Socknitters Forum

[JeninND]

Hello all, when I learned how to knit socks, the instructor taught us the Kitchener toe. I love this method and it has worked well for me with all the socks I have knit. However, this is the first pair of ultra-fine-gauge socks I have knit (Fortissima Colori Socka on size 1s), and my toes look weird - too pointy at the top. I did my usual eight-stitches Kitchener, and I'm wondering if I should have started the decrease later and closed the toe with more stitches on the needles, like 12.

When you experienced sock knitters do a Kitchener toe, how many stitches do you do it with?
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Jen in ND

[RaevnWhitecrow]

k, so I'm not that experienced, but wondering, you said 8 stitches?
the pattern I use for women on a size 7 needle has me graft when I hit 16 stitches so I would think that on size 1 needle, it would have to be maybe twice that? but I'm just guessing by looking at my 'store bought' knit boot sock

[twobrownears]

I use the patterns from Ann Budd's book The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

The sock patten I just fininshed today called for fingering weight yarn according to gauge (8 to 9 stitches to the inch) on size 1 needles. I kitchenered the toe with 20 stitches.

It is not usual to kitchener the toe with a small number of stitches. If you want a less pointy toe, knit the foot a bit longer and knit the toe of the sock with less decrease rows and close the toe with 24 or more stitches.

You can also use a different kind of toe pattern. You do not have to use just one kind.

Here are some suggestions from the socknitters web site.

http://www.socknitters.com/lessons/toes.htm

Hope this helps.

Barb R.

[JeninND]

Thank you! That's what I'm going to do from now on. I think I'll try it with 12 or 16 next time.
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Jen in ND

[Pogo]

I don't know how many stitches I have at the end of the toe! For a large foot, start the decreasing with 2.5 inches to go; for a smaller foot, 2 inches. Decrease to the end of the toes, and Kitchener whatever's left.

Pogo

[2atatimer]

I was also a bit dismayed when I saw my first Kitchenered toe; it seemed mighty pointy to me too. However, when I wore the sock, the pointy part very quickly slewed itself over to the side of my foot where the big toe is and got right at home. Perhaps "slewed" is an unfortunate choice of words; the sock did not seem deformed or mishapen at all, it just seemed that the excess space centered itself over the excess length of the toe, and all was well. This was an 8 stitch Kitchener, if I recall correctly.

Later (I'm also at 5 pair knit, and counting!) I tried someone else's printed suggestion to eliminate two of the outside stitches by slipping them over their neighboring (inward-side) stitches. This did not seem worth the trouble, and the resulting slipped stitches were not a visual improvement IMO.

My personal opinion at this stage of my sockly development is that the point can be visually startling to the knitter and sock recipient, but that the effect disappears upon wearing, so in the big picture, not to worry. Of course sometimes the recipient needs to be told that it will disappear....

[Daniele]

Are you talking about the pointy little "ears" at each end? I read somewhere that if you leave ten stitches on each needle and drop the second-to-the-last over the last stitch before you start the kitchener, it helps. I think it does somewhat having tried it.

That brings up a question for me. I learned to kitchener by the following sequence:

needle into front first stitch as to knit and slip stitch off needle
needle into second stitch on front as if to purl and leave stitch on

then needle into back first stitch as if to purl and slip stitch
then needle into second back stitch as if to knit and leave stitch on

etc.

Now.... recently I've read in three books to add two stitches before starting this sequence and they are:

needle into first front stitch as if to Purl and leave ON needle
needle into first back stitch as if to Knit and leave ON needle

I tried this and it seems to help with the pointies on the right side.

However, I still have that lone last stitch that continues to be a bit of a bother....
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