I Don’t Like Toe Up Socks
I tried another toe-up sock pattern a few weeks ago and ended up frogging the sock at the heel in pure frustration.
It’s not the toe-up part that I have a problem with. I can easily do a provisional crochet cast-on and then graft the toe later. No — it’s the short-row heel that I hate. All of those wrap and double-wrap loops drive me nuts and I think the whole heel just looks lumpy compared to the nice, neat, heel on a toe-down sock.
In this case, it probably didn’t help that I was using a bamboo sock yarn that tended to split if you looked sideways at it, so picking up the double-wraps was pure hell. In the end, it got to the point where I wondered “Why am I putting myself through this?”, so the needles were pulled out and the horrible thing was frogged in a temper.
I’m now knitting a pair of ankle-down socks using a lovely (recycled) merino sock yarn as a form of therapy & I’m pleased to report that the patient is improving nicely. 🙂
You don’t have to use a short-row heel for toe-up socks. I almost always knit socks toe-up but almost never use a short-row heel. Instead I use the “hybrid” heel found in Chrissy Gardiner’s book “Toe-up. Patterns and Worksheets to Whip Your Sock Knitting into Shape”. It’s the only heel I’ve found that will fit ‘im indoors.
I’ve not seen that technique but then I love the Dutch Heel. They work & fit perfectly for me.
I to hate knitting toe up socks. I have mastered the toe, its the heal that slays me. I can knit a pair of socks cuff down in under 3 days. The toe up sock took me a week just to knit 1. I cussed, I frogged numerous times and I thought ugly thoughts. I finally finished it. I named it…..the sock from hell. I looked at it for 2 days and frogged it totally out. The yarn is officially sitting in time out. I am nit sure if that yarn will ever become a pair of socks.
There are several wrapless techniques for short rows. I like the one here: http://ysolda.com/iad/2014/1/23/technique-thursday-wrapless-short-rows