever pattern works for half your stitches, or one row. Typically you don't add ribbing or lace or anything to the bottom of a sock. But hey, it is your sock, so do whatever you want! For this tutorial though I'm going with simple. So after you have the toes done, just keep knitting without increasing until the socks reach the front of your ankle. I will take photos of what I mean as soon as I get to that point.

Good luck and let me know if you have any problems!!