Sock Tutorial - Part 4

This is Part 4 of a 4 part tutorial. The previous part is Part 3.

You've done brilliantly! You have a sock which is nearly finished and you are really on the home straight now.

At the end of part 3, you had completed all the decreases taking the number of stitches from 42 to 32. That's the original number we started with, and is the same number which we knitted all the way down the ankle tube with.

You can be proud of yourself for getting past all the complicated bits. It's now mostly just a knittathon to get this sock finished!

So, what's next? We're going to knit the foot.

Knit 16 rounds (that's it!) Keep the stitch markers in place, you'll be needing them for the toe shaping, later on.

After 16 rounds, it really REALLY starts to look like a sock!

Now for the final part - the toe!

I know that you are now an expert with knitting on 3 needles so I know you can handle this next bit which is not hard (look at what you've done already) but it is a bit fiddly. So here's what you are going to do...

Remember how for shaping the gusset, you decreased a stitch *before* the 1st marker and another one *after* the 2nd marker. And you did this on alternate rows, with a knit row in between?

This time for the toe, you're going to decrease a stitch *before and after* each marker. So that decreases 4 stitches on that row. Then there will be a knit row in between. You will be decreasing stitches until only 8 remain on the needles. This means that the last couple of rounds are quite fiddly. You will have to shuffle stitches around from needle to needle as you're knitting each round in order to get the right ones together (for the k2tog, and the ssk2tog). 

So step by step...

Row 1: Knit until 3 stitches before the FIRST marker, knit 2 together, knit the next stitch (that takes you up to the marker) pass the marker from the left to the right needle, knit the next stitch, then ssk2tog. Knit until 3 stitches before the SECOND marker, knit 2 together, knit the next stitch (that takes you up to the marker) pass the marker from the left to the right needle, knit the next stitch, then ssk2tog. Finally knit to the end of the round. 28 stitches left on the needles.

Row 2: Knit the whole round.

Top Tip: Before you begin each decrease row, look ahead at the stitches that are 3 before and 3 after each marker. Shuffle the stitches round to make sure that the stitches you are going to be knitting together are on the same needle as each other. 

Here is the toe in progress, only 16 stitches on the needles

As you get fewer and fewer stitches on the needles, it does get a bit tighter and more fiddly but just persist, and follow the pattern until you have 8 stitches left. Remember to end on a row 2.

You will see a double line of decreases each side of the toe, like this...

Yay! It' a proper sock!

Looking at the end of the toe, you then need to arrange the stitches onto 2 needles like this...

Note that the thread is coming from the back stitch, top right.

At this point, you're all but done - the only thing that remains to be completed is to stitch up the final 8 stitches. You can do this in the usual way which is just to sew normally, making sure the thread passes THROUGH each of the 8 remaining stitches, so that they don't run.

 The other way you can finish off a toe is by using Kitchener Stitch. This was invented by Lord Kitchener to make a seamless finish at the toe, to stop the seam rubbing the soldiers' toes in the 1st world war.

I use this you tube video to do my Kitchener with...I haven't yet got to the point where I can do this without following a video!

Once you have stitched the toe up - however you decide to do it - then all that remains is for you to make another one!! Oh and also to be tried on by the recipient...

Plenty of room for them to be grown in to!