8. Amount of negative ease in socks
Socks bag out in wear, so negative ease is used to give a better fit. Most sock knitters use between 10 and 15 percent negative ease. If you are working a colorwork stranded or Fair Isle design, however, only decrease approximately 5 percent for negative ease, as stranding reduces the stretch of the fabric.
9. Dawn’s 6-Point Star Toe Shaping (a change from a 4-point toe and grafting)
Knit around, decreasing sts to give a number divisible by 6,
if
your stitch count isn’t already divisible by 6. Knit 2 rounds (rnds). If I only have to get rid of 1 or 2 sts, I don’t knit 2 plain rnds, I go right into the toe’s decreasing.
So, for example, on a sock with a stitch count of 48 (8 groups of 6):
(K6, k2tog) 6x = 42 sts remain. Knit 2 rnds.
(K5, k2tog) 6x = 36 sts remain. Knit 2 rnds.
(K4, k2tog) 6x = 30 sts remain. Knit 2 rnds.
(K3, k2tog) 6x = 24 sts remain. Knit 2 rnds.
(K2, k2tog) 6x = 18 sts remain.
(K1, k2tog) 6x = 12 sts rem.
(K2tog) 6x = 6 sts rem. End off.
Extra Toe Tips
- For an even rounder toe, I’ll skip the 2 plain rnds after decreasing to 24 sts.
- The number of plain rnds needed can vary with gauge and/or the desired depth of your toe box.
- This toe can be used as a peasant heel. Adjust the number of plain rnds to give the desired heel depth.
Dawn Brocco is a well-known knitwear designer whose patterns can be purchased online, through various catalogs, and in local yarn shops across the country. You can visit Dawn at her website:
DawnBrocco.com
.