Knit Socks - Betsy Lee Mccarthy [13]
• Distribute the remaining toe stitches evenly between two needles/needle tips. Hold the tips together so that the stitches align, with wrong sides of the sock facing. Thread the yarn through a yarn needle, and insert the needle through the first stitch on front needle as if to purl. Draw the yarn through the stitch, leaving the stitch on the needle. (The yarn in the tapestry needle needs to stay under the knitting needles when moving from front to back.)
• Insert the yarn needle through the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit. Draw the yarn through the stitch, leaving the stitch on the needle. Now that you're ready, here is how to begin weaving:
1. Insert the yarn needle through the first stitch on front needle as if to knit. Drawing the yarn through the stitch, slip the stitch off the needle.
2. Insert the yarn needle through the second stitch on the front needle as if to purl; draw the yarn through, but leave the stitch on the needle. Snug up yarn.
3. Insert the yarn needle through the first stitch on the back needle as if to purl; draw the yarn through and slip the stitch off.
4. Insert the yarn needle through second stitch on back needle as if to knit; draw the yarn through, but leave the stitch on the needle. Snug up yarn.
Repeat Steps 1– 4 until you have worked all stitches and none remain on needles.
For an alternate closure method, you can draw the remaining stitches together by running a thread through them and pulling tightly to close. On the other hand, if you prefer to close the toe with Kitchener stitch but want a more rounded toe, see the sidebar on page 75.
With all needle configurations, toes are grafted together with stitches evenly divided on two needles (or needle tips) held parallel to each other and grafted together using a tapestry needle and 8” to 10” length of the sock yarn. Now that the sock is complete, if there was no slack accidentally created when changing from one needle to another, no one should be able to tell what type of needles you used. For a top-down sock, the same steps are followed in the same order regardless of the needles used. It's time for you to admire your new sock!
To the Task
My father told me many years ago that if a person could read, there was little that person couldn't do. I believed him then and attempted many things I might not have otherwise thought I could do. So, gather your determination, courage, knitting needles, and some yarn, and let's move forward together and knit some basic socks. In doing so, you become part of a wonderful tradition spanning cultures around the globe across many centuries. Enjoy!
Multiple Possibilities: Pattern Substitution
It won't be long before you're ready to branch out and modify designs or create your own patterns. For example, if you wanted to make a baby-sized version of Shimmy Rib, you could refer to the 36-stitch sock in Peaks ‘n’ Valleys and insert the Shimmy Rib pattern into it. Shimmy Rib has a 6-stitch pattern repeat; Peaks ‘n’ Valleys a 9-stitch. This substitution works because both are even multiples of 36 (6×6 and 4×9 both equal 36). Or if you wanted to make a 64-stitch sock in fingering-weight yarn with an 8-stitch repeat pattern, you could use the pattern Off the Cuff, substitute your choice of ribbing or top treatment instead of the cuff, and substitute your chosen 8-stitch pattern for the stockinette. Additionally, to balance the pattern on the instep (that is, to make the instep symmetrical), you may need to transfer a stitch or two from the instep or heel stitches and then move them back to their original needle either after finishing the gusset decreases or just before closing the toe.
Be sure to knit a gauge swatch before making substitutions (see Getting the Right Gauge, page 12). A sock knit in a very open, lacy stitch pattern will likely be much larger in circumference than one knit in stockinette. A cabled pattern may