I had originally seen this sock pattern as a cuff down pattern but the designer finally made a toe-up version. So, of course, I had to try it.😉😁Using my leftover sock yarn scraps and my Chiaogoo 2.0mm (US0) needles, here's how it went:
- Cast on a Provisional cast on with a total of 44 sts.
- K 1 straight row on each side, then join in the round.
- K 10 rows in the round as part of the foot portion.
- Started the toes: with 22 sts on each side, splitting it up for 8 sts for big toe, 14 sts for remaining toes.
- Big toe:
- Row 1:
- Front: k, m1, knit to the last st, m1, k to for a total of 10 sts
- Back: k, m1, k to the last st, m1, k for a total of 10 sts
- Row 2-11 (10 rows): k
- Row 12:
- Front: ssk, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 8 sts
- Back: ssk, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog, total of 8 sts
- Row 13-14 (2 rows): k
- Row 15: same as row 12 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of the 6 sts on each side
- Row 16-19 (4 rows): k
- Row 20: same as row 14 continuing to decrease 2 sts, total of 4 sts on each side
- Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
The big toe came out to 4.5 cm (1 3/4").
- The rest of the toes:
- Row 1:
- Front: k to the end, pick up 2 sts, for a total of 16 sts
- Back: pick up 2 sts, k to the end for a total of 16 sts
- Row 2: k
- Row 3:
- Front: ssk, k to 2 sts to the end, k2tog for a total of 14 sts
- Back: ssk, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 14 sts
- Row 4:
- Front: ssk, k to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 12 sts
- Back: ssk to the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 12 sts
- Row 5 : k
- Row 6:
- Front: ssk, k to the end, for a total of 11 sts
- Back: k to the the last 2 sts, k2tog for a total of 11 sts
- Row 7: k
- Row 8-19: same as row 6 & 7, continuing to decrease 2 sts, for a total of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 & 5 sts on each side
- Row 20: same as row 19, for a total of 4 sts
- Bound off using the Kitchener stitch.
The rest of the toe came out to 5 cm (2 in).
It fits like a glove.
Then I went back to the bottom of the provisional cast on and picked up the stitches to start the foot.
- Row 11: pick up a st from the “front” side and put it on the “back” side; pick up a st from the “back” side, bringing it behind the st picked up from the “front” and put it on the “front” side. Then k to the 2nd to last st in the round & pick up a sts from below. There should now be 22 sts on each side.
- Row 12: pick up sts on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 14th, 20th & 25th sts for a total of 28 sts on each side (total 56 sts).
- Row 13-57 (45 rows): K
Including the initial 10 rows, this came out for a total of 12.5cm (5").
With the foot done, it was time for my standard Fish Lips Kiss Heel method. Since the method is copyrighted, here's the changes I did to make it work for me:
10. Row 66:
- Right side: K the "top" portion, start the heel on the "bottom" portion.
- Left side: start the heel as you're already on the "bottom" portion.
11. Row 66-106: Follow the Fish Lips Kiss Heel method until you have 9 twin stitch
(ts) knits & purls sts on each side and 10 regular sts
It worked as it came out perfectly! 🙂 *yay* 🙂
Turning the heel is always magical and never gets old:
With the heel done, time to finish up the leg and cuff:
12. Row 107-111 (5 rows): follow the pattern repeat 4 more times, maintaining 28 sts.
Then to finish off the cuffs, follow Laura Nelkin's Toe-up Larch Peds Cuff directions:
13. Row 112-143 (32 rows).
14. Bind off using Laura Nelkin's alternative elastic bind off. The total length of the leg and cuff was 9 cm (3 9/16 in).
13. Row 112-143 (32 rows).
14. Bind off using Laura Nelkin's alternative elastic bind off. The total length of the leg and cuff was 9 cm (3 9/16 in).
And here it is, in all its finished glory (finally):
Oddly enough, I was able to knit up this pair of socks quite quickly: I set up the sock and finished the big toes on Day 1; finished the rest of the toes and the foot, including setting it up for the heels on Day 2; finished the heels and leg on Day 3; and learned & finished the cuffs on Day 4.😳🥳🙌 So, either I'm knitting faster or all my sock "practicing" really paid off since it seemed very second nature on punping this pair out.😳😁😊🥰 As for the cuff (the whole point of this sock), it was a really interesting way to add additional padding to the back of the sock. It did have a learning curve to it (I initially knitted it backwards on the outside portion and correctly on the inside portion 😳🤦♀️) but by doing it incorrectly, it allowed me to really "see" what I was supposed to be doing. Now, I just need to "test" them to see how well it holds up as well as how "cushiony" they'll really feel against my shoes.🤞🍀😊
