Tat:
I prefer using double pointed needles. I usually use four, with a fifth needle to knit from, but for some patterns, it's easier to put all the instep stitches on a single needle (like, if it's a lace pattern), and then I use four needles.
I started knitting socks before the circular-needles method became popular, and I admit, while I use circulars for knitting sweaters and shawls, I'm a little resistant to buying a whole mess of small-sized circulars for socks, considering how many sock-sized (US 1 and 2) double pointed needles I have.
I also prefer to knit from the top down rather than from the toe up, but I want to try a new Veronik Avery toe-up pattern - hers involves a provisional cast on rather than the tight little "figure eight" cast-on I find so fiddly and difficult, and if her pattern works for me, I may do more toe-up socks.
(The benefits of toe-up: if you have limited yarn, you know you won't run out. And also, some stitch patterns look better from one direction than another)
4 comments:
I love the "knit a small square, pick of the sts and knit up" it I am going to do toe up socks. But it is true.. I would rather knit top down.
Another toe-up start that I use: crochet a chain of about 15, and, leaving a long tail, pick up one stitch through the back "bump" of the crochet chain until you have 12 sts. (or make it longer and pick up 16 or whatever....) Join into round and proceed upward. When done, carefully unpick the crochet, put the 12 sts on your needles, K2 tog all around and finish off. 12 or 16 sts are MUCH more stable on DPs than four or six or eight.
What finally convinced me that toe-up socks were not barred by the Geneva convention was trying Wendy Johnson's toe-up pattern (wendyknits.net, her basic is in the free patterns section)
Essentially, you provisionally cast on HALF the total stitches for your sock, short-row about 8 stitches, then short-row back up. Pick up stitches from the cast-on and begin the foot of the sock.
Simple. Non-fiddly.
Read the post and comments...have to admit my total defeat. it's all Greek to me. "provisional stitch"? "8"? "join into round"? K2 tog?
Last time I knitted socks was in 1st college (which was, geographically, in VERY continental Russia) and I was shown the 4 needles+5th method. Don't even remember now, was it toe-up or top-down...probably former.
I have attempted in the past to decipher terminology in the knitting sites only to realize you guys here (and in UK, it seems) are doing something very complicated and unnecessary with basis loops(?) - and quickly lost motivation to continue.
Knitting printed instructions, I am certain now, only make sense after someone sits with you and show you hand-to hand.
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